60 years!

Andy's mom and dad celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this week. Sounds like a good reason to get together and celebrate. So thanks to brother Dan who, first of all, remembered that this week was their anniversary and that it was their 60th (!), then organized our get together to honor our parents/grandparents. All our daughters and their hubbies were able to come, but what to do with the kids? I was able to find a young lady who was willing to come to the house and watch all 7 (P is still in the hospital) - what a brave soul! I can hardly believe it that she was free for the evening and that she agreed to babysit! So while Andy and I, and our 3 kids with their spouses, went out to eat with other family members, the grandkids all stayed at our house. They ate pizza, then played till we got back. Fortunately, the evening was very pleasant and they were able to play outside until it got dark. They all seemed to have a good time. They were still very much in play mode when we returned. One little incident took place before Andy left the house (we went separately). Kira was given small bits of pizza which she put in her mouth and sucked off the juices, then she would take it out of her mouth and drop it on the floor. For some reason, the other kids thought that was hilarious. So of course, she kept doing it. The floor around her chair was littered with little pieces of pizza. Another thing she did was every time she saw the camera pointed at her, she would turn and make this very silly face. What a ham!
Twenty of us went out to eat,including Andy's 2 brothers and 1 sister.We had a room to ourselves in a neighborhood restaurant. The food was delicious, but the comradery was even better. Everyone had such a good time hanging out. There was lots of laughter and just feel good moments.

One of the things Dan did after we ate was to ask us all questions regarding what 1950 was like (the year Mom & Dad were married). For instance:

1. What was the #1 song on the radio that year?
2. What war was being waged that year?
3. What was the average wage per week?
4. Who were the most popular tv couple?
5. What was the #1 best selling non-fiction book?
6. Who won the World Series that year?
There were many other questions, too, but I can't remember them all.

I feel privileged to be a part of this family. I happened to remember a conversation I had years ago when my 2 oldest girls were just little tykes. The young woman I was talking to told me she didn't want to be called Mrs. So&So. She didn't want to be associated with her mother-in-law because she hated her. How sad. In my case, though, I love being called Mrs. W because I love my mother-in-law. She is a great example to me in many ways. She is loving and accepting and very generous and giving.

Happy anniversary, Mom & Dad - and many more!