Fifty Is Nifty

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY WESLEY!

On Thursday, November 13, my very handsome husband turned 50. After a great deal of begging and pleading, he agreed to let me throw a party in his honor, but it had to only include his family and a small group of friends. So . . .that little party turned in to a three-day celebration. On the first day we had a small dinner at home with the kids. The next night Wes and I went away to a local resort and the third day we had dinner with a small group of friends and family. It wasn't the large blow out bash I had originally envisioned, but we had a wonderful time and Wes felt very loved. One highlight was a movie we showed titled, "Fifty Things We Love About Wes." All the people who were at the dinner were also in the movie. It was great!

Ever wonder what 50 balloons on your ceiling look like? :-)

A good friend recently told me that a journey isn't very fun if you travel alone. Thankfully our lives have been filled with great "traveling companions." Some of those were at the dinner party we hosted in Wes' honor Saturday night.

In addition to good friends we had family. Here is a picture of Kali (Ryan's fiance) with Kathryn and Michelle. Doesn't she look like she belongs?!

A special treat was having Camille and Kristen home. They flew in to surprise their dad. It doesn't get better than that. Poor Camille is even 8 months pregnant!

This is Wes' very good friend Curt and his wife Denise. Curt and Wes grew up together, were roommates in college and work together now. He is a CPA and does a lot of the accounting for Wes' company. It was so fun to have them join us for the big night.

And here is Wes' mother and our son Ryan. Wes' two sisters, Judy and Jackie and their husbands came as well.

Wes received many thoughtful gifts from friends and family. Here is a picture of a few of the 16 pounds of Peanut M&M's he received.

Our friends the Holmes gave Wes this knife. I still don't understand what it is about guys and weaponry. The next day Wes gave us a lesson on how to use it. Also, while testing how sharp the knife is, he put a gash in my kitchen counter. We now know . . . it is sharp.

Our friends the Purtymun's gave Wes this wheelbarrow. Bryan and Wes have hauled innumerable loads of dirt together over the years, and the wheelbarrow we had was looking pretty aged. We love the new one! Notice all the little details Bryan added to it--tassels, a horn, decals . . . .He even went to Michael's himself to buy them! What a good friend!

Apparently there are different levels of intelligence here. "Wise at 50+" is the lowest level mark."Young and Dumb" is the highest.

We are so grateful for everyone who sent birthday email greetings, called and brought by gifts. Wes had a wonderful time and appreciated the love and support from so many.Thanks to you all for making the day so memorable. We are thankful that along life's path, we have found so many great people who have added so much . . . joy to our journey.