My 62nd Birthday Weekend

My 62nd birthday was on Friday.  Every year past 59 feels like a gift, because we lost Dick's mother at age 53 and my mother and sister Janet at age 59.  I love that there are so many vibrant people in their 80's in my life, including my beloved stepmother Mary.  And Dick's dad and stepmother.  They just amaze me. 

My mother died the day before my 31st birthday.  It occurred to me that I have now lived as many years without her as I had with her.  Unbelievable.  Here's one of my favorite pictures of her, just a couple of years before cancer took her away from us.  She LOVED babies, as you can easily see here in her interaction with Jeremy.

On Friday evening Dick and I went to our new favorite restaurant, Olde New York.  Once again I ordered Original Suzi Wong's Egg Rolls.  They are considered an appetizer, but they totally fill me up.  

They are by far the most delicious egg rolls I have ever eaten.  Such wonderfully crunchy cabbage.  I decided to google them afterward and discovered their very interesting and very LOCAL story.  If you like stories of family businesses surviving and thriving, you will love this story.  

http://wpsu.org/localfoodjourney/comments/suzie_wongs_egg_rolls

On Saturday after Dick came home from work at noon, we headed for Lancaster County and arrived at Sam and Jenn's around 3:00.  It was Sam's birthday that day.  In the past we've celebrated together at nice places like El Serano's, The Cat's Meow,  Jo Boy's, and last year at the Waffle Shop up here.  But Sammy is getting to be a somewhat "terrible two," at least when it comes to eating out, so I suggested we go to Park City Mall's food court where there's a play area and everything is already noisy and chaotic!  

Is this rocket really going to take off??

He would have been glad to ride the escalator with Grandpa over and over and over and over.  We decided two trips was enough.  

Then it was time to find some food.  We got him a Burger King kids' meal, and the rest of us got some great salads from Salad Works.   Sammy tried my salad.

And then the whole wheat roll.

He got a lot of mileage out of just letting a big hunk of the roll hang out of his mouth.  Such a ham!

Sam and Sammy.  I have no idea how I didn't get any picture of Jenn all evening.  Sorry, Jenn!

I wanted a picture of Sam and me standing in front of the Auntie Anne's pretzel place.  When he was a teenager and we took multiple trips to the mall for shoes and clothes for him, we always made a stop at Auntie Anne's.   He thought taking a picture there on Saturday was just the silliest thing ever.  But I'm the mom and I made him do it!

When we left the mall we took them back home, said our goodbyes, and then drove to Dick's parents' place.  We hadn't stayed there overnight since January!  We had several hours to sit and catch up.  They do not have internet, so it's not as easy to keep up with each others' lives.  I didn't take a picture, but here's a nice one of them from our Stauffer camping weekend in June.  They are amazingly healthy and active and such an inspiration to us.  

Sunday morning we had a relaxing breakfast with them, then I had time to play their old pump organ.  What a workout!!  I decided it could be the new elliptical machine!

And for your listening enjoyment - My Jesus, I Love Thee.

We then said our goodbyes and went to our home church, Grace Community Fellowship, also for the first time since January!  We stayed afterward for their fellowship meal, and it was wonderful to have time to spend with dear friends.

Then we went to Manheim Christian Day School for the Myers Reunion.  That is my mother's family.  Out of the original ten children there are just three still living - Alma, Earl, and Lloyd.  Unfortunately, Lloyd and his wife Shirley were not there yesterday.  We did get a picture of the original generation.

Uncle Paul's wife Polly, Uncle Bob's first wife Frances, my stepmother Mary, Alma, Earl's wife Irene, Earl.  I love looking at Aunt Alma and trying to picture what my mother would look like if she had lived to be elderly.  

It was great to have time to sit and chat with sisters, Grandma Mary, cousins, and aunts.  We actually have become much more connected in the past few years, thanks to Facebook.  

And then we drove back to State College.  The sun was setting as we drove on the PA Turnpike toward Harrisburg.  It was quite a show.

We stopped in at Anthony and Lori's before going home.  Austin was busy at his Thomas the Train table.  He gave me lessons on train protocol.  I learned that engines without faces canNOT pull engines  WITH faces.  Each engine with a face has a name.  I was allowed to play with Rosie and Emily because they are girl engines.  His favorite new word last evening was "aqueduct".  That was a certain area on the track that our trains would go through.  Good times!  He is so much fun.

I've got a very busy week ahead, so it's time to wrap this up.