DINNER & DESSERT

It's been a while since we've gone somewhere together, so last night Tim and I headed out on a somewhat spontaneous dinner date. Our food wasn't anything to write home about, so we made an impulsive ice cream stop to make up for it. The ice cream was free and we walked while we ate it, so it wasn't entirely irresponsible.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful my name twin had her third miracle baby this week. What's something that you're thankful for?

A KIND GESTURE

Adulthood's overrated. That means I've had a whole bunch of snark and rant inside me all day long.

The kids and I had an appointment for three of them to get their birthday month pictures taken today. I was frustrated because the June kids couldn't get theirs done on time because of C19 closures, the belated appointments were canceled because the location we go to is permanently closing, then we had to wait until the end of August to get in at another location. Finally picked a time that worked for everyone, including the August kid, then one kid ended up with a scheduling conflict, which meant moving the appointment to this afternoon, hitting the worst afternoon traffic, which I sat in as a not-so-relaxed passenger.

Basically, the appointment was the icing on the cake of a royally bad mood and super low tolerance for humanity.

I asked Lori, the employee who checked us in, if Tina was working there. Tina's done most of our kid and family pictures for the last 8-9 years at the closed location, so I knew it was possible she'd transferred. I told the gal it wasn't my favorite day, but that I'd mentioned to the little Ws on our way inside that I would be thrilled to walk in and see Tina there because of how long she's photographed our family. No such luck. She's not working there. Loris said she's been Tina's friend and co-worker for over 20 years, so she understood why we were hoping to see her.

We moved on. The summer birthday kids all got their pictures taken and I chose the ones to purchase. As I turned toward the counter to pay, Lori walked out of a back room with her phone extended and said, "Bethany, I have a surprise for you."

She had Tina on the screen!!

It makes me tear up to type that out now, but in the moment I was just super excited. Tina's photographed countless families over the years, so although she's familiar with our family, it's not like we're super close to her. But on our end, she's documented a lot of years of W life. We think she's great!

Seeing Tina's smile and hearing her laugh is a treat any day, but especially today. The kindness that Lori showed in letting us connect with her, in telling me she hoped the brief conversation made my rough day a little better, was awesome. And the fact they were professional the whole time (maintaining social distancing, no other customers around), while providing what I would call phenomenal customer service was just a bonus.

I'm still feeling pretty snarky and ranty, but that little snippet of my day was a gift. I'm grateful.

SUMMER FUN WITH MY HUDS BUDS

I love, love, love having my Huds buds living close enough to see each other! It was fun to spend a couple days with this awesome crew.

Sometimes kids just need to be wheelbarrows. Right? 

We decided to try double wheelbarrows and it was a total failure. So funny! Also funny? That truck driver in the background was so distracted by our nonsense that he nearly caused a crash. Even funnier? The kids teaming up to turn Aunt Bethany into a wheelbarrow. 

It was time to head inside, so he donned his magnifying goggles to inspect the grass and make sure we'd picked everything up.

I love being Aunt Bethany to Ella and Garrett. Sometimes it means wearing princess stickers and firefighter hats at the same time. 

Garrett made this bird, named it after me, then gave it to  me. Please note the tailfeathers can sting people. Watch out!

Did you know there's a milk chocolate edition of Candy Land? Neither did I until Sonja busted this thing out! 

Baths. Jams. Fun game. Chocolate. Life doesn't get much better for these two!

Evidently a key component to happy living is to begin the day by bouncing on punch balloons. I mean, look at those smiles!

Garrett and Ella wanted to show me their masks. 

And they wanted to goof off with their masks. 

This little gal's so pretty!

This little guy's so handsome!

A neighbor brought over lollipops for the kids. Score!

Sonja and I have been friends for 25 years this fall. I can't believe it! We hit a rough patch in the early years, but an important woman in our lives intervened and basically walked us through getting things worked out. I'm so grateful for that because this is one of my most treasured friendships all these years later.

Sonja is courageous, works hard, and is good at all things creative and crafty. I can trust her with vulnerable or challenging parts of my life, knowing that she'll neither side with me simply out of loyalty or think less of me (or anyone else who may be involved) for my honesty. She loves the family she came from and the one she created, thinks red is the greatest color, and always manages to find awesome bargains.

I'm so thankful to be Sonja's friend! Spending the weekend with her is fantastic.

I may not be the most girly person on the planet, but Ella doesn't know that. When she asks me to French braid her hair, I'm on it!

