celebrating his special day...

Our oldest son is having a birthday today...

and that is a good reason to celebrate.

 It's actually a special birthday...

a milestone for sure!

We are in far away Maine today...

and won't be there to sing 'happy birthday'...

or share the cake.

But we started the celebrations before we left home...

with a birthday dinner in a revolving restaurant...

high in the skies above the city of Vancouver.

 

 How is it possible that our firstborn is forty already...

when it seems just yesterday we were celebrating his first??

The years have gone by...

too quickly...

it seems!

The Lord bless you
    and keep you; 

 the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you; 

 the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.

Numbers 6: 24-26

Happy 40th Birthday, Kris!

Love,

(and Dad, too)

of caps and corsages and certificates...

That could only mean someone is graduating, right?

And someone was!

That someone was our sweet grandgirlie, Maggie...

standing next to her favorite friend in the pink dress. 

'Graduation is only a concept. 

In real life every day you graduate. 

Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. 

If you can grasp that, you'll make a difference.'

~Arie Pencovici

I couldn't help but notice that Maggie and her friend wore wrist corsages.

Too cute!

As I recall...

grad ceremonies are long and boring and feature one speech after another.

Not so in pre-school grad ceremonies.

 We were entertained from beginning to end...

by the graduates!

They sang their favorite songs...

and did the actions with enthusiasm.

And each one stepped up to receive their certificate.

We clapped.

Lucy clapped...

and clapped some more...

for her sister.

'What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.' 
  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

And before the clapping died down...

there were caps flying through the air...

and diplomas being used as horns.

Now where did they learn that?

'There is a good reason they call these ceremonies 'commencement exercises'. 

Graduation is not the end, it's the beginning.'

~Orrin Hatch

Pre-school grad...

a milestone on the journey!

Maggie...

I'll leave you with a verse to take with you as you go forward from here.

I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. 

I know what I’m doing.

 I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you...

 plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:11

The Message 

 

oh...the place he'll go!

Oh the places you'll go! 
There is fun to be done! 
There are points to be scored. 
There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball 
...will make you the winning-est winner of all.

~ Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

 

Meet my nephew, Andrew...

a graduate in the Class of 2013.

Oelwein, Iowa

He invited us to his grad party.

We sent our regrets...

since Iowa was a little far to go last Saturday.

And so we send our wishes from afar...

along with Dr. Seuss's sentiments.

(I'm thinking the doctor knew Andrew when he penned his book!)

 

 

You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!

 

You have brains in your head. 

You have feet in your shoes. 

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own. 

And you know what you know. 

And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

Congratulations, Andrew...

from all those who frequent 'my front porch'.
Wishing you all the best as you journey on!

 ^'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 
'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 
plans to give you hope and a future.'
Jeremiah 29:11

milestones and memories...

We took a trip down memory lane this weekend.

It took us past places where we once lived.

Where hubby grew up.

Where we lived with our young family.

Where the ferry used to cross the river...

and the bridge now stands.

  Past rivers that are overflowing their banks at this time of year.
By the experimental farm where we used to go for picnics.
Past cousin Loretta's place on the other side of the river.
Past the old railway station...
and the museum in Harrison Mills.

By pastoral pastures...
with fields of Charolais cattle.

To the monastery that sits on the hill overlooking the mighty Fraser.

Down the trail that leads to the lookout...

 

...where one can see the churning muddy waters and the farmlands beyond.

 The river that is still used today to transport logs from one place to another.

Memory lane was a good place to be...
on this long-weekend Saturday.

Especially for Vern and Martha (hubby's sister)...
who were visiting from Kelowna...

...and who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary that very day.

 Mr. and Mrs. Willms.

Married in Chilliwack, BC on May 18, 1963.

They haven't changed a bit...

have they? :)

When our trip down memory lane came to an end...

we took them to Milestones for a celebration dinner.

It seemed the appropriate place to go!

They are celebrating with their family at Harrison Resort for the next few days.

Congratulations, Vern and Martha on reaching this milestone.

Blessings to you both as they carry on down the trail from  here.

The past is a diary of God's faithfulness.

Take a long look back and remember.

'Till now the Lord has helped us.' 

1Samuel 7:12

ushered into his tenth decade...

We thought he needed a little help...

crossing that threshold into the next decade. 

And so we threw a few parties!

 

We booked the room...

and brought the food.

He invited his buddies.

He told a few stories.

They told a few stories.

A good time was had by all!

His youngest granddaughter came all the way from Iowa to serve the coffee.

That was on Friday.

On Sunday night...

we had a family dinner in honour of the occasion.

He wore his 'birthday boy' badge...

and gave a 'birthday boy' speech.

Truth be told...

we've been celebrating his birthday for some time!

Several weeks ago we had a party with all his siblings, nieces and nephews...

and anyone else that came to the family reunion.

Nine decades of a life well-lived is worth celebrating.

Several times over!

Today my brother and family flew home to Iowa.

Tomorrow my sister and brother-in-law return to Manitoba.

Thanks to all who came out to celebrate our dad with us! 

He is moving forward into the next decade with enthusiasm.

He has plans.

That's a good thing. 

And we still have our dad.

A very good thing!

still the one...

...after 41 years!

Many waters cannot quench love;

rivers cannot wash it away.

~Song of Solomon 8:7 NIV

That was the verse we chose on our wedding day...

so long ago.

We had no idea what those 'waters' would look like.

They have come and gone over the years.

They will continue to come.

We are committed to the end.

We are taking a few days off...

and going to one of our favorite places.

