After All, Tomorrow is Another Day!

 It's been an amazing few days around here. First of all (and not what I'd exactly describe as "amazing"), I turned 60 years old on Thursday. Gosh, I remember when I thought that sounded old! Haha, not anymore! Yes, I'm probably over the halfway point of my life, but OLD? Me? I don't think so!

David's sisters invited me to meet them for lunch on Wednesday to kick-off my birthday celebration, so I joined them for a lovely one at Cheesecake Factory, one of my favorite places! I am so incredibly blessed to have them in my life as well as each of my brothers' wives. I love my precious Peggy, Denise, Mary Jane, Mary Ann, and Jane! (It does get crazy when I get together with the three at the end; people have a hard time keeping the Marys and the Janes apart!) On Thursday, David planned a very special dinner at one of our favorite Thai restaurants. Although I knew we would be joined by Jon, I had no idea (until just before we left) that Cathleen, Jeff, Sarah, and Jordan would also be there! As if that wasn't enough of a sweet surprise, Blair and Ron flew in from NYC to surprise me--now THAT was a total mindblower! I was chatting with one of my older brothers when this giant balloon
appeared in my garage followed by my favorite New Yorkers! How cool is that? The gorgeous flowers came with the surprise, as well as these beautiful ones from Jeff and Sarah when we arrived at the restaurant.

Friday was somewhat low-key (I needed it), and Saturday the plan was to join Taylor, Portia, Carson, and Wesley for dinner for a family get-together with our other kiddos. As all "best-laid plans" typically go, we were unable to get to Taylor's on David's timeline, and for those who know him, punctuality is a BIG deal to David. As he became increasingly agitated, I admit that I became slightly suspicious that perhaps there was a bigger reason why he was so anxious, but never could I have even begun to imagine what he and our wonderful children had planned! Shortly after arriving at Taylor's, a throng of family and friends emerged from a room where they'd been hiding, shouting, "SURPRISE!" It was definitely an "OMG" moment! I am not often speechless (can you tell?), but I distinctly remember only being able to repeat, "Oh My Gosh"! If I shared all of the photos here, you'd be totally and completely bored--maybe you already are--but here are a few of the moments I will treasure (and accept my apologies for the random placement; I honestly just got tired placing them):



Jordan with Granddaddy

With Jeff, Sarah, and Jordan




With the Girls

 

Carson helping me blow out candles



With my buddy, Wesley

Stealing a kiss

 

Most precious friend--since 7th grade!

With Portia and Wesley




Love my little helper!




The bear had to help, too!

Yummy Bundtini!

Beautiful Beth with Wesley

With my precious Mary Jane!

 

Wesley's Kissing Booth

One for Annie

And one for MJ



DC, T, Me, and C

Uncle Hal and P

Guess I'm not the only one who steals kisses!

 

With my "Baby" brother--
until June, I'm 2 years older than him!
 

Photobomb!

Cathleen and Uncle Hal



My dance card is always open for this guy
 

Surprise!

   

This one didn't fall far from the tree!






Kissing Cousins

Cousin Love



With Beth and Matt

My precious friends, the Whites--
So cool that Matt and Melissa surprised me, too!



Love me some Ken and Elise!



Family shot, but this isn't all of us! :)

Another family shot - we have to swap out photographers!

I've intentionally not written a lot about tomorrow, although yes, it is a pretty big day for me as well. We are to be at Emory at 5:30 in the morning for my 7:30 procedure. I am trusting in His promises and in the knowledge of my doctor. I received this powerful and encouraging message from a dear friend yesterday, and it has bolstered me in a mighty way, "Do not be afraid, my friend. God has already gone before you by bringing this to your attention and He is showing it to you because He is going to heal you and be glorified in it."

 

I will post as soon as possible after the procedure--probably in a few days; in the meantime, someone from my family will post updates to my Facebook page as appropriate. My wish is that you join me in praying for my family so that they, too, will be calmed by His Spirit and comforted by His healing powers.

"Ah, Lord God! Behold you have made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and outstretched arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." - Jeremiah 32:17