Family, Fun, & a Final Gathering for a Friend

Here's our birthday boy at the 4th celebration of his life! It was held at a local park near their home and the weather actually cooperated! There was a breeze and an overcast sky which kept the insects and the temps at a minimum!! The area was a mixture of concrete and this spongy kind of material, almost like an artificial turf. It was nice!! I liked not having dust or dirt or rocks for the children to fall on. Apparently, this is common at playgrounds now. I learn something every day! Watching the children play, several of us commented on our memories of birthdays and the excitement of the day being all about you. The older we got, the more we realized that we were happier when we were thinking of others and trying to make life easier for someone else! But we still miss having the day all about us!

Our little grandaughter stayed busy on the playyard! Alaina loved the climbing area and the slide! She only had time to come over for the pizza and watermelon! She may still be just a little girl, but she can beat her brother at putting away the food! We tease Stacey that Alaina will be little like her mother, but she's going to have her dad's appetite! Here she is, posing with my sunglasses. Upside down, of course~

This afternoon after worship we met Brandon and his family for lunch at Taste Good, a Chinese eatery in Prattville. Ian quickly put away his shrimp, grapes, cheese sticks, and fries in order to go with Pa to the ice cream bar. Noah couldn't be fed fast enough! Poor Brandon kept shoveling it in and it still wasn't fast enough. Jenny already has her hands full keeping three guys fed! I think Brandon's making sure their new home has a nice kitchen for Jenny and a big shower for him! She likes to cook and he's never had a shower with a shower head tall enough for him. I KNOW they'll be tickled to death when they can move in and begin getting settled. They may never build another house. Matter of fact, they may never move again! On second thought, nah. She's too much like her mommy. {wink, wink!}
Today is the day Bryan Martin was laid to rest and remembered with a Celebration of his short life. My heart aches with the knowledge that the days and years ahead are going to be so different for his precious little family. Such a brutul and senseless crime. Kelsey was quoted as saying, "He would have given them his truck. He would have given them his wallet. He would have done anything just to come home to us. They didn't have to shoot him". So young, so in love, such an asset to our world, so many dreams unfulfilled.Have a great week. A week filled with laughter, love, and rain! Lots and lots of rain!!!