Weekend update!
While I wanted this post to be about Mom, I will say about the Second Amendment, it was written during a different time in our history and it does include the often ignored portion that states 'a well-regulated militia'. My heart aches for all the innocent lives lost. My prayers and thoughts are with the people in Newton, Connecticut.
I was away for the weekend on a very important mission. While my Mom's birthday is actually on Thursday, December 20th, we surprised her last Friday. Hubby and I, through our Disney Vacation Club membership, rented a cottage at Disney's Vero Beach Resort. The cottages there have an unobstructed view of the ocean. My Mom is a big fan of the ocean, so this was perfect for her.
On Friday, my sister picked up Mom and told her she had a client to see. While they drove up, we checked in at the resort. Since we had done online check-in, they knew we had a big birthday celebration. We told the 'cast members' that the birthday girl was on her way and we had a 'Happy Birthday' sign to greet her when they arrived. The staff thought it was a great idea and asked if they could join us. When my sister called and said they were about ten minutes away, we rushed through the lobby and told the staff they were close. Three staff members wearing Mickey Mouse gloves met at the entrance of the resort. We gave them party horns to make a lot of noise.
The funny thing is, Mom didn't see us, all see saw was the hotel staff. When she finally saw me, she broke down. She couldn't believe that we had done this for her. We walked her through the lobby and she had the biggest grin on her face. Her eyes lit up when she saw the cottage. She was expecting a room in the main part of the resort.
Once we were settled, we took her out to dinner in one of the resort restaurants. The second phase of our surprise was about to kick in. We had to tell the hostess that we were expecting four more but we couldn't let Mom know. We had Mom sit with her back to the entrance of the dinning area where we were sitting. About twenty-minutes later, we started talking about how great it would have been for Paul to join us. Of course, Paul was standing at the entrance. He and his son, Max, walked into her view and Mom was surprised once again. My sister got up and told the waitresses that Paul and his family flew in from Chicago and that Mom had no idea they were coming. One of the waitresses said she was going to cry.
So, we ate, laughed, and had birthday cake. End of the first night.
The following day, we had another surprise for Mom. My older brother was driving up from Broward. He couldn't stay because of prior commitments, but he wasn't going to miss this. Mom was sitting out on the balcony watching the waves roll in when he walked out onto the balcony. Mom was once again surprised. She could not believe she had all her kids in one place at the same time. Shortly after my brother arrived, some of my cousins showed up. Seven of them to be exact. At one point we had thirteen people on the balcony (Paul and his family were at the pool - Max doesn't like crowds).
Eventually, my older brother, David, and our cousins had to leave. We took a nice walk on the beach, and Mini-Me had a wave crash over her head. On Sunday, Paul and his family left to visit with his wife's family in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Yesterday, we said a sad farewell to Vero Beach and headed on back home. Mom is continuing her birthday vacation by staying with my sister for the rest of the week. Mom will be turning 80 on Thursday, and I have a feeling she will never forget this birthday.
I was away for the weekend on a very important mission. While my Mom's birthday is actually on Thursday, December 20th, we surprised her last Friday. Hubby and I, through our Disney Vacation Club membership, rented a cottage at Disney's Vero Beach Resort. The cottages there have an unobstructed view of the ocean. My Mom is a big fan of the ocean, so this was perfect for her.
On Friday, my sister picked up Mom and told her she had a client to see. While they drove up, we checked in at the resort. Since we had done online check-in, they knew we had a big birthday celebration. We told the 'cast members' that the birthday girl was on her way and we had a 'Happy Birthday' sign to greet her when they arrived. The staff thought it was a great idea and asked if they could join us. When my sister called and said they were about ten minutes away, we rushed through the lobby and told the staff they were close. Three staff members wearing Mickey Mouse gloves met at the entrance of the resort. We gave them party horns to make a lot of noise.
The funny thing is, Mom didn't see us, all see saw was the hotel staff. When she finally saw me, she broke down. She couldn't believe that we had done this for her. We walked her through the lobby and she had the biggest grin on her face. Her eyes lit up when she saw the cottage. She was expecting a room in the main part of the resort.
Once we were settled, we took her out to dinner in one of the resort restaurants. The second phase of our surprise was about to kick in. We had to tell the hostess that we were expecting four more but we couldn't let Mom know. We had Mom sit with her back to the entrance of the dinning area where we were sitting. About twenty-minutes later, we started talking about how great it would have been for Paul to join us. Of course, Paul was standing at the entrance. He and his son, Max, walked into her view and Mom was surprised once again. My sister got up and told the waitresses that Paul and his family flew in from Chicago and that Mom had no idea they were coming. One of the waitresses said she was going to cry.
So, we ate, laughed, and had birthday cake. End of the first night.
The following day, we had another surprise for Mom. My older brother was driving up from Broward. He couldn't stay because of prior commitments, but he wasn't going to miss this. Mom was sitting out on the balcony watching the waves roll in when he walked out onto the balcony. Mom was once again surprised. She could not believe she had all her kids in one place at the same time. Shortly after my brother arrived, some of my cousins showed up. Seven of them to be exact. At one point we had thirteen people on the balcony (Paul and his family were at the pool - Max doesn't like crowds).
Eventually, my older brother, David, and our cousins had to leave. We took a nice walk on the beach, and Mini-Me had a wave crash over her head. On Sunday, Paul and his family left to visit with his wife's family in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Yesterday, we said a sad farewell to Vero Beach and headed on back home. Mom is continuing her birthday vacation by staying with my sister for the rest of the week. Mom will be turning 80 on Thursday, and I have a feeling she will never forget this birthday.