Celebration of the decade

I've come to realize that, from March through November, there is at least one or two birthdays to celebrate in each month. That makes for a very busy Summer through Fall, but honestly, it's a blessing to have so many people to celebrate. Family members, friends, co-workers, EVERYONE! And, in the month of May, we get to celebrate my good ol' dad!

Doesn't that look scream "SURPRISED"??

This year, it was an even more important birthday for him as he's hitting another decade, 60's. It's once in a life time, right? My sisters, the crafty party planners that they are, planned out a whole surprise party in honor of the man who cared and loved us all. I even surprised him by showing up!

He was amused by his golf cookies I made him.

I left Buffalo at 6:30am in order to arrive in Columbus by 11am. I surprised him, we ate lunch, and then surprised him again with our planned adventure of Zip-lining. (If you have never been and live in the Brown County State Park area, definitely try the Explore Brown County. It was so much fun, even in the bit of rain that we got.) After 2 hours of fun, we all headed home in separate directions. My dad, thinking he's going to relax until dinner with family, was actually going to get his last surprise in a couple of hours. My sisters and I all started working to get her house ready for the party. Decorations, food, cake, cookies, everything needed to be perfect! The guests all started to arrive around 6pm and we had coordinated with my mom to bring dad over around 6:30pm. It was ALL planned out. The ruse we used for him to come over? "It's Luna, the dog's birthday, too, so we have to celebrate it at my (my sister's) house". No one knew the wiser.

A golf ball cake wouldn't travel well in the car, so I made cookies instead!

When he walked through the door, it was pretty clear to see he was surprised. Even the kids were all into surprising their "Ji". In the end, I think we all had a great time and we can put another successful birthday party under our belt. Thank you to all who came and took part in the celebration. And thank you to my Buffalo Diner family, for letting me go and participate in my dad's birthday.

My family is a goober

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. West Virginia sure cranked the heat up for the morning, but a quick shower made it nice and cool. Thanks weather!

Since college years, I have not been able to be home much for Mother's Day and spend time with my own mommy. Skyping and calling helps to connect and celebrate the woman who made me who I am, but it still doesn't do a physical hug justice. I do miss you mom and I hope you had a wonderful, albeit busy and full of adventures, day celebrating you and moms everywhere.

My mommy, Kiki and Luciana, also a mommy. 

However, Hines and I do live in West Virginia now, which means that at least he is able to spend it with his mom and family. We had brunch at Bob Evans with his mom, headed over to Denise's parent's house for an afternoon at the Johnsons, and finished the day off at his Granny's house. It was a full day, with lots of food and laughter, and it was perfect. It sure is nice being able to celebrate and recognize the hardwork of all the women who have impacted our lives in some way.

There are so many positive aspects of the day, but I do recognize that, for some, it's not a good day. There are those who didn't have a mother growing up, whether it be for financial, death, or emotional reasons, and it must be hard. I read an article about a young mother who lost her battle with cancer not too long ago and left her husband a widow with four children. My heartbreaks to think of the sadness that these family members must feel, knowing that the one person they celebrated with all these times, isn't there anymore. However, the husband has a beautiful message of moving on and celebrating the memories of the woman he loves. Please check out the article here.

I guess what I am trying to say is, please consider those who aren't emotionally ready to celebrate this day. I know I miss my Grandmothers each and every single day. For those of us who do have their mothers or a mother figure, take a moment and remember how blessed you are. Give your mom and grandmothers an extra hug and don't forget to tell them you love them and that they are beautiful.