Merr's 88th Birthday

Every year growing up, we spent Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve with Merr and our Henley family. As the grandkids grew up, married, and added our own children into the mix, it's become much harder to schedule family gatherings around Christmas. This year, Merr insisted we have a big party to celebrate her 88th birthday.

My aunts did a fabulous job decorating and planning the party. Merr sat in one corner visited with all her guests before lunch. Cameron had been writing actual letters to Merr for a few months, and she finally showed Merr her newly pierced ears. Merr looks pretty surprised!

After a lovely catered luncheon, Merr opened her presents. We gave her homemade rosemary mint soap from our local farmer's market. Then she gathered with her children & their spouses for a photo. (Uncle Mike wasn't there.)

We took more photos with Merr surrounded by her grandchildren, their spouses, and her great-grandchildren.

In hindsight, it was a very special birthday and party, because a few months later Merr fell and broke her femur at the hip socket. After a successful surgery, she spent several weeks in rehabilitation care. Today she's back at home with Aunt Pam and Uncle Jack, but the fall reminds us how fragile her body has become and how important it is to see her and tell her we love her very much.

Family Fun Run

In an attempt to "journal" or "scrapbook" a bit more of 2010, I'm going to work my way through the first half of the year. To start have to go all the way back to Februrary 13, 2010 when the elementary school hosted their annual Fun Run and Family Fun Day.

Just like last year, the school hosted a 3K run and 1K walk. This year all four of us signed up for the 3K, though I wasn't really sure I would run. Temperatures were pretty cold that morning, you can see how bundled up we were in the photograph. True to form, we arrived late a few moments before the run began and had to check in and get our numbers. We told Brenna and Cameron not to hang back with us, but to run at their own pace and meet us back at the school.

I struggled through the first 1K and Bryan kept pace with me. Brenna and Cameron lapped us and finished well ahead of us, but I managed to keep a fast walk/slow jog and I actually finished 3K with Bryan pushing me the whole way.

After the race, we went home, showered, and came back to the school for the Family Fun Day. The girls enjoyed the Cake Walk, playing it three or four times until they'd both won a prize.

I had a volunteer shift at a pickle spin booth, where players spin a wheel hoping to land on green to win a huge dill pickle. Thankfully Cameron wanted to work the shift with me so she handled putting the pickles into the baggies.

Brenna found her Rodeo Art on display. Even though she wasn't chosen for display at The Arts Alliance of Clear Lake show earlier, she was very proud of her own creation.

At the awards ceremony Brenna received a medal for second place in her age/grade division (K-2). We asked her how she did it and she said she just ran. She said she was running with Hailey, who won first place, and that if she had known they were first and second she would have ran ahead of Hailey to win first!