Who cares if there's a blizzard?

Yesterday was my 52nd birthday and I was overjoyed that there was a blizzard! We were supposed to go to Eureka to be with my dad but the Lord very obviously did NOT want us to go down there. I was so glad later, when I heard that my brothers were spitting at each other much of the time. Robert laughed and said, "Well, now Harvey can deal with a cock fight as he never curbed their tempers when they were little." I felt sorry for LV, Russell's wife, to be caught in the middle of all of that but, on the other hand, I was glad that she was down there to cook something special for Dad for the day.

We had thought to go down today, but the blizzard continued, so now our plan is to head down there tomorrow. We need to have a serious talk with dad about getting good food in his body EVERY day, so that he can heal. We also must be assured that he is managing his insulin intake properly. We really DO want to keep him in his home. Dad has been a farmer all of his life and is used to the wide open spaces. He just would NOT do well in a tin can and definitely would not go in for playing Bingo all day long. Please pray that we will be able to convince Dad that it's in his best interest to learn to take better care of himself. There's an opening in the Assisted Living facility attached to the Eureka hospital and there has been some talk of dumping him in there. I just don't know what to think so I'm praying for wisdom too.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my birthday. It was an incredibly special day for me as you can see from the pictures. I can't ever remember being happier with how my life is shaping up. :) I can only hope that my joy will come through as I so long to share with everyone who comes here that there IS a way to get well again--no matter how long you've been ill.

When our boys were up at the Bartlett's for the Appleseed Shoot in August, Cora, Robert, and I watched a movie online called, EMMA. I just loved the old English and the romance of it, of course. So Cora surprised me with not one; not two; but all three versions of EMMA that are available on DVD or video. We watched the 2 short versions of it yesterday and so introduced the boys to Emma. Something made me think that they didn't like it as well as I do but, oh well, it was MY birthday. :)

I thought I'd share pictures of my greatest treasures on earth--my precious family. This is my beautiful daughter, Cora. There's a clue in this picture about the big gift that the children gave to me for my birthday. Any guesses?

Here's Andrew at age 19. I am thrilled that he is growing a beard like his papa. It's starting to fill in now and I think he looks sooooooooo handsome!!!!!!!

Cora and Jacob had a "Look-mean" contest and Jacob won with this look. LOL!

I've always wanted to receive a stack of presents like this one. I don't know why but that has just been a long-time desire of my heart. Wouldn't you know it that Robert gave me one for my birthday this year. We were surprised, after it was all wrapped up, that it matched my skirt and sweater. :) The skirt and blouse were both my mom's. Robert even wrote me some poetry on a big heart that he cut out, but it's kind of private so you'll just have to imagine what he said. It was a special day for us in that it was 30 years ago exactly that he proposed to me and I had said, "Yes."

Robert is such an exciting man in that he likes to keep me guessing. You see, I had asked him for $250 so that I could have the evaluation done for my health so that I can get on the Constitutional Diet. Well, some men might have written a check for $250 and stuck it in an envelope, but not Robert.

He had written a note on the big, blue heart that said I needed to open the boxes in the proper order. The first box had a little, blue heart on it with a one written on it. Inside I found 52 pennies buried in a box-full of Styrofoam peanuts. Jacob helped me dig them out.

Well, in box #2 with 2 little blue hearts on it, I found 52 nickles. In box #3, I found 52 dimes. In box #4, I found a $50 bill and a $2 bill. Jacob was amazed by the $2 bill as he'd never seen one before. The 5th box was a box of Altoid breath mints. I really like them as they're one of the few breath mints out there without artificial sweeteners. I said, "Thank you" to Robert when Andrew insisted that I open the box. I thought that was kind of weird but proceeded to take the plastic off of the box. When it came off, a check dropped out the bottom for the remainder of the $250. I gasped with delight when I realized that all together there would be enough so that I can do the testing to learn EXACTLY what I need to eat to continue regaining my strength. THANK YOU ROBERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU MAKE LIFE SO SPECIAL AND INTERESTING!! Thanks Cora and Andrew for your help with this special project!

How do you thank someone for such a wonderful gift. Here I gave Robert a big smooch and he, being the goof that he is, ACTED SURPRISED. :)

Later in the kitchen when I was properly thanking him, he tickled me as I turned to go make supper. How wonderful it is to be 52 years YOUNG!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cora has some pictures that she'll share with me that she took on her cameras, so I will have to save the "Big gift" from the children until they get over to my computer as I don't have any pictures of it. You can check here tomorrow so keep warm and keep smiling.