88 Years!

On January 4, 1919, my granddaddy was born in Omaha, Nebraska. This year, on January 5, we celebrated his 88th birthday! They were on their way back from visiting my auntie in Vermont and stopped in our area for a few days. They stayed with my second grandma, whose daughter decided it would be a great chance to get together again. We have spent the 4th of July and Thanksgiving with their family for years, the two families gathering at my second grandma's house. Since she is selling that house and has moved up here, there will be no more holidays at her place. Dear John & Nola are taking over the hosting, but the other family probably won't be joining us. So, we were delighted to drive over to Strongsville to meet them at Red Lobster for the birthday dinner. Pie was particularly thrilled since he adores both my granddaddy and seafood. Boot had plans to see a movie with friends, so he declined our invite to go along.

We had a wonderful evening! My second grandma, her daughter Shari and Shari's daughter Kat were all there, as well as my baby uncle & his wife and my grands. We had a ball visiting and got the news that Kat is engaged to her long-time boyfriend. Shari, the proud mama, showed off her hand, with a twinkle of diamond on the ring finger. I love weddings! I hope Kat will be as happy in her marriage as I am in mine.

The next day, we hung out with Boot while Pie was allowed to stay home and do his own thing (play video games and eat Cheez-Its) for the afternoon. We took Boot to the West Side Market, where J found a great deal on steaks and we picked up all kinds of great fruit. The pineapple was so delicious and I am still enjoying the dates. We went to the mall for a bit and then came home. I made steak au poivre for dinner and we had a nice, quiet evening in. It was good to have Boot in a good mood for a switch.

Sunday, my grands came by to see our apartment, then went to church with us. I was happy to have them visit my new church. I wish they'd been able to come to the one in Dayton to hear me preach. Maybe they'll get to, anyway. Dave has said he will be inviting me back to preach again this year. Also, Jim, my mentor this year, is going to have me and the other intern who is starting soon lead an alternate service (still traditional in style) on Monday nights at least during Lent. If it is well-attended, we will continue beyond that. He is also going to have us teach the adult Sunday school, which will be some much-needed experience for me. I am nervous that I am not knowledgeable enough. However, I think I am holding myself up to Brendan & Laura's standard, which would be hard for most pastors to replicate.

After church, my grands invited us to brunch. We couldn't think of any really special brunch places that had close-in parking. My granddad hurts when he walks or stands for long periods. He's fine to sit, but walking is very hard. So, we chose Bob Evans & had a fine time. We even beat most of the church crowd & didn't have to wait for seating. After brunch, we took them to J's plant for a quick tour before they headed back to my baby uncle's. We spent the afternoon napping & reading, then I made pasta with gorgonzola sauce for our dinner. It was fabulous! A quiet, family weekend, which was just what we needed after our anniversary excitement.