Trim and Fashionable

I think it’s safe to say my nephew is proud of his big boy underwear.

Two years ago today I made one of the best decisions of my life.  I’m so grateful.

So my dad turned 70 on March 17 (yes, I know, over a month ago and I’m just now writing about it - even my brother David called me a lazy blogger the other day).  My siblings and I decided we needed to throw him a big birthday party to celebrate this milestone.

Carey and David hosted the party at their house, so Carey was in charge of decorations. I loved all of her little festive touches.  For example, this wreath greeted us at the front door:

I loved the sparkly clovers.

I think Lori just happened to have this clover frame, which was really cute sitting on the buffet. 

(I love the picture of my dad that’s in the frame - It was taken in California while the wind was blowing really hard.)

Julie and Lori made this happy birthday sign:

It turned out really cute, but there’s a story behind it.  Lori cut out all of the triangles and felt letters, and while Lori and I were working on Dad’s scrapbook (more on that later), Lori wanted Julie to sew the letters on the triangles by hand.  She liked the contrast of the lime green thread on the dark green felt letters, and she felt like the handsewn style would look best.  Julie got started on the letters about 8:00 the night before the party, and after she finished the first H (it took a really long time), Lori looked over and realized she had sewn it upside down.  It was pretty funny (to me, at least).  Julie declared that she would be using the sewing machine instead and would use a zigzag stitch so Lori could have her contrasting color.  She got to about the P or Y in happy and the sewing machine broke.  I would have scrapped the project right there, but not Lori.  She called Carey to see if she could borrow her sewing machine.  Keep in mind this is about 10:00 the night before the party.  Carey said her sewing machine was at her mom’s house, but we were more than welcome to get it from them.  Carey’s mom set the machine out on the front porch and Lori went and got it.  I left before she got back to her house with the sewing machine, but I guess Julie worked on it the next morning and it ended up looking great.  It seems nothing can ever be simple.  The final product is always great, but oh the steps it takes to get there!!

I took a picture of the food table while some of it was out there, but the cold stuff was still in the refrigerator at this point.  See the cute pictures sticking out of the clover plant centerpiece?  More of Carey’s decorative touches.

David smoked a boston butt, and along with that we had German potato salad, green bean bundles, green salad, and “green stuff” (you know, that lime Jello, Cool Whip, marshmallows, etc. mixture?).  I guess it’s pretty obvious we went with a green theme where we could since Dad is a St. Patty’s Day birthday boy.

I loved the name tags for the cups:

Oh, and these were the party favors!!  Aren’t they amazing?

My friend Danadesigned them, and I was so impressed.  Lori sent Dana a couple of examples to her to ask if she could maybe do something similar, but none of them even came close to the masterpiece Dana generated.  She came up with a draft, and then Lori and I went over there one night to talk about the finishing touches.  And I mean strictly finishing touches, because she basically had everything done.  The picture she used was one she found on my blog from Julie’s reception in Cleveland.  I thought it was such a perfect picture for the front of the candy bar because he makes that face a lot.  I wish I had taken a picture of the back - it had a bar code and everything.  We decided to use his birthdate as the numbers on the bar code.  It was too cute!  One of my favorite parts was that we put None of Your Business as the net weight of the candy bar. 

Lori and I were in charge of executing the cake.  Julie and Lori brainstormed one day, and Julie suggested making the cake a roadtrip of Dad’s life.  Such a great idea! 

The billboards along the road represented major events in his life.  They included a can of Del Monte green peas for the excruciating time spent working in the pea fields with his cousin Jack (they both hate green peas), the U.S. Army logo, the medical school he attended, a Welcome to California sign for his residency and the place where his first child was born, a Silver Dollar City sign since that was the only place Lori said they ever went on vacation before Julie and I were born, the church they’ve attended for 30+ years, and the hospital where he worked for so many years before retiring.  We had other ideas we had to disregard, which was sad, but there was only so much room on a full sheet cake.

We also had street signs representing all of the places he’s ever lived.  The ones in the picture above are the first three streets leading up to the place we visit in Hilton Head every year.  The signs are all names of birds, and they are alphabetical.  When we drive up the street to the beach house every year, Dad loves to recite the signs as we approach them.  Next time you see him, ask him to recite the bird streets and he will gladly oblige. 

Naturally, all of the speed limits on the cake were 70 mph - even the curvy roads!

I’m so sad I didn’t get a picture of it, but the toy car on the cake was decorated like Herbie the love bug since Dad has his own Herbie in the garage at home.

Several months before the party, we sent out letters to everyone we could think of requesting contributions for a memory book we were compiling for Dad.

