My Uncle turned 50 recently, and my aunt and cousins threw a surprise party for him this past Sunday.
It was a ton of fun. They have the most amazing house for outdoor parties, and are the most amazing hosts, and put together it makes for an amazing combination.
There was a ton of good food, and lots of family and friends. It was a perfect day…the weather was amazing. The little kids with no sense of internal body temperature played in the FREEZING COLD POOL, and shivered until they warmed up and then tried it again.
We waited in the back yard for a while, until we figured that it was about time for the birthday boy to be arriving. Apparently his baseball game started later than it was supposed to….but no worries, ’cause we all had each other to chat to, and we are FABULOUS company, if I do say so myself.
After a while, we all relocated to the front yard to “surprise” him when he drove home…still with the chatting and entertaining our selves…..Â
We waited and waited and waited, and FINALLY he drove up, and we all yelled, “SURPRISE” and the best part of it all was that he was. He was actually surprised…..had no clue that his kids had planned this. How fun is that?
We ate and ate and ate and ate. There was so much good food, and then the games began.
Can’t have a party without games, and Daryl and Matt had planned a Geezer Game so that Uncle Rick could see what life would be like after 50 and so that he could have a chance to practice before it really all came crashing down around him.
In teams of 3, the guys had to run around a cane 10 times so that they were nice and dizzy and off balance. Then they had to run up the hill while they were still feeling off balance.  One guy couldn’t hear very well (deaf), and the second guy was bald and couldn’t see (blind), and the third guy couldn’t talk (mute). Once they had their gear on, they were crippled by being tied to each other in 6 legged race style. They had to go back down the hill, and then the blind guy had to golf a ball into a circle about 20 to 30 feet away.Â
Once they did that, they had to run back up the hill…still crippled….and get on the trampoline and look for their marbles (’cause you lose your marbles when you get old). That was the funniest, seeing the guys try to get on and off the trampoline all tied together. Uncle Rick even ended up with rub burn on his face from falling onto the trampoline. You know it’s a sucessful family event when someone gets hurt.
Debbie was on the phone with Charlene during all of this so even though she wasn’t physially there, it was kind of nice to have her there too – sort of……I sure miss you Char!
Then they had to race back to the finish line, and the group that did it the fastest won. I don’t think they actually won anything, except for the bragging rights that their team beat the other two teams…….that’s good for something isn’t it?
Uncle Rick opened his presents, and was graced with a Geezer First Aid kit filled with support hose, Tums, laxative powder, hemerroid cream, bunion pads, and Denture Cleaner Tablets. Matty fixed his billion year old guitar, and he got a cane with a bell, along with a number of amazing cards and well wishes. I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, and so please forgive me if I didn’t mention your gift or card…..I’m blaming it on pregnancy brain, right now…..it wasn’t an intentional slight!
It was a really fun day, and I LOVE MY FAMILY! I will say that at one point I was sitting with all my other brothers and sisters, and thinking -“This sucks! We’re all here, and Chris is stuck in the hospital.“ That thought was quickly followed by, “I’m so grateful that he’s alive to be stuck in that hospital, and that I am only mouring his lack of attendance, and not his lack of life.“ It’s amazing how quickly your outlook can change when you are so grateful for life and realize that it is just so fragile.
Happy Birthday, Uncle Rick!
To see my whole picture set, click on any of the pictures and it’ll take you there.
