Shalom Friends and Family,
I hope you all have had a wonderful beginning to 2015. In my last post I had a poll and asked you all to vote whether I should continue the Month In Reviews or not. Due to the response from the poll and emails, I think I will continue the posts - for now at least :) Last year I kind of made a goal to post once a month and I got stressed a few times when it was hard to do one and/or there was not enough time to do it. I have decided that this year will be a "fun" year and not "I'm trying to keep the goals I set"! If I am able to post and we have some pictures/videos to share, then I will post them ... but I am not making any commitments or setting any schedules in stone :)
January was a very exciting month. The second weekend of the month we went down to visit my grandmother in FL. We were planning on going as a family but as the time drew near one of our dogs gave birth early and the weather was so cold that the dog waters were freezing, so Ima decided to stay home. We said we could delay the trip until another time so we could go together, but we would not be available to go for several months, so she told us to go ahead and go. Here is a 5 minute video with some pictures of our time down there.
~ Tom & Annie's 25th Wedding Anniversary Party ~
We had a very special event this past month. It was our parents 25th wedding anniversary! Back in December when our parents were in FL for a funeral, we children got talking about what we should do for them ... you know, 25 years is a big thing! After a few short minutes we all decided that we should throw a surprise party, but then there were the questions of where we should have it, who should be invited, etc.
Through the following weeks, plans were made and finalized. We decided to have the party at the Assembly Hall at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. At first we did not really want to do this because the building is nearly an hour away, but it was our best option and we all like the building.
We asked our friends the Eatons if they could help with the decorating/set up and they asked us if it would mess up the surprise if they were to ask Abba and Ima if they could come down the Friday before the party (it was on Sunday) and spend the weekend with us. We said it would be fine so they asked. Abba and Ima said they could and we were all very excited … first, that we would be able to see them again, and also that they could come to the party and help us with transporting supplies to the building!
Saturday night before the party we had to put the supplies in the Eatons' van. The only problem was, Abba would not go to bed for the longest time :) Finally I told the others that we had to fake going to bed and then once he went to bed, we'd go back out and pack everything. It worked! We were SO excited and we stayed up LATE talking everything over once we were in our beds. Tomorrow was the day!
Sunday came, I woke with butterflies in my stomach ... would everything turn out right? We faked goodbyes to the Eatons because they had to leave early (for some odd reason!) and then we restlessly waited for the two hours to pass before Tommy and Lydia took Abba and Ima to pick up some guest that we had arranged to come in for their anniversary. That person ended up being my grandmother Ma.
They finally left and the rest of us children flew around the house like chickens with our head cut off! About 30-40 minutes later we had packed everything and were on the road. We teased Hannah and asked her not to go 90 MPH down our curvy steep hill:)
When we arrived at the building a short while later we were greeted by a crowd of people awaiting instructions on what else needed to be done. We finished making the food, drinks, and set up the sound system, piano and the screen for the slideshow. Everything looked really pretty! Thank you all so much for helping us out with food and setup ... you all were amazing!
Finally, the long awaited minute arrived when Tommy texted and said that they had just pulled into the park. They had blindfolded Abba and had Ima close her eyes when they got off the Interstate. Abba said he knew where they were going (just because of the area) ... especially when they went over the speed bumps in the State Park, but they both said they did not have a clue about a party and that it never crossed their minds!
Anyways, here are some pictures. Our camera was broken, so Jay was our amazing photographer - thanks so much!
Lining up in front of the door, because here they come!
The room was silent as we watched Tommy lead Ima, and Lydia and Ma lead Abba, to the doors!
Everyone shouted "Surprise" ... and what a surprise it was!
Abba was letting the Eatons have it for being so sneaky :) He said that after us children, they were the most sneaky! But they did a wonderful job and Abba and Ima were never suspicious of anything! They really thought that the Eatons were driving back to IN when they left our house!
My amazing big brother who was our amazing DJ:)
Watching the slideshow that Jay made for us.
Uh, yeah ... hmmm. I heard a report that a couple plates caught fire! So for your info, it is not a good idea to have the candles at the same level as plates!
Brother Lloyd was clearing the way for Abba and Ima to come through so they could cut the cake ... but notice the plate in his own hand:)
After eating lunch and cake, we had a time for people to share a memory of Abba and Ima and a blessing.
We got a kick out of these two youngsters as they walked around the building holding hands ... so cute :)
The Gainers gave this banner as a gift to Abba and Ima. It had wedding vows in the center area ...
… so Abba and Ima renewed their vows.
When they were finished, Tommy said, "Now I present to you, Mr. & Mrs. Tom Washburn!" and Brother Lloyd said that Abba could kiss the bride :)
We all were wondering why Abba was counting the dollars that were in his pocket. A few seconds later he said, "I came into this building with only $19 dollars in my pocket, but I am the richest man alive." It was so true. There were 98 people at the party and we were so blessed to have each and every one of you there to celebrate that special time with us. Thank you so much for coming!
Opening a gift that a friend made. It was a picture quilt.
After everyone shared their memories and blessings, we children sang a song for Abba and Ima.
A Washburn family picture (with little Judah William!).
Washburn Ladies.
Abba, Ma and Uncle Dave.
The children loved billowing these banners as music was played.
Well, those are all the pictures. The party was amazing! Our biggest prayer and desire was that the party would be a blessing to others and not just Abba and Ima. We wanted people to walk away with their lives changed, and I think they did. Praise YHWH for that. Here is the slideshow that Jay put together for us to play at the party. Enjoy!
Shabbat Shalom!
