MY WONDERFUL THURSDAY

Are there some days that are just more fun than others? Today was one of those days…well, I guess I can’t say FUN as in frolicking kind of fun, but more meaningful and full of personal rewards and family fun.

We had lunch with my Stepfather ‘Boots’, and his wife Virginia, my brother Gene and his wife Gail and my sister Shirley.

Story is; Boots married my mother 5 weeks before I married Doug….they were married 5 years when she got Lymphoma Cancer….she was battling it for exactly a year before it took her at age 49!

About a year after he married Virginia and I must tell say I was a bit sad by this - seemed she was taking moms place. Virginia was my mothers friend and co-worker so I felt a bit of a betrayal plus she divorced her husband upon moms death.

Over the years we visited with them and it didn’t take long to accept Virginia. She couldn’t have been more gracious and accepting of us kids in Boots’ life and it has been like a family since.....which has been 40 years now.

Mom was Boot’s first love and to this day when we’re around she is brought up with love, and Virginia carries on the conversation with us. So lesson is don’t judge before you know.

We get together now and then for dinners and we visit each other, so today was one of those days….we had our holiday lunch and it was also my brothers 71st birthday….he has the crew cut and I sure don’t think he looks 71, do you????

We met at the restaurant at 12:30 and finally left at 3:30.…by that I meant it was a FUN DAY!

Here we are waiting for Boots and Virginia....they were a tad late!
Left to right: Me, my brother Gene, Doug, Gene's wife Gail, my sister.

Finally at our table...Boots and Virginia are there now.
Can you believe she's 86 and he's 85!!!

I promised a surprise didn’t I?
Wednesday night at our holiday get-together dinner here, one of my guests gave me a gift and when I opened it my jaw dropped and I do think there was a tear in my eye when I saw what it was….THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS BOOK!!!

Can you believe it after I just posted all the versions of the book over the last 200 years?

And the cool part is….she didn’t even know that I had a blog or that I had posted this. It couldn’t have been a more appropriate gift for the time.

The book is on very heavy glossy paper and is about 10 x 12

This is the original version of the book

My darling little faceless doll arrived today...she traveled well and was happy to be home.

Thanks Dawn, from The Forgotten Barn, she will be well cared for!

I so hope you enjoy my posts...they aren't anything special but just a journal of my days.

Hugs to all.