Felix's 5th Birthday Party

This afternoon I went to Felix's 5th birthday party. As I approached their house, I saw this darling writing on the sidewalk. It is a welcome note from sister Aurelia. I think she wanted to be a part of the celebration preparations.

This was the first time for Felix to have friends invited to a party. Imagine their surprise when they spotted their preschool teacher seated in the living room. So cute! I thought it was very nice of her to come on her day off.

After a couple of games, it was time for the birthday cake. Felix chose a cake with a tank on it. Actually, the tank is a transformer—one of his favorite toys. He is shown here before blowing out the candle.

It was a fun party, and Felix got a lot of nice gifts. I'm sure he's going to be busy for quite awhile assembling his new Lego toys.

Oh, a few days ago he informed his mom that on his birthday, his name is going to change to D5.

It was different

The atmosphere in our office yesterday was very different. It was the day for the funeral of the husband of one of our co-workers, Karen. Jeff had valiantly battled cancer for 4 1/2 years, but passed away on Sunday, surrounded by his family.

Sitting at the front desk in the morning, I witnessed my colleagues entering the office - usually one at a time. Some were wearing suits and ties or more dressy attire than the average day. Most were contemplative. The mood was somber.

A bit before 11 am, individuals left the building to attend the visitation and funeral for Jeff. Again, the mood was of quietness.

I was blessed by attending the service. I had known Jeff for a few years, but only on a small scale. I would visit with him for a few minutes while he would be waiting for Karen, or briefly at a company Christmas party. I learned more about him during the funeral—both during the eloquent memory time from his two adult children and from the pastor, who was a close, personal friend from Jeff's later teen years. Jeff's faith in God was what he wanted everyone associated with him to know about – business colleagues; golf, softball, and tennis buddies; friends and family members.

The outpouring of love for Karen was amazing, and I know she felt it. Her faith is strong, and though she will miss Jeff very much, she is happy to know he is now in the arms of Jesus.

Argument with Concrete

Tuesday I stopped at a local florist shop to buy a greeting card. As I walked up to the entrance, I tripped on the curb and fell to my knees, hitting the concrete just under my right eye. Ouch! Sitting on the sidewalk, I felt blood running over my eye, so fished a tissue out of my purse and pressed it to my eyebrow area. It soon filled. I attempted to get up, but it was really hard with very sore knees and the use of one hand. Once up, I managed my way into the store and found a clerk who took one look at me and led me to a chair. She soon gave me a wet cloth to apply pressure to the wound. After a little bit of time, a couple of employees joined us and took down my contact information. They could not have been kinder. After the bleeding had nearly ended, one of the them drove me and my car to the nearby Urgent Care center.

At the Urgent Care, a very nice nurse and doctor fixed up the cut over my eye. She used glue rather than taking stitches. It should heal in about 10 to 14 days. The pain in my knees, eyebrow and cheek were significant the first evening and night, but since then have been minimal. I expected more of a shiner, but it hasn't been too bad - mostly dark red in color.

The prescription sunglasses I was wearing at the time of the fall are badly scratched and both lenses are loose. My eye clinic informed me they cannot be fixed, so new glasses, along with an eye examination are in order. The insurance representative of the store at which this happened phoned yesterday and they are going to pay for the clinic bill, the cost of the eye exam and new sunglasses, and to replace the pair of slacks I was wearing (the knees are ruined). I'm grateful for that.

 

 



Happy 3rd Birthday, Leo!

My grandson Leo will turn 3 on Monday, the 13th of April. I'll always remember that he shares that date with my Aunt Liz, who passed away one year before he was born.

His party was today and it was really fun. He was full of joy and seemed to love everything—his cake and all of his gifts. Here are a few pictures from the party.

Sarah decorated Leo's cake.

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♫ ♪Happy Birthday to you! ♫ ♪♫ Happy Birthday to you!  ♫ ♪♫ Happy Birthday, dear Leo,  ♫ ♪♫ Happy Birthday to you!  ♫ ♪♫

Aurelia sporting her new hat and matching bag

This is Felix under the mask!