We were thrilled with the response.  We had 75+ submissions, and Dad loved every single one of them.  He started reading them at the party, but became so emotional that he didn’t get very far.  He said Mom read them to him while he was driving home from the party, and he almost needed to pull over because the tears were coming so fast.  He said he made my Pop (his dad) look like a laughing hyena.  For those of you who knew Pop, you know that’s a huge statement!

Also, Stacy made an incredibleDVD slideshow of pictures of Dad and all of our family members and friends.  Talk about a tear-jerker!  She worked so hard on the slideshow and her work really paid off.  It was amazing to see the influence he’s had on so many people, and made me realize that I am the luckiest girl in the world to have the family I do.  We don’t get to choose our family like we do our friends, but I have the best of both worlds.

Here’s Dad watching the slideshow - you can tell he’s a little choked up.

I guess it’s a little personal and doesn’t mean much since you didn’t grow up with my dad, but here’s what I wrote for his memory book.  I normally wouldn’t share something like this, but I use this blog to record history and don’t want to forget these memories that mean so much to me.

Dad,

With a very demanding job, a wife, and five kids, you made the effort to be present in each of our lives even though you rarely got to enjoy a spare second for yourself.

It’s hard to summarize 30 years for my page in your scrapbook, so I decided to list the times your presence stands out to me most.

You said prayers with Julie and me every night when we were young.  We loved it when you would carry us on your back for what we called a “bear ride.”

When I was in kindergarten, you called me out for always “forgetting” my Styrofoam cup on the way to the bus stop.  I really was just too scared to go stand at the end of the road by myself, but we were so trained to walk out the door when we were ready that I didn’t realize I could wait inside for someone.

You read the funny papers with Julie and me every Sunday afternoon.  You were even willing to skip the comics we didn’t like.

I saw your face in the crowd when I miraculously stole the basketball in middle school, but unfortunately picked up my dribble at half court instead of waiting until I was underneath or near the basket.

When our softball team lost, you would always tell me on the way home that it didn’t matter that I didn’t catch the ball or make a perfect hit.  You assured me that it was a team effort and one person couldn’t make or break the game.

On the rare days you had to take Julie and me to school, you insisted that we eat breakfast.  You would swing by Hardees so we could get a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit.  I distinctly remember one time you snuck to Hardees before we woke up and served us breakfast in bed on the You Are Special plate!

I remember visiting many museums on family vacations.  Looking back, I love that you wanted to read every sign.  I thought it was strange and annoying back then, but now I realize it was just one more example of how much you love to learn.

You would sit with me at the piano bench and marvel at how well I could play the piano.  You were amazed that I could look at both the treble and bass clefs at the same time and have my brain figure out which notes to play.  I loved that you were so impressed.

You and Lori were the only two who stuck it out to the end with me at the Hymn Sing.  I love all of the times we’ve sung together at the piano, but that one definitely stands out in my mind.

I’ll never forget the letter you wrote to Julie and me as we were getting ready to leave for college.  It’s one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever received and is one of my most prized possessions.  It’s such a blessing to receive your unconditional love.

In college, you would slip us some travelin’ money before we went back to Arkadelphia.  Sometimes you would hand it to us in an envelope, but other times you would put it in the car and it was a surprise for us to find later.

I remember you wrote me a really sweet email after I told you that my first real dating relationship had ended after college graduation.  You said that God had someone for me who would fill all my needs and give me happiness in life.  You were right, and I’m glad I waited.

What an honor it was when you escorted me down the aisle and handed me over to J.  I love that you and Mom have accepted him from the very beginning.  We hope to have as many years together as you and Mom have had.

Thanks for everything.  I love you and am so proud to be your daughter.

Oh, ocean, how I miss you!

This was the view from our sixth floor condo.  The room we reserved had a leak in it, so they gave us a different room, but it was incredible.

I was surprised that several of you commented on my last post and requested pictures.  I generally take lots of pictures wherever I go, but for some reason I don’t end up taking many of beach vacations.  Obviously I’m not going to post pictures of me sunbathing, and I don’t think my fellow travelers would want me to take pictures of them sunbathing, so that sort of limits my subjects.  (Do I seem like I’m eighty years old because I just said sunbathing?)

I did take a few pictures at some of the restaurants, however, because apparently I love food more than anything.  I’m not sure why I always gorge myself on vacation simply because I can use the excuse that it’s vacation, but I do every time.  I don’t necessarily regret it every meal, but I did after I ate almost this entire plate from The Red Bar, by far my favorite restaurant in the Destin area:

A fun story:

We were waiting on our table outside of The Red Bar, and all of a sudden Jennifer exclaimed, “Look!  There’s John Pelphrey!” 

