My birthday morning broke on what we knew would be a very busy day. In the kitchen, butterbraids we bought from a karate fundraiser were set up for breakfast. Those things are surprisingly good for frozen pastry! After my cup of chai, Buck and the kids presented me with my gifts--a bunch of Norwex stuff (interestingly supplied by the same family from whom we bought the butterbraids), including a second dust mitt from Caelan, a birthstones on a branch necklace from Brennen, a Hebrew ring from Buck, super cute wooden ornaments from Graysen, and hoodie t-shirt I saw in a magazine from Gabby.
From my sister, I got a homemade certificate to de-stress at Starbucks. I told her she should have sent more money, lol! ;)
We took two carloads of gear north for hunting. The boys rode with Buck (he had to fix a strap that came loose), and Caelan chauffeured Gabby and me. I would much rather sit and read a magazine or a book than drive for hours on end :) That was another good gift! Especially after two days of packing, whew!
The cabin is just as cute and cozy as we remember. It's crazy how many memories pop in when we're there--my dad, my sister-in-law, all the cousins, the babies, friends--who got to join us again this year. It is a lot of fun, but it also makes me melancholy; so many emotions to process being on my "home turf," but so many things different in life.
As soon as we unpacked, we headed into town to meet my aunt and uncle (who we haven't seen since my dad's funeral last fall). They were being covid-cautious, so we all masked up. My dad and sis's headstones were recently placed, about a month ago. L's is gigantic, because my brother didn't want to see the guy behind her when he came to visit :) It's really pretty and personalized, and the back is covered with Bible verses. My dad's memorial is a bench, which we've decided suits his personality and makes visiting the row--great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and siblings a bit more comfortable. I felt like it just needed a coffee mug on the corner where a vase would go, in order to make it really seem like his.
Of course it is weird to see my brother and mom's names also on those memorials, another reminder that life is short, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to pick out some permanent real estate. Super fun birthday conversations, right? We hopped back in the van before the floodgates of emotion took over, but more than a few tears escaped anyway.
Back at the cabin, we went ahead and ate dinner waiting for our NGFs to arrive. I should probably rename them to GFs, since the "new" is becoming not-so-new anymore :) Maybe VGFs for Very Good Friends? I'll think about it. Anyway, Gabby made me the cutest cake--decked out like my shimmer chicken lawn decorations. You won't hear me complaining about all that extra frosting :) It's so fun that now she's doing cakes for others the way I used to do cakes for the Crew when they were little.
This is an eye-spy picture. While I was in the cabin bedroom, I kept catching a glimpse of a deer in this knothole in the siding. . . do you see it? :)
My mother-in-law called in the evening, and Buck sang to me before we went to sleep, because he realized no one had. That was always my dad's job. It turned out that the birthday song popped up frequently over the weekend, not necessarily for me, but close enough. I'm thankful for my Crew, my hubby, my family, and our friends. Birthday days are just like other days, but there is something special about them, too.
1 comment:
Spending your birthday with your family and your VGF's.....that sounds great.
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