Recipe for a great birthday:
Ingredients:
Directions:
Birth the four greatest kids on the planet over the course of nine years.
Instill in said children the importance of letting people know you care....and the importance of birthdays. Allow their clever minds to come up with the idea to SURPRISE! their mother on her birthday. Papa supplies the moola for the plane tickets. Mix ingredients together and pour into an FJ Cruiser. Let the fun begin!
_________________
Thursday evening, 9:15, John and I loaded ourselves up into the car after a very long day of working at the bishop's storehouse and working our shift at the temple. John told me that he had a surprise for me.
That sentence--a surprise for me--makes my heart skip a beat, and not in a romantic, idyllic way, but in a I'm-going-to-have-a-heart-attack-and-die way. I immediately started looking through my purse, wondering if I had brought my glasses along because I didn't know how long the evening would last. About ten minutes out (out from I didn't know what), he told me to close my eyes. The next thing I know, somebody is knocking on my car window. It's CHEESE!! We were at Detroit Metro, and he had flown in.
Oh my gosh, I was so happy. I love having Cheese around. Considering we talk over his lunch hour most every day, I love it when he's around in person because it means we don't have to hang up after a short 30 minutes. And we can talk and talk and talk. I could hardly believe he was home. And as much as I love Rebecca and the babies, there's something really special about having just a core Kennedy home.
A couple of weeks ago, I had offered to bring Hannie home for Presidents' Day weekend. She was flying in the next morning, so I could hardly believe that I would have the two of them home for a long weekend.
So we picked up Hannah, and we headed into Detroit. While driving there though, my phone kept buzzing. I finally gave it a look (assuming it was one of the text conversations from my Young Women's presidency that go on for upwards of six hours at times) and was surprised to see a whole bunch of names of people who don't normally text me. And all of them had the same tag line:
"Missionaries Now Have More Options to Communicate with Families"
And within seconds, I discovered that Glo would be able to CALL US on her P-days! I don't think President Nelson could have picked a more perfect birthday present for me ;-)
So we started wondering--would you be able to call that day because it, in fact, Glo's P-day? I sent off an email with the same attachment of the announcement and waited to hear. Meanwhile, we wet to The Dime Store for breakfast, because, if we're being honest, Ethan thought the cafe might just be an illusion. A farce. A fantasy.
Nope! It was real. And he got the full effect of it, having to wait in line for a teeny tiny table as well. And kudos to Cheese for getting the eggs Benedict for which they are famous!
Then, I wanted the kids to experience the same fun that I had just had with the Barneys a couple of days earlier, so we went to the Garden Bowl as well.
And it was there that I got an email from Glo saying that she could call us over Google Hangouts. No joke, I quit my game, changed my shoes, and headed back out to the car. It was surreal to see her cute face, and to not feel the time pressure that we have always felt at Christmas and Mother's Day. Oh my gosh, look how cute her face is! And in a turn of events, something has helped her complexion be the best it has ever been, despite being under the stress of being a missionary. Way to go, babe!
After that, we walked over to Treat Dreams for ice cream. Because, you know, nothing is as good as ice cream when it's in the single digits outside ;-). I can't even remember what kind of ice cream I got because I was seriously floating on cloud nine after talking to Glo.
She did send us her email though, and she mentioned having some troubles with her companion, so the kids took immediately to their phones to offer her advice.
The rest of the night was just games and TV. And it seemed very strange that everybody was keeping me up super late, especially John who turns into a grouchy pumpkin after about 11 p.m. now. But after saying our night prayer, we stood up and everyone was just staring at me. Super weird. And then I heard it, "He-ROH!" in a high-pitched Markie voice. Mark was home!
Oh happy day. All four of kids "together". It doesn't get any better.
Or does it?
The next morning, I had sealings scheduled for John, Hannie and me, but now all of us were up bright and early, headed to the temple. I could hardly believe it when everyone was ready to head out the door on time, but Ethan gave me a laugh, mentioning that he had taken care of his "stewardly duties" in reference to what his first name means ;-). Yep Ethan, always taking care of the sibling flock.
And what a beautiful morning it was in the temple. I was able to introduce my kids to anyone and everyone I knew (from working there), and Mark was able to see his temple friends (he used to work the Saturday morning shift) as well as friends from his Ann Arbor ward. Patriarch/President Cameron was the sealer, and he was more than happy to keep the session running for two full hours. And I could hardly believe it, when right when time was up, he told me that we had completed the huge stack of sealings that I had brought. So not only was it a happy day for my own family, but it was happy day for our eternal families.
So no trip to the temple would be complete for the Kennedy kids without a visit to Vinsetta Garage. I told myself that I would be good considering I've gained back all the weight I lost in the fall, but I fell from grace again and ordered a burger followed up with Faygo ice cream. I mean, who knows how much longer we'll be in the area--might as well live it up now!
Ingredients:
- 4 great children
- 1 mother
- 1 "geldautomat" father
Directions:
Birth the four greatest kids on the planet over the course of nine years.
Instill in said children the importance of letting people know you care....and the importance of birthdays. Allow their clever minds to come up with the idea to SURPRISE! their mother on her birthday. Papa supplies the moola for the plane tickets. Mix ingredients together and pour into an FJ Cruiser. Let the fun begin!
_________________
Thursday evening, 9:15, John and I loaded ourselves up into the car after a very long day of working at the bishop's storehouse and working our shift at the temple. John told me that he had a surprise for me.