And in a few weeks time...

we plan to celebrate our 40th anniversary once again.

 We had a family vacation all planned for last summer...

one that would include all the kids and grands.

But when we found out that Baby Lucy would be arriving in July...

we decided to postpone our 40th-anniversary-family-getaway for a year.

Coming soon.

Happy anniversary to my best friend!

the help...

 There was a party happening in our neighbourhood over the weekend.

Friends of ours were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.

No...we weren't among the invited guests.

But we found a way be part of the goings-on anyhow!

We arrived an hour before the guests...
in black pants and white shirts.

We were invited in.

 We weren't there to eat, drink and be merry.

We were 'the help'!

Eric and Irene invited their original wedding attendants and spouses to come for dinner.
The spent all day preparing a feast for their guests.
We offered to dish it up for them...
while they sat at the table and enjoyed their own party.

We surveyed the table...
and noticed the names on the place cards.
We have only known Eric and Irene these past few years...
and never for a moment thought we might know any of their guests.
What a surprise to discover that one of the groomsmen was a childhood friend of my hubby's.
And another guest was a childhood friend of mine...
our parents were good friends.
How nice to meet...
and serve...
old friends!

The napkins were leftovers from their wedding.

Who still has napkins...

40 years later?

How special is that?

As for the dinner that we dished up and served...

it was most special as well.

* * * *

Our 40th Anniversary Menu

Honeymoon Greek Salad

Fresh lettuce leaves garnished with crumbled feta cheese,

English cucumber slices, green onion tidbits, fresh basil, and

ripe olives, augmented by a

homemade dressing of olive oil, lemon juice,

and simple seasonings

Sorbet

Amore Stuffed Breast of Chicken

Tender chicken breasts gently stuffed

with asiago, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses,

fresh mushrooms, peppers, and crumbs

of homemade bread, delicately enhanced with

fresh basil, salt and pepper.

Always Faithful Twice-Baked Potatoes

A classic favourite, baked potatoes filled with

mashed potatoes blended with sour cream, green onions, and

cheddar cheese.

Lemon-Kissed Vegetable Medley

Fresh carrots and green beans adorned with

hints of lemon, garlic, basil and cracked pepper

Sweetheart Cranberry Sauce

Sweetened whole cranberries simmered

to perfection

Darling Dessert

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake,

like we enjoyed at our wedding receptionfresh

strawberries and whipped cream

hugging a tender cake

* * * *

Would you not love to eat in that restaurant? 

All dishes on the menu were recipes from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog or cookbook.

They just came with new names!

The party favours for dinner guests were signed copies of the MGCC cookbook.

How fun to be a part of Eric and Irene's special evening!

It seemed inappropriate for 'the help' to pull out a camera while serving the guests...

and so I will share with you a photo of the hosts...

taken 40 years ago.

They won't mind...

I'm sure.

 They are out sailing the high blue seas for the next while. 

Though 'the help' was quite busy in the kitchen all evening...

 

...I couldn't resist a few moments of reprieve on their back patio.  

They have the loveliest of gardens...
and a creek in the background.

Though we may not be that informed on the 'do and don'ts' of proper table service...

we had a fine time being 'the help' for one night!

it's her day...

My friend through all the seasons of life...

is celebrating her birthday today!

She has actually been celebrating for a long time...

but today is the day.

And I wouldn't want to forget that.

I met her back in the eighth grade...

and we became fast friends.

We had much in common.

We both liked sports.

We were both farm girls.

We were both a little crazy.

She was crazier than I though.
Just saying!

I would never have thought of riding down hillside paths in a wheelchair at the lovely Butchart Gardens...

were it not for Marg.

Let's just say...

we had a hard time keeping the wheels on the road!

We got ourselves into a fix a few times back in the day.

We went our separate ways over the years....
but always had a lot to chat about when we would meet.

And these last few years...
we've been meeting a lot.

And we still haven't run out of things to chat about.

And she's still a little crazy!

Her favorite season is...

SNOW.

She's prefers to slide down hills...

but finds other ways to amuse herself if there are none.

Actually...

I think her favorite season is tennis.

And the fresh fruit season is right up there as well.

We've traveled together some these past few years...

signing cookbooks...

cooking up some fun...

...and most recently, celebrating our milestone birthday together!

She is a wife, mom and Oma...

who puts her family first.

But I know her as a very good friend...

one who is there through the good times and the bad.

It takes a long time to grow an old friend.

Happy 60th Birthday, Marg!

when we are old...

When we are old we shall wear purple...

or black...

or whatever catches our fancy.

And we shall throw ourselves a birthday party...

just because we can.

We shall set aside the date far in advance...

and then send out invitations...

lest they forget.

Then we shall go to Harrison Hotsprings Resort well before the appointed time...

...and have coffee with Margaret at Miss Margaret's.

And mostly...

we shall prepare for the guests we invited.

What fun!

And when we are all ready...

we shall walk by the lake...

because it is not raining (despite what the weatherman said).

Then we shall wait eagerly by the window...

to greet our friends as they arrive.

We shall sit near a window with a view...

eat fabulous foods...

and enjoy each other's company.

We shall unwrap wonderful gifts...

and one of us shall model a 'fascinator'.

And then we shall soak in the hot pools...

and chat the afternoon away.

But we shall not go home yet...

...as our own Miss Margaret has brought two birthday cakes extraordinaire!

We shall sit in the lounge...

and have some of each cake...

and maybe some more.

And when they have all gone home...

we shall say...

'that was so much fun'!

Thank-you MGCC friends...

for making this milestone most memorable!