When the little Ws were younger (and even sometimes now that they're older), we'd play I Spy while we waited in line. It's a great way to kill time and keep everyone in one spot, so I had this crew play with me while we waited for The Sparrow Bakery to open.

Sonja's told me about ocean rolls before, but she treated me to my first one before we all headed to a park this morning. Delicious!

Reading a book before naps.

Ella and I accidentally fell asleep on the couch yesterday as we read our own books during down time, so Garrett wanted to take a nap with "Aunt Beffany" today. Deal! We hunkered down on opposite ends and he was out in no time flat.

Cuteness!

Our afternoon adventure was visiting The Reptile Zone, a shop I'd noticed when we drove by yesterday. The kids loved it!

Our final stop was to buy flowers for Sonja to make her porch pretty with. Full disclosure - I wanted a picture of my friend doing something for herself, something that isn't about work or parenting. So I made the kids get out of the frame before I took the picture.  The moment wasn't as serene as it looks, but such is life. And her porch looks nice!

 

Such a fun weekend!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful I went on a walk during a point of tension yesterday. Not only did it temporarily keep things from escalating, but I ended up stopping to chat for a while with a man a couple doors down, then spending probably twenty minutes walking, chatting, and exchanging phone numbers with another woman who was also out for a walk. What's something you're thankful for?

DAD'S 70TH BIRTHDAY BASH & SOME FAMILY TIME

Dad's 70th birthday party was canceled in April because of C19, so some of our family got together over the weekend for a 70 1/3 birthday celebration for him. Beep made this neat party banner from a list she and I compiled back in the spring of things that remind us of him.

Half of Dad and Debra's grandkids.

Josh and Tim, two guys who married into the Perkins family.

Silas and Papa played some guitar together.

Cousin time! Makiah and Naomi hadn't seen each other in four years.

Dad and Debra, the birthday boy and his bride. 

Ashley and I chatted and shared some laughs.

Someone asked if Dad was going to give a "seventy years of wisdom" speech. Instead, he suggested we read things off the party banner and he'd share relevant comments or stories. It was a great idea! I think everyone heard at least one thing they hadn't known before.

I'm thankful for a dad who's committed to Jesus, has made each of his marriages a priority, loves his kids, invests time in his grandkids' lives, is a hard worker, and has a sense of humor.

All the adults partying in the shade.

Why were we all in the shade? Because the party was cool, but not cold. 

The whole crew, minus Ally because she had to go back to work before the picture was taken.

The celebration ended after we took the group shot, but the Ws stayed the night at my sister's and our families hung out together. Tyler and Devon spent more time cooling off in the pool.

Meanwhile, Tim experienced envy as he relaxed in the shade.

Neo taught Devon how to make an origami thing that I don't know the name for.

Just some boys.

The first thing we did upon our arrival, before Dad's party even started, was have every guy at least 16 and younger than 70 unload the piano we'd brought down the night before.

It's Mom's piano, which Beep inherited almost 30 years ago. However, she's lived out of the country most of her adulthood and it's been in a few different homes over the years. Now it's in her possession again. 

I had to take care of a few things online while Silas and Beep played and sang together. I was lucky to grow up in a home where piano (this specific one) and guitar were always being played and I loved hearing the combo while I worked.

Beep pulled out some music she said might be familiar, then started playing and singing. I sang the little bit I remembered from decades ago. Then I started crying. Totally unexpected!

I can't tell you what prompted it, but the music is soothing, the lyrics are beautiful, and my sister was playing songs from our childhood on our mom's piano. Maybe it was the combination of those things? I don't know.

She invited me to sit with her and sing along. So I did. And cried some more.

I'd handed my phone to Silas so he'd snap a picture for me. Unbeknownst to me, he also did a few little recordings. Sweet ending to the day.

And thus concluded a really full day of time with friends and family. 

We wanted to go to church with Dad the next day, since it was his celebration weekend, but he told us ahead of time he'd be volunteering and not sitting in the main part of the service. So we went to church at Rogue Valley Fellowship with my sister's family instead. Outside. Socially distanced. I'm not one to take pictures at church, but this was momentous because it was our first time attending church in five months.

I forgot to get a picture with Beep at the party, so I had Tim take one as we parted ways after church.

Then we headed home, with a stop at In-N-Out for lunch. It was my first time there and I didn't see what the big deal was, but I've since learned about the secret menu. Now I know.

It was awesome to spend a bunch of time with my family over the weekend and have a belated celebration of Dad's birthday!