That sentence--a surprise for me--makes my heart skip a beat, and not in a romantic, idyllic way, but in a I'm-going-to-have-a-heart-attack-and-die way. I immediately started looking through my purse, wondering if I had brought my glasses along because I didn't know how long the evening would last. About ten minutes out (out from I didn't know what), he told me to close my eyes. The next thing I know, somebody is knocking on my car window. It's CHEESE!! We were at Detroit Metro, and he had flown in.
Oh my gosh, I was so happy. I love having Cheese around. Considering we talk over his lunch hour most every day, I love it when he's around in person because it means we don't have to hang up after a short 30 minutes. And we can talk and talk and talk. I could hardly believe he was home. And as much as I love Rebecca and the babies, there's something really special about having just a core Kennedy home.
A couple of weeks ago, I had offered to bring Hannie home for Presidents' Day weekend. She was flying in the next morning, so I could hardly believe that I would have the two of them home for a long weekend.
So we picked up Hannah, and we headed into Detroit. While driving there though, my phone kept buzzing. I finally gave it a look (assuming it was one of the text conversations from my Young Women's presidency that go on for upwards of six hours at times) and was surprised to see a whole bunch of names of people who don't normally text me. And all of them had the same tag line:
"Missionaries Now Have More Options to Communicate with Families"
And within seconds, I discovered that Glo would be able to CALL US on her P-days! I don't think President Nelson could have picked a more perfect birthday present for me ;-)
So we started wondering--would you be able to call that day because it, in fact, Glo's P-day? I sent off an email with the same attachment of the announcement and waited to hear. Meanwhile, we wet to The Dime Store for breakfast, because, if we're being honest, Ethan thought the cafe might just be an illusion. A farce. A fantasy.
 |
Then, I wanted the kids to experience the same fun that I had just had with the Barneys a couple of days earlier, so we went to the Garden Bowl as well.
And it was there that I got an email from Glo saying that she could call us over Google Hangouts. No joke, I quit my game, changed my shoes, and headed back out to the car. It was surreal to see her cute face, and to not feel the time pressure that we have always felt at Christmas and Mother's Day. Oh my gosh, look how cute her face is! And in a turn of events, something has helped her complexion be the best it has ever been, despite being under the stress of being a missionary. Way to go, babe!
After that, we walked over to Treat Dreams for ice cream. Because, you know, nothing is as good as ice cream when it's in the single digits outside ;-). I can't even remember what kind of ice cream I got because I was seriously floating on cloud nine after talking to Glo.
She did send us her email though, and she mentioned having some troubles with her companion, so the kids took immediately to their phones to offer her advice.
The rest of the night was just games and TV. And it seemed very strange that everybody was keeping me up super late, especially John who turns into a grouchy pumpkin after about 11 p.m. now. But after saying our night prayer, we stood up and everyone was just staring at me. Super weird. And then I heard it, "He-ROH!" in a high-pitched Markie voice. Mark was home!
Oh happy day. All four of kids "together". It doesn't get any better.
Or does it?
The next morning, I had sealings scheduled for John, Hannie and me, but now all of us were up bright and early, headed to the temple. I could hardly believe it when everyone was ready to head out the door on time, but Ethan gave me a laugh, mentioning that he had taken care of his "stewardly duties" in reference to what his first name means ;-). Yep Ethan, always taking care of the sibling flock.
And what a beautiful morning it was in the temple. I was able to introduce my kids to anyone and everyone I knew (from working there), and Mark was able to see his temple friends (he used to work the Saturday morning shift) as well as friends from his Ann Arbor ward. Patriarch/President Cameron was the sealer, and he was more than happy to keep the session running for two full hours. And I could hardly believe it, when right when time was up, he told me that we had completed the huge stack of sealings that I had brought. So not only was it a happy day for my own family, but it was happy day for our eternal families.
So no trip to the temple would be complete for the Kennedy kids without a visit to Vinsetta Garage. I told myself that I would be good considering I've gained back all the weight I lost in the fall, but I fell from grace again and ordered a burger followed up with Faygo ice cream. I mean, who knows how much longer we'll be in the area--might as well live it up now!
 |
| I'm not a huge fan of ice cream, but I would eat this stuff everyday if given the chance! |
 |
| This takes me back. The kids all riding together in the back seat, laughing and fighting and talking. This is the stuff of heaven. |
We came home, took a nap (Hannah), went running (John and the boys), went to the leadership training meeting for Stake Conference (me), relaxed, played some more games, and then headed out to see Glass, the new movie by M. Night Shyamalan. But not before stopping by Running Fit and getting Ethan a new pair of Asics for a dirt cheap price.
 |
| I would ask "which one of these is not like the other", but I don't think there's really any difference. The cat friends are obviously very happy to have of their own home for the weekend as well. What you can't see is the roaring fire behind Hannah's back ;-) |
The next morning, the kids surprised me with my favorite breakfast before stake conference: blini with fresh fruit and Nutella, bacon, and eggs. No joke, I feel fat after all that we've eaten! But I can't deny--the Kennedys are definitely about food when we get together.
It killed me to let Mark leave that afternoon, and I cried the next morning after driving Ethan through post-blizzard I-94 to the airport (the tears were about him leaving, and not the roads). I wish I could have just frozen the weekend in time and kept living in it forever. But alas, I've taught the kids to be independent people, and they needed to return to their lives.
But not before a getting a shamrock shake for Hannah at McDonald's and a matching pedicure (she resisted at first, wanting the glitter green polish but buckled when I told her it was the same color as her shake), and a kick-butt game of Wii Play.
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| Reunited after three LONG years. |
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| You might notice that there aren't just TWO sets of toes in this picture.... ;-) |
And leave it to my thoughtful daughter to leave these surprises for me to find after I returned home. How grateful I am for children who know just how to bake me up the perfect birthday.
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