My beloved son picked me up and took me to a nearby gun range. I really enjoy shooting with Zach, and he's very generous with his ammo. Afterward, he took me to James Coney Island, an old-time favorite, for hot dogs and chili cheese fries. But the fun didn't stop there.
We returned home to find Angy leaving a little birthday surprise at my front door. So the three of us ended up having a wonderful, spontaneous time of just hanging out together. Although I love their mates and their kids as much as I love them, it was a real treat to have Angy and Zach all to myself for awhile.
The Three Musketeers were together again.
 |
| Like it used to be |
Now, on to this year's birthday. I have a lot more details to share since it was just last week ...
In keeping with my long-standing tradition, I took the day off from work and did whatever I felt like doing.
My course had been set for a couple of weeks, ever since birthday coupons from IKEA arrived in my inbox. What else could I do—$15 off my total purchase AND a free meatball lunch with almond cake?
Heck YEAH!
I was also expecting a birthday coupon from Willie's Grill & Icehouse for a free entree, so that would take care of dinner. The day pretty much planned itself.
Only breakfast was still up in the air. I'm not allowed to cook or prepare myself any type of food on the big day (my birthday, my rules). After I considered going to la Madeleine for coffee and a croissant, I thought about how much closer Shipley is, so I had two doughnuts instead.
Angy and Sara came by after Vacation Bible School to go shopping and dining with me. The godly influence of Sara's morning was evident in my birthday letter:
Someday I'll talk to Sara about the difference between "your" and "you're," but that wasn't the time. Besides, I had given her and Christian a mini lesson on "lie" and "lay" just the other day in the car.Dear Nana | You are a blessing to have | God ❤ you forever and so do we | Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 | Your always for us and we ❤ you
Sara's spot-on portrait of me
Christian gave me his birthday wishes over the phone and apologized for not wanting to go to IKEA. Later that afternoon, I got calls from Evyn and Ezra. What struck me most about those sweet calls was that they were real conversations, not like the short ones that used to go something like this: "Hi, Nana. Happy birthday! I love you. Bye."
I'm not the only one growing up.
Lunch at IKEA was surprisingly delightful. Even without the good taste of free, those Swedish meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies would have been delicious on their own. The almond cake—utterly exquisite. Angy enjoyed it as well, and Sara gave her fries and chocolate cake two enthusiastic thumbs up. Afterward, she said, "That food made me feel really happy."
We're just blessed to be able to fully appreciate the finer things in life.
As we leisurely followed the arrows through the store from start to finish, several household items made it into my basket. I'm really good at picking out my birthday gifts. And I'm pretty generous.
 |
| After our girls' day out |
My last stop was midweek Bible study, which turned out to be a special treat because the lesson was on Revelation 21–22. A new heaven and a new earth. No more death or crying or pain. God's illuminating glory. Streets of gold. Crystal river. Tree of life ... What a way to end the day on a high note!
I couldn't have planned it any better.
When I got home, I ate a couple of the chocolate dipped strawberries my sweet friend Misty Dunn had delivered to me that morning. It was a such a good day of eating, and all I bought were those two doughnuts.
Oh, and every place I went, a great parking space was waiting there for me. A charmed day it was.
Now I'm just left to wonder, If I'd been out till quarter to three, would you lock the door?
No comments:
Post a Comment