Birthday Surprises

My parents have a birthday a week apart.  My siblings and I don't usually do anything too crazy for their birthdays but we usually do get together for cake and stuff.  Often one of their birthdays falls on family vacation time but this year we are going later.  I thought it would be nice to take them out to eat.  Out to eat with no grandkids.  Not that I don't love my neices and nephews but thought it might be kinda special to go somewhere nice.  And kids don't really do "nice".  I mentioned it to my siblings and they were all on board.  Then one of my brothers thought it would be kinda neat to go without the spouses.  Guess that takes care of babysitting!  The rest of us thought that sounded like fun so the plan was on. 

I called Mom and Dad separately that morning and told them that someone wanted me to call them and tell then that they want to take them out to eat tonight but don't want them to know who it is.  All I know is they are supposed to be at Country Gardens at 5:00.  Mom begged and pleaded for me to tell her who it was.  "Well....well....who in the world is it"?? was more like her exact words.  And then..."Is it....." and starts rattling off a bunch of their friends.  I told her I'm not telling her and hung up midst her stuttering!  Then I called Dad and he was all business...."Welllllllll....I'll have to see if I can be home by then".  "Maybe you should just tell me who it is".  Our conversation lasted all of 1 minute.  Found out later from my brothers that he was all in a tizzy trying to figure out who it was, and told them about it immediately after hanging up with me.

Thanks to my youngest brother who is at home alot during the week, we found out that indeed they were both in a tizzy so to speak.  He eavesdropped on them getting ready and I'm told the conversation went something like this..."Do you think it's OP's?.  Maybe it's someone from our small group".  Do you think it's Dennis and Linda.  What about Mommie Petersheim"..and on and on.  So glad I wasn't there cuz I woulda been giggling.

They left their house 1/2 hour before they needed too.  So they were there in PLENTY of time.  That's my dad though.  Love that about him.  Somehow I didn't get that part of all he passed on though....!

Meanwhile the siblings phones were all going crazy....Brad and I were stuck in traffic.  There was an accident on 340.  Because of the accidnet, my brother Jim was late too as was my brother in law who was supposed to get home so his wife could leave.  We ended up getting there about 15 minutes late.  It was raining as we went dashing in.  When we walked in the door...you should've seen their faces.  We heard the usual " I thought it might be you guys"!!!

We had such a good time.  It seemed weird to be back in the pre inlaw and grandkid stage.  Funny how those things change a family dynamics. 

After supper we said our good-byes and headed home.  NOT!  We all went back to Dad's and pretty soon the rest of the family joined us!  We celebrated with cake and ice cream.  After all, what's a party without the whole family!  The kids had so much fun singing to Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa!

It was so much fun to do this for my parents.  Mom told us later that when they left the restaurant dad told her "Now that was special!" 

I am so blessed that God put me in such a wonderful family.  Yeah, things come up that are tough to work through but there is nothing like having each other and loving each other no matter what!

Rollman Family Camping

The weekend of the 4th of July found the Rollman clan plus some aunts and uncles and cousins at Camp Swatara.  The Rollmans have been doing this long before I came on the scene.  Since I love camping, it's a vacation we look forward to every year.

The best part of camping is the food.  Oh my....the food!  Burgers and potatoes, bacon, eggs, pancakes, scrapple..... I don't really go all out and it's nice cuz each family does their own thing so I never had to make a huge meal to feed everyone.

We made all of our food over the fire.  Friends of ours had given us Dutch Ovens as a wedding gift and we use them alot!

Course having such a handsome man help with the cooking makes everything taste better!

 

During the day there were water fights, volleyballs games, crazy games of Pictionary, and just plumb down sitting and relaxing! I think that's the part Brad and I loved the most.

In the evening we always had a cozy campfire.  Some dozed oblivious to all that went on around them!  Every year there are a brave few who walk across the fire.  When it is time to place a new log on the fire, they fun across it before it has a chance to smolder too long. 

There were cute little boys all over the place.  It's time someone has a little girl around here.   I would gladly try and make that happen.  Wouldn't even mind adding another boy cousin.  But for now, we're waiting.....

There was a really cute big boy too!  He knows that I love his muscles!

These 2 in the pic above were always together.  Except for about an hour when poor Joy was running terrified from my husband when he was determined to dump a bucket of water on her during a water battle.  Poor Joy found a safe hiding spot in the woods while her frantic fiance was going crazy looking for her.  Finally they were reunited and I don't think he left go of her the rest of the weekend!!!

I missed out on the traumatic moment because that was the day I spent in the hospital with my friend Rosie.  Read my previous post for more on that.

Brad's cousin Lori does hair.  She does other stuff too, but she went to school to learn how to do hair.  She brought her clippers and scissors and stuff along, hoping for some clients!

I normally cut my husbands hair.  He used to just buzz it all.  When I first met him he had a ginormous clump of hair swooped back on his head.  He says he started using gel when he met me but....maybe we should stop there.  Let's just say that he had been a bachelor too long!  I actually love doing his hair and prefer to keep it longer.  I do trim it shorter in the summer.  Anyway, as everyone around us sat in Lori's chair, their hair would disappear.  I made the mistake of saying to my husband "Hey babe, I wonder how YOU would look with no hair".  Just the week before that he had shaved his goatee off.  I told him that I thought he looked like a 12 year old!!  I don't know why, but I love the look of facial hair.  Something so manly and rugged about it.  Back to the story....I had no sooner said those words than he was in the chair like a flash.  I was stunned.  He said "should I really do it"?  I thought, hey, why not, and said "Sure babe, go for it!"! 

Sooooo

Yikes!  Don't stop now!

After we got home from the weekend I told him he may as well take a razor to it and do it right since it probably won't happen again!

I kinda like it but I'm ready for it to grow back again.

In spite of everything we had a great weekend.  I treasure any time I get with this man, and we have so much fun together!  I feel like I missed out on parts of the weekend when I was at the hospital.  We were both glad we were not camping too far away and I could go and be with Rosie some of the time.  For updates on her husbands condition you can check out his facebook page. 

We're already looking forward to the next camping trip!

Life's Curves

Right now I am sitting in a waiting room at a hospital.  You never know what is going to come along your way.  Gone are my plans for the week and the camping trip we were looking forward to last weekend was not what we had planned.  

We had just set up camp Friday night and were relaxing by the fire when we got the call that my friend Genie was in an accident.  He was on his motorcyle and a camper pulled out in front of him. He is considered "brain dead", but his heart is still going strong.  He is on life support and at this point he will be on it until God gives his wife peace about taking it off, or performs a miracle .   She is believing for a miracle and the restoration of her husband.  We are supporting her in that.  We came right into the hospital Friday night and then I came back and spent the day Sunday here.

Genies wife Rosie is a good friend of mine.  I was in her bridal party a few years ago.  It hurts me soo bad to see her going through this.  She is due with their 4th child in about a week.  She has been so strong and has been leaning on God and the support of people all around her.

Rosie is the one on the far right.

It breaks my heart to see her going through this.  I really can not imagine what I would do if I would be in her shoes.  Should she take her husband off of life support...should she leave him on?  Brad and I have talked about it and he told me that he would hope that I would take it off.  But really...I don't know what I would do when it would come down to it.  I know that I would probably want to keep him around as long as possible. I really pray that I will never have to make a decision like that.

This whole situation has been a huge reminder to me to cherish each day with my husband.  We really have no promise of how much time we will have together.  I get to go home to my husband after a long day in the hospital and cry out all my emotions on his shoulder as he holds me.  Rosie does not have that privilege right now and I'm sure she would give anything to have that chance again. 

...........