40th Anniversary Recap

Last month was my parents' 40th anniversary. That's so unheard of these days, and I am so proud of them for 40 years of what I describe as a true love miracle. They met when they were 8 years old, became best friends in middle school/high school, and have been together since their junior year of high school. Isn't that amazing? 

To celebrate such a huge accomplishment, my sister and I threw them a small surprise dinner party with 50 of their closest friends and family. Despite the brief monsoon that took over the park for about an house before the party started, it turned out beautifully and my parents were more than surprised. 

Here they are walking up to a packed picnic area full of familiar face. Very different from what they expected, which was my sister and brother in law were in town and taking them out to a simple dinner. 

SURPRISE! 

Everyone's in town! 

Aren't the centerpieces gorgeous? Daisies- just like in their wedding.

How cute are they? I'm so blessed.

Well done Auntie T! We pulled it off and somehow everyone kept it a surprise! Here's to never throwing a big surprise party from out of state again! :)

Happy Birthday Nana!

This day some odd years ago (you're welcome MOM), the world was blessed with what would be one of the best creations God would ever make. He created someone born with a gentle spirit, a love for life, and a desire to please to Him in all that she would do. He saw that the world was lacking in beauty and kindness, so he decided to change that… and made my Mom. And so the world got a whole lot brighter that day and has remained so ever since.

If you don't have the pleasure of knowing my mom personally, let me just tell you, you are missing out. I know everyone says that their mom is the best mom, blah blah blah. Its a child's duty to say that I think. Its in our contracts that we sign at birth. Well, I'll just say this, I'd say my mom is the best even if I hadn't. 

Those of you that know Mom, you can agree, I'm pretty dang lucky. How I got so lucky, who knows. When I think of the mom that I want to be my children, I have been given the greatest example of a mom to mimic. Unfortunately for me, I don't always succeed in calling on that half of my genes to take over in the parenting department. As much as I would like to be like my mom and as great as we get along, there are some major differences that I've yet to overcome. My mom is gentle. I am loud. My mom is mild mannered. I am quick tempered. My mom is quick to forgive. I am a procastinater. My mom is organized. I am… less organized. But what we do have in common is this. We love our children more than ourselves. We strive to see the best in everyone around us. We have put our own dreams on hold for our families and our home. 

Mom, there are a lot of things in which I wish I could be more like you. Mostly, its that I wish my husband would call me a saint too, like my husband calls you… a lot. Just kidding, but he really does, a lot. In seriousness, mostly I hope that one day my daughter can look at me the way that my siblings and I look at you, and be thankfully for being blessed with such an amazing mother. 

You're the best and I love you.

Just for Nana