BIG SURPRISE!!!

We were up and I made omelets and bagels for breakfast. We just tinkered around until 11 when Tom and Stacy came to take us to lunch. They were dressed up, and Olivia insisted that Evelyn did too. I was evidently dressed permissibly, so we got into their van and left. I suggested we go to see the roses on the Rosewalk at the lake before going to the restaurant at the bed and breakfast where they had stayed last night. We parked at the Kern Café and began to walk toward the roses when it happened. We walked toward an open door where we saw many friends and the Beelis. They had done it again! 25 years ago they had surprised us with an anniversary party and did it again for our 50th. Evelyn was especially got, but a neighbor had slipped up and mentioned a party she couldn’t attend. There were 41 of our friends and family waiting for us. Evelyn had been against the girls throwing a party for us, but they failed to ask her permission. We mingled with the crowd for half an hour, and I led a prayer for us and our lunch. Of course I was quite choked up as I prayed, but the Lord gave me strength. It was noon so we led the friends to the beautiful spread of relish of vegetables and fruit and croissant sandwiches. We enjoyed lunch and the a program featuring scripture recitation by Elizabeth and Stephen, a poem by Tom, stories by Andrew and Noah and Peter, some comments by Elizabeth, Rosalie and Olivia, stories by Stacy and Emily, and some roasting comments by some of our friends in the group. We also spoke briefly and led the crowd to the cutting of the cake. The decorations and cake were built around a Purdue theme—black and gold napkins, a Purdue football, and yellow flowers and black leaves on the cake. Sometime later I will publish pictures of the event. We came home around 2 with huge amounts of vegetables, fruit, croissant sandwiches and cake. Andrew had accidently dropped one of them leaving only 4 left. We sat around drinking beer and eating leftover nuts. Evelyn had planned to serve hamburgers tomorrow but wanted to have something for supper, so I cooked some on the Holland grill. We ate and then cleaned up the kitchen again. The girls must have been very tired because they didn’t help much. Finally Stacy, Tom, and Peter left but didn’t take Olivia. They all wanted to walk up the mountain behind us so I went along to the first switchback and returned to the house. They continued. Evelyn and I went to bed at 8:30. The Beelis were the only ones who slept here because the Georges’ went back to their bed and breakfast place. We were asleep around 9, Evelyn had taken a sleeping pill. We thank God for our loving daughters and their families. They have gone out of their ways to honor us by throwing 3 parties for us (my 70th was the other one). God has richly blessed us through them and their Christian families.