This took me by surprise for two reasons.  A) Jennifer knows who John Pelphrey is? and B) John Pelphrey was really at The Red Bar in Destin the same time we were?  I got nervous, as I always do when I encounter someone semi-famous.  (I love college basketball and especially the Razorbacks, so yes, I consider him semi-famous.)  David offered to take my picture with him, but I was too embarrassed to track him down from across the parking lot.  I accepted that I missed the opportunity, but then he walked right by our table later after we had been seated!  J yelled, “Hey, Coach!”  Pelphrey looked a little confused because he thought maybe one of his players was yelling at him, but then he figured out he didn’t know us but that we were Hog fans.  J stuck out his hand for a shake.  We could tell Pelphrey wasn’t sure if J wanted a high five or a handshake, but J definitely just went for the handshake.  He told him congrats on a good first season and Pelphrey said thanks.  He then asked us if we were lost and how in the world we found the restaurant.  Jennifer explained that they stumbled upon it several years ago and Pelphrey told us how much he loves the restaurant.  As he was leaving our table, David said, “Well, we’re really glad you’re here.  Or there (meaning U of A).”  Pelphrey said, “Me, too.”  I loved that he said that.  And of course I was the only one who didn’t say a peep even though I was the one that wanted to meet him so badly.  Oh well.  I got to flash my pearly whites at him, and I guess that’s better than nothing.  And now I like him even more since I know he’s a cool guy.  I know we’ll probably lose him if the Kentucky job ever opens up, but no one could blame him for taking that job.  He’d be crazy if he didn’t.

I wanted to take a picture of J’s plate at The Back Porch because I liked the giant fish platters.  (I didn’t get one because I didn’t order seafood.) 

I didn’t remember to take it until he had eaten a lot of his fish, but the portions were beyond ridiculous.  It’s still my second favorite restaurant even though I was miserable when we left.  We ordered onion rings and hushpuppies for appetizers, and oh my gosh, they are both so incredible.  If you ever go, order both of those and I promise you won’t regret it.

On the way to Florida, we stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch and I was sooooo happy. It baffles me that we don’t have a Dairy Queen in Little Rock.

I love this picture of David and Jennifer.

Let’s see, what else?

I read two books on the beach, which is a record for me since I usually get distracted by my obsession of people-watching.  If you like juvenile fiction, I highly recommend the Twilight Saga series by Stephenie Meyer.  I read Twilight and am hooked.  J bought me the second book on his lunch break today and I am so excited to read it.  I was sad I didn’t have it with me on the trip, but I enjoyed the other book I read.

I’m not sure if you can tell from this picture, but I got a severe sunburn stripe on my left leg:

I thought I had developed a semi-successful tan, but when I saw people at church and work upon my return, they asked me where my tan was.  I can still see a few freckles, so that makes me happy.  I was very diligent to apply sunscreen because I didn’t want to burn and/or develop skin cancer, but obviously I missed a few spots on my left leg.  : (

We had a great trip.  Good friends, good food, good fun. 

The only bad part about the week?  I missed Olive so much I could hardly stand it.  I was afraid she might take a long time to warm up to us when we got back, but you can see it didn’t take her long.

Next up: my Dad’s 70th birthday party.  I know it was over a month ago, but I am determined to write about it before May.

Expect my recent trend of not posting - I’m leaving for Florida in a few minutes and won’t be back until April 13.

I posted about the tenth annual Lincoln party a while ago, and explained how humbled I was that people brought me all sorts of hostess gifts.

I can’t believe I have to admit this, but I forgot to mention one of the most amazing gifts I have ever received.  Seriously.  I couldn’t believe it when I opened the bag and found this inside of it:

An Abraham Lincoln bank!  Oh my word!

My friend Kimberly found it when she was shopping with her grandmother at an antique glass shop. I can’t believe how perfect it is and how lucky I am that I get to be the new proud owner!

As soon as I opened it, I thought about how I should/could use it.  This isn’t something that should just be tucked away and brought out only for the annual Lincoln party.

One thought that came to mind was to fill it with dishwashing liquid so I could see it every day at the sink while washing dishes. I would need to find a different top for it. I wouldn’t want to ruin the original lid by allowing it to rust, and some sort of spout would also make it easier to pour.

My mom said I should use it strictly as a penny bank so all of the coins would have Lincoln on them.

What do you, oh faithful readers, think I should do with my prize?