We had a special night planned out for us on Wednesday. We received a card through the mail the other week saying that we are to attend a special night out with just husband and wife. We were told the time but not the place. We were immediately excited because we love events like these!!! We didn't have a clue was planning the night. The card also said that there will be prizes, entertainment and fun!!! We knew that whoever was planning this ... we didn't want to miss out.
My first human response was to take a picture of the card and send a text to Mike right away and I asked him if he knew anything about it? He didn't. We made a few guesses with who we thought it might be. I didn't start calling around and ask who else got an invite because clearly the person planning it wanted it to be a surprise.
On Monday, my mom and Jody stopped in and we talked about their Florida trip that they had just returned from. Jody left and then I remembered about the card. I asked mom if she got a card? "No, but I didn't go through all my mail yet," it what she said. She also said that Jody got a card too. She made a comment about her and dad never receiving cards like this and that she hoped they would get invited too! Well, I called Jody right away and we both started to think of who would be planning this. No solution.
I found out the next day that my whole family got invited. Mom called and said that she got a card too the next day. We were all excited but still had no clue who was planning this fun event! Well, on Wednesday I was expecting a call to tell us where to meet. The call came and I didn't recognize the number or voice. I put out another guess of who I thought it might be but could only wait and find out.
Three of my siblings all met at church at 6:30. A van pulled in and the driver said that she was picking up three couples. Well ... that must be us!!! Two other cousins with their lovers sat in the back of the van. We now knew that it had something to do with the "Riehl's".
The driver drove us down to my Aunt and Uncles house. The whole place was lite up with lights and we knew then that the dinner must be at Mose's. We walked in through the front door and there were candles and rose petals directing us to the basement steps. You know what??? MY MOM and Aunt Nance were the ones behind this all!!! Mom is too much!!! She was so, so happy that they pulled this over us!!! All my cousins and their lovers were also invited!!!
We were told to go to the basement. There was a table of shrimp appetizers and cheese and crackers and punch and flowers and candles!!! It was all decked out!!! After appetizers, we sat down in family groups and ate a full cooked meal with fine china. All my Aunts and Uncles on the Riehl's side came and served us! The whole night was full of surprises and love!!!
We ate turkey in shapes of hearts, X's and O's. We had individual salads. We had crab stuffed mushrooms, bang bang shrimp, mashed potatoes, veggies, Coke's and Orange soda bottles, coffee and an all out dessert table. A chocolate fountain with fresh fruit. Cake, pies, ice cream!!!
Then we played some games! Mike and I won a prize for getting the most answers right! We played the candy bar love story game and both came home with candy. All the games we played, Mike and I did great with!!! I guess being married 13 years really shows how much you know each other! :) We were also entertained with cousin Maylon's love song he sang to his wife!!! Daudy Riehl yowled for us! We laughed and had such a great time!!! Our driver came back for us at 10 PM and took us back to church for our vehicle's!!! It was nice to be escorted too!!! They didn't miss a thing!
Thanks so much Mom and Nance for the fun night!!! We loved all of it!!!!
+++++++++++++++++++++
The snow storm did come. "Winter Storm Pax" gave us a ton more snow!!! We had no school yesterday again. I have no idea how we are going to make up all these off days!?!?! School is squeezing as many days in as possible!!! We got out yesterday after I got the house cleaned. Mike was picking up his dad to go to the shop so the rest of us rode along. We hung out at Dad Lapps for the afternoon. The kids went sledding. The almost foot of snow made it difficult to walk through. We ate supper there too and played some settlers. We didn't make it a late night.
Today, we have another no school day because we got more snow during the night last night! More than we did the night before!!! We are now totally snowed in!!! Mike went to leave for work this morning and I wondered how he was even going to get out!??? He smiled and said, "Oh, I'll get out!!!" Well, he did but not after a lot of shoveling and digging. His truck got stuck half way down the lane! Matt Lapp swung by to help and gave Mike a ride out to Matt and Lena for the skid loader. Mike came back and scrapped tons of snow. Then a neighbor man, Wayne, stopped to help. He had a chain and tried to pull Mike's truck out. Because they didn't have the right hook, it didn't work. Then ... friend Eli Ebersol stopped in!!! (Believe me, I was being entertained by all this!!! :) ) He too had a chain and the right hook up and pulled Mike out of the foot plus snow!! Leon also went past and that time Mike was on the skid loader. Leon had to stop because Mike was on the road. Mike made a nice gesture and dumped his load of snow right on the road in front of Leon's vehicle!!! :) Too much!!! He rescrapped it and left Leon drive on by! Mike finished plowing the driveway and then took the skid loader back to Matt's. Everything looks so pretty and is completely snow covered!!!
Here's the bird bath this morning. The sun is coming up!
Matthew is busy working ahead on his school work! These two days off is giving him extra time to work ahead!
