I have jet lag. And I didn’t even fly on a jet! Jets are not in my price range. Still. I am sitting at my desk, hours later than I should be, struggling to keep my head up. It’s like someone took all the bones out of my neck and I’m a real-live bobble-head. Hey! I think I have my Halloween costume! Score!
Last week the kids & I hopped on planes, trains & automobiles to come together at Myrtle Beach, SC. My mom’s second favorite place on earth (Lake Tahoe is first). Dane, Tess & I came from Germany, Soren & Christian from Texas, Nicholas from New Mexico and Cole came with my parents (he stayed with them after Jacks funeral). My sister Annelore flew in from France with her two kids, Amadeo & Aeden. My other sister, Manon, flew in from California. I’m not going to make you count, but that is 14 people! That means 14 X the fun!
We all traveled from far & wide for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary! There is nothing more they wanted than to have all their kids, all their grandkids together in one place to celebrate. We almost did it. Sadly our husbands all had to stay home to hold down the fort, my sisters son had a brand-new job & no leave and my own grandchild couldn’t fly out (his mom has a great fear of flying). But most of us did make it and both my mom and my dad were overjoyed, sometimes to the point of tears, and every last penny, every last stress, every bit of exhaustion I now feel, was beyond worth it. Family really, truly, is everything.
I have so much to say, and not enough time to say it all. I have so many pictures to share, and not enough time to edit them all. I finally went for the best pictures with the most people in it… or the ones that show the most chaos. 14 people also = chaos!
I am forcing myself to stop writing. So many happy memories are in my head, and each of the 2,347 pictures I took bring back a memory. I am distracted. I am happy. I am tired. For now, my story of my parents 50th Anniversary, my one week in the states, stops here. I am putting my photo’s away. I am concentrating on work. But the smile & happiness is still plastered all over my face. What an amazing, fabulous, perfect week we had.
After an hour blowing up 50 balloons… 8 kids popped them in 5 minutes. Sigh.
Happy 50th Anniversary Mom & Dad!
They were at the beach minutes after arrival! 87F in October!
Me and my 5 sons ❤ Christian, Dane, me, Cole, Nick & Soren
Opa (my dad) choice of 50th Anniversary dinner. All the sushi we could eat!
The waves got a little wild. Luckily the hotel had multiple pools… though they are all in the same one.
Family photo!
Oma (my mom) choice of 50th anniversary dinner: The Pirate Show!
Dane & Aeden (with my sister, her mom) got volunteered to chase DUCKS!
Guess who made us all get up early to go deep sea fishing? Just guess.
My sister took a picture of me & the kids deep-sea fishing.
Me & my six kids ❤
Me & my six kids ❤ I couldn’t decide on the best one.
Our husbands couldn’t make it, October is not ideal for time-off work, luckily we found mugs with all THREE their names, and they came along everywhere we went in spirit.
Fabulous pictures, and such a great family time! Thanks for sharing them! (And I vote for picture #1 between the 2 of you and the 6 kids – the 2 pictures you couldn’t decide which one was the best.).
I like picture #2 you all seem to be smiling!! Though I like the blue sky’s in the 1st one!!
Picture #1. Your hair and Tess’s hair are blowing in the wind to the same beat. What a fantastic gathering, the perfect gift for your parents.
LOVE hearing about all the fun you had … and your photos are FABULOUS as always!!!
You are blessed with a beautiful family Toiny, thanks for sharing with us.
What a wonderful time for all of you that your parents and the rest of you will cherish the rest of your lives.
What a wonderful celebration of love and family! Thanks for sharing it. Yes, we definitely have had some warmer temps for October….I am in NC but had friends visit Myrtle the same time as you. Glad the weather was so nice for you. Unlike last month when we had a hurricane washing us away.
We saw quite a bit of damage, and residual flooding, especially on our drive down from Maryland. The clean-up efforts were tremendous! I’m impressed with the efficiency and the hard work to get everything back up & running. I had zero detours on the drive “home” to Maryland.
Yes, I was happily surprised at how quickly things went back together. The storm moved so slowly that we had time to prepare, somewhat, for it. But the poor people of Haiti were not so fortunate. We are truly blessed here. So glad you got to see all your family and had good weather too.
[…] Nick is our second oldest, and it had been more than a year since I last held him in my arms (50th Wedding Anniversary). Dave was luckier and had seen him during his exile in the states […]