A wonderful birthday surprise

Since early this year, I've been planning my 70th birday day. I figured I wanted to do something fun, not really physically demanding, and most importantly spend the day with family. So I asked my daughter, Carisa, to plan to take the day off from work and we, Carisa, Darren, Devin and I, would spend the better part of the day at Disneyland... hey, I get in for free on August 27. Carisa said that could be arranged so that was the start of it.

When I told her I wanted to spend the day with family, I would have loved to think my son, his wife and my granddaughter would be able to spend it with me too. But being in 2 different states (because of Kirk's work), I would be happy with the family members who lived near me. As the time got closer, Carisa and I worked out the timing schedule and decided we would have a late lunch, go to Disneyland later in the afternoon so we could see the fireworks at 9:30 PM and then have a nice 4-of-us family dinner on Saturday nite (my b-day was on Thursday).

So here it was so quickly, August 27, and I would be getting ready to pick up Carisa, et.al and have lunch. But wait, my front doorbell was ringing and I thought it was neighbor, Linda. After all, she's the only person who comes thru the front door. I open the door and I see this darling little red-headed girl stading there. My mind doesn't quite compute but there stood my granddaughter, Stasia (short for Anastasia); along with my son, Kirk; my daugher-in-law, Jenia and the rest of the family, Carisa, Darren and Devin. Carisa had e-mailed- and phoned-planned to have the rest of my family come and spend the day with me. Was I ever surprised, delighted, greatful and happy! I could never have received a better birthday gift than to have both my kids, both my grandkids, and both spouses with me to spend my 70th birthday. It was magic... there's no other word to describe it. We had a delightful lunch and then headed for Disneyland.

The end of August in So Cal can be brutal: heat, heat, heat and sometimes either a great deal of humidity or dry as a bone and in the afternoon, no breeze, until some time after 5:00 or 6:00 PM. I've been somewhat incapacitated with a sore back and of course, the always present knee problems; so it was decided that I would get a wheel chair and be able to get around with no problems. We also discovered with a wheel chair you get to go to the front of the lines on any of the rides... very helpful. So we took in every ride we could and had a great time. At the Mad Hatter, it was decided (note I never mention that I decide anything) that I should have a hat. And I got this nutty thing which I had to wear stating it was my birthday... it was after all, and I might as well enjoy it.

Dinner was next on the agenda so we decided to go to Downtown Disney to the ESPN Zone. The first time I've every been to Downtown Disney and I live about 25 minutes from Disneyland. Somehow before we made it to the Zone, it was again decided that I should have my face painted. What the heck - we'd been acting silly all day and having a great time. So I sat and got my face painted.... and wound up looking like this. I didn't really know how I looked until much later in the evening... after a few too many glasses of wine. By that time, I couldn't have cared what I looked like. The evening was fantastic and I had my whole family with me... what more could I have asked for.

Devin and Stasia wound up in the video game room and they had a blast playing all the games. Stasia even beat Dev (by one point) at one of the games. Stasia also got to have her picture taken with Jackson from the Hanah Montana show. He was having dinner at the table just behind us and was kind enough to pose with Stasia and sign her autograph book.

It can only be stated that my 70th birthday has been the happiest and most enjoyable b-day I've ever had. To be able to have my whole family with me, and one part of the family the biggest surprise, was so totally inconceivable and so totally wonderful. Thank you, Carisa, and the rest of the family for making this the best ever. I love you all so very much.


Kirk, Carisa and the strangest looking birthday girl.

Is this any way for a grandmother to model good behavior?

All of us at dinner.










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