Oh, hai there.
Wait. 'Scuse me one second.
SHINY THINGS!
Sorry, what's that you were saying?
Wait. 'Scuse me one second.
SHINY THINGS!
Sorry, what's that you were saying?
Content
*to have and to hold.
The 60th Anniversary Weekendstravaganza culminated in a beautiful church service, including a sweet blessing of the happy couple during which a keen observer noted that all seven children inadvertently stood in birth order, Von Trapp style, and a rockin' party that required the donning of necessary finery.
Some chose the dapper approach.
Others, the studiously effortless look.
Some put on their prettiest frocks and their most uncertain faces.
And one wore sequins, the better to prove that she is both fabulous and gorgeous.
We gathered at the Elks Lodge, where there were fascinating things to behold.
History? From the past?
Thassright.
A Christmas tree? Decorated for Easter?
Werd.
Family and friends mingled and greeted.
They smiled and laughed put on their most gracious airs.
They marveled at the moment, the 60 years of happy memories.
Well, for the most part.
Oh dear. Some people just cannot be contained.
Some people just have to be the center of attention.
Some people just have to be the MOST charming and the MOST delightful and the MOST adorable.
It gets downright tiresome.
It's a good thing I'm obviously the favorite grandchild.
And then, suddenly, it was "places, people!"
We dined in the waning light, on lovely salads
and steak dinners
and sweet surprises to mark the occasion.
We were all very impressed.
No, really, we were.
Ahem. I said IMPRESSED.
There we go.
So we danced, and we sang, and we acted like fools. We made plans for the 70th anniversary, and thought perhaps we should do this more often than once a decade. But for now we'll take it easy. All that fun was absolutely exhausting.
Some chose the dapper approach.
Others, the studiously effortless look.
Some put on their prettiest frocks and their most uncertain faces.
And one wore sequins, the better to prove that she is both fabulous and gorgeous.
We gathered at the Elks Lodge, where there were fascinating things to behold.
History? From the past?
Thassright.
A Christmas tree? Decorated for Easter?
Werd.
Family and friends mingled and greeted.
They smiled and laughed put on their most gracious airs.
They marveled at the moment, the 60 years of happy memories.
Well, for the most part.
Oh dear. Some people just cannot be contained.
Some people just have to be the center of attention.
Some people just have to be the MOST charming and the MOST delightful and the MOST adorable.
It gets downright tiresome.
It's a good thing I'm obviously the favorite grandchild.
And then, suddenly, it was "places, people!"
We dined in the waning light, on lovely salads
and steak dinners
and sweet surprises to mark the occasion.
We were all very impressed.
No, really, we were.
Ahem. I said IMPRESSED.
There we go.
So we danced, and we sang, and we acted like fools. We made plans for the 70th anniversary, and thought perhaps we should do this more often than once a decade. But for now we'll take it easy. All that fun was absolutely exhausting.
*from this day forward.
Last weekend the FinFam (part T3) traveled to The Great Midwest to celebrate a most momentous occasion. See these folks here?
On April 15, whilst you were banging your fists on your keyboard and screeching obscenities at Turbo Tax, these two were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
What's that? You're still applauding? Oh no, carry on.
Honestly, I find that stupefying. Most people I know can't tolerate me for more than a few hours at a time. These two have managed to love, honor, and cherish each other for the better part of a century, plus have a baker's half-dozen children.
There's a couple of 'em now! There are five more wandering about, because everyone made it to the celebration.
See? There's one.
Oh! There's another one.
One's hiding in the background, there. Hi, K!
AND B. We'd never forget her. Even though she is the baby.
Only now she has babies. Funny ones!
Sisters came up,
as did the very first great-grandchild.
And of course there's the one they sometimes refer to as "the favorite."
Maybe it's genetic?
Though even he is finding it difficult to compete with LSis, mother of The Star, who has decided to stick it to the man by having a baby and then becoming more gorgeous and happy every day.
I think it has something to do with this guy.
When the FinFam gets together it's nonstop chatter.
Sometimes there are serious matters to discuss,
like world peace and
politics and
football and
funny men carved out of trees.
And sometimes there are lighthearted matters to attend to,
like the dream house you're building or
your fancee new camera or
how awesome your wife is for letting her sister-in-law borrow her amazing lens for the weekend.
Ahem.
It was a stupendous evening, filled with laughter and hugs and something called "Doll's Potatoes" that are a wondrous mixture of carbohydrates and cream. Also ketchup. And possibly methamphetamine.
At the end of the night we sighed and pondered.
How do two people find such tremendous love?
Some say it's the small gestures. The little things that, stacked together, create a force field around your hopes, desires, and fondness for one another. The careful attention to protecting your marriage, fostering the thing that's most precious to you so that you can weather infinite moves, job changes, life changes, and the task of raising seven children until you ultimately can communicate with only a smile, or a nod, or a hand on the back, or the sound of ice in a glass.
And then some say it's this.
Big gestures can't hurt.
On April 15, whilst you were banging your fists on your keyboard and screeching obscenities at Turbo Tax, these two were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
What's that? You're still applauding? Oh no, carry on.
Honestly, I find that stupefying. Most people I know can't tolerate me for more than a few hours at a time. These two have managed to love, honor, and cherish each other for the better part of a century, plus have a baker's half-dozen children.
There's a couple of 'em now! There are five more wandering about, because everyone made it to the celebration.
See? There's one.
Oh! There's another one.
One's hiding in the background, there. Hi, K!
AND B. We'd never forget her. Even though she is the baby.
Only now she has babies. Funny ones!
Sisters came up,
as did the very first great-grandchild.
And of course there's the one they sometimes refer to as "the favorite."
Maybe it's genetic?
Though even he is finding it difficult to compete with LSis, mother of The Star, who has decided to stick it to the man by having a baby and then becoming more gorgeous and happy every day.
I think it has something to do with this guy.
When the FinFam gets together it's nonstop chatter.
Sometimes there are serious matters to discuss,
like world peace and
politics and
football and
funny men carved out of trees.
And sometimes there are lighthearted matters to attend to,
like the dream house you're building or
your fancee new camera or
how awesome your wife is for letting her sister-in-law borrow her amazing lens for the weekend.
Ahem.
It was a stupendous evening, filled with laughter and hugs and something called "Doll's Potatoes" that are a wondrous mixture of carbohydrates and cream. Also ketchup. And possibly methamphetamine.
At the end of the night we sighed and pondered.
How do two people find such tremendous love?
Some say it's the small gestures. The little things that, stacked together, create a force field around your hopes, desires, and fondness for one another. The careful attention to protecting your marriage, fostering the thing that's most precious to you so that you can weather infinite moves, job changes, life changes, and the task of raising seven children until you ultimately can communicate with only a smile, or a nod, or a hand on the back, or the sound of ice in a glass.
And then some say it's this.
Big gestures can't hurt.
