As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Thursday, August 11, 2016

Celebrating Sixty!



It was a milestone birthday 

and it has been a challenging year of illness and big changes

It seemed that there was much to celebrate, and so...

celebrate we did! 

Yes, Ron was turning sixty and we decided to throw a party. Kati thought it should be a surprise. I had my doubts that I could actually surprise someone I live with, but we gave it our best shot (it was even harder than I thought!), and it was a success! 

He was surprised! (Well, he was surprised until he turned into our street after a day out with his brother and brother-in-law and saw all the cars. But that still counts as a surprise, I think.)


While we waited for the birthday boy to arrive...
(Oops...I hadn't put the dill dip in the bowl when I took this pic.)

Surprise!!
photo by Bekah

photo by Pat*

Let's eat!
(I had lots of help with the meal. Thanks Mom, Kristin, Sarah, Eve, Gloria...and Kati and Bekah, of course!)




Baby Macie (7 months) reached out and grabbed the dinner roll right off her mama's plate! :)


photo by Pat

Papa with his ten grandchildren
"Children's children are the crown of old men." Proverbs 17:6

photo by Pat

We kept the guest list small. 
Well..."small" is a relative term when you consider we have 18 now in our immediate family. Plus our parents. And Ron is one of 8 siblings. And the brothers and sisters of our church fellowship are our family.
most photos by Pat

Ron with his mom and siblings
(One sister could not make it.)


photo by Pat




Kristin and her family
photo by Pat

Sweet cousins!


photo by Pat

Ryan's birthday was the day before the party, 
but he was working and we hadn't given him his present.

He is an entertaining gift-opener!
(The children LOVE it!)






Happy 60th birthday to the love of my life!
I can't believe we're as old as we are, but I thank God for every one of those 60 years!


But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted to the Lord's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, "The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in Him!"
Psalm 92:12-14




* Huge thanks to my sister-in-law Pat who took many of the people photos! It is difficult to be hostess and photographer (most of my own photos were taken before the party began...or after most people had left!). But Pat is warm and vivacious and moved easily through the group, recording the moments. Thanks, Pat!

16 comments:

  1. Happy 60th birthday to your dear husband. It looks like you all had a wonderful time.

    Love & hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  2. Yes, it is difficult to hostess and take photos. I'm glad you had a crew with your that day to fill in the blanks! A very happy birthday to your love. I love that decorated bag from one of the grands. So so cute. Your other birthday boy has great gift opening style! This was a year to celebrate for sure and I'm glad so many came around to celebrate with you. Love that passage you shared at the end.

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  3. What a wonderful milestone and a great celebration! I love the photo of Ron with your grands (including the verse), the one of him with his mom and siblings, and the ones of Ryan opening his gift! I can't wait to meet he and Sarah and their kids one day!

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  4. What a great party! Loved seeing all your touches and family celebrating together. And wonderful scripture to match your guy. God is good!

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  5. Milestone birthdays should be celebrated and you did it in style, dear Cheryl. I love seeing all the special photos of a special day for your beloved. The photo of your son opening his gift is so cute. I love men who have a sense of humor. God has richly blessed your family, dear one. ♥

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  6. Congratulations on your happy marriage and the birthday of the one you love. 60. 6 decades. He looked very happy, and who wouldn't be with that beautiful family. I've always hated the birthdays with '0' in them. When I turned 60 everyone was afraid to bring it up, and I was happy with that. At 61 I've become accustomed to the '6' and I'm not showing any discernible damage. It's made me more determined to eat and exercise to be able to keep up with the grands. I loved the way you decorated and I'll probably borrow a few of your ideas and know you won't mind. I've been copying you for years now. :D Have a great weekend!

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  7. Happy Birthday to your beloved! You have a beautiful family.

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  8. A most uplifting and loving post!!! Happy birthday to your beloved.

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  9. Oh what a happy birthday it was! The smiles so big, the faces so dear. What a good job Pat did with the photos. Belated birthday wishes, but August is his month so there are more and more days to celebrate a birthday month. (Your son made me laugh.)

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  10. Happy Birthday! (I feel like I partied right along with you all!) And you're right - Ryan IS an entertaining gift-opener :)

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  11. Awww...what a wonderful celebration! I love the expression on his face! Good job on pulling it off :)

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  12. Happy birthday to the birthday fellow! Many happy returns.
    So many wonderful memories in the making for such a special milestone.

    Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
    Brenda
    xox

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