Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma!!!

As I mentioned in the last post, I wanted to write a separate post to tell you all about my grandma's 90th birthday party.  First, let me tell you a little bit about her.  She has lived in Amarillo, TX my whole life, but thankfully, my parents made it possible for us to travel there frequently throughout my life.  I loved going to her warm, cozy home.  Walking in the door, it would smell the same each time, and bring back memories of years past.  When I found out she was moving, I honestly cried, but she was ready to move on and be free from some of the responsibilities of owning a home (yard, maintenance, etc.).  She moved to a senior apartment building in Amarillo where some of her friends already lived.  Meals are included, it is close to her church, and there are many opportunities for even more social activities (not that she needs more to do...she's busier than me!).  She seems really happy there, and I am so glad.

Me with both of my grandmas at the Amarillo airport

Jared and me with our cousins, Reed and Ross

As a child, I loved visiting Grandma and Papa, but never took much of an interest in their lives (as you would expect from most children).  But, as I got older, I began to enjoy the visits she made here or us there.  I loved sitting down and learning about her life.  She told me about growing up on a farm, how she met Papa (Roy Stargel), about life as a young wife and mother in a new town, and so much more.  She has always lived out her faith.  When I ask her to pray for something, I know she actually does!  She continues to study God's Word each day, and I am encouraged to know that He will continue teaching us all throughout our lives if we will seek Him.  I can always call her to chat, even if she has to call me back because she is at a meeting or Bible study!  I know I can count on her, and I thank God for her each day.

Us during her first trip to NYC several years ago

When it came time to plan her 90th birthday party, she volunteered to fly to Atlanta because of my pregnancy and Jami and Jared's new baby, Harper.  It was such a gift to us and sacrifice for her not to be there with all of her friends, but that just shows her character.  She is selfless and kind.

We sent the invitations you see above, and were so excited to have some surprise guests for Grandma.  My uncle Lewis flew all the way from NYC (through storms).  My aunt Nancy's long-time friend, Susan, came from Houston with all of the Hablinski's and Ross' girlfriend, Ali.  My mom's dear friend (and ours), Ellen, came too!  We all had a nice dinner at the Atlanta Athletic Club honoring Kay/Mother/Grandma/GeeGee!

Her great grandchildren

My mom and her brother, Lewis

We love Uncle Lewis!

Visiting with Ellen

The spread...

"Happy Birthday to you,..."

Four generations...

What a fun evening celebrating a beloved woman.  We look forward to many more celebrations in the years to come!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!!!

Let the Christmas festivities begin...

Yes, I am writing on January 1, 2013, but it has been a busy couple of weeks!  After accidentally burning myself on hot tea, I came down with the flu on Christmas day.  I am going to take the next couple of posts to catch up on all the fun we had while my grandma, Kay Stargel, was in town for Christmas and to celebrate her 90th birthday!

We'll start with the fun we had at the Atlanta Athletic Club's annual Christmas celebration on December 23, 2012.  This year it was a "Grinch" theme.  Jared and his family had to miss it this year because Jared had the flu, sadly.

We began by being served dinner by Thing 1!  Zeke warmed up to him right away.  He also enjoyed the band that played at dinner as you'll see below (clasping his hands watching).  Next, he got to sit with Santa, then had a candy cane painted on his hand.  After that, he got a balloon candy cane, although, Daddy accidentally stepped on it when we got home!  

It was a nice evening, although we missed having Jared, Jami, and the girls there to join in the fun.




The next day was Christmas Eve, so we went to dinner at Di Paolo's with GeeGee (Grandma) and my parents.  I was starting to feel poorly that evening, so Gregg and I ended up staying home from church.

When we got home from dinner, we put Zeke in his Christmas pajamas and got ready for bed.  Zeke doesn't really know much about Santa at this point, so he just went to bed as usual! 

The next morning, he woke up to see that Santa had brought him a Christmas balloon (his favorite thing right now) and filled his stocking.  He was so excited!

Jared, Jami, and the girls came over later that morning so we could all open gifts together and enjoy Christmas lunch.  We decided to donate to specific charities/causes this year in lieu of gifts, but my mom and dad still generously gave to all of us, in addition to all of their charitable giving.  We are very blessed. 

We began our time together with Grandma reading the Christmas story from Luke 2.  It was a special time for us all.

Harper's first Christmas!

The chef!

Praying

Singing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus (Gregg was really into it!)

Excuse my look, but I ended up in the ER that night with the flu

Zeke admiring his camouflage band aid!

Cousin fun

I will continue with another post later to share all of the details about Grandma's 90th birthday celebration.  It was a wonderful time with family and friends from Atlanta, Texas, and New York City!

I pray you all had a blessed time celebrating the birth of our Savior, or as Zeke would say, "Jesus' birthday!"