What a Great Surprise: Dustin is Home

As many of you know, Chris's brother, Dustin, has been serving overseas for the last 5-6 months. He arrived home last night for his 2 week leave and we surprised the girls! Lexi wondered why we weren't going to church and why we had to change Brenna's shirt after supper, but she definitely didn't put it together. When the doorbell rang, Lexi looked out the window and only saw Grandma and Grandpa. But her face when she opened the door was priceless!

We spent about an hour talking while the girls made sure Dustin saw all of their Christmas toys and the new things they could do. What a great feeling to have the family back together--even if it's for a short time.

Fiddler on the Roof

I wrote this quite a while ago---but never put it on my blog!

Last Thursday, I took Mom to a production of "Fiddler on the Roof" in Ames. I had bought these tickets for her back in August for her birthday, so it was fun to celebrate her birthday almost 6 months after the fact. We started out the night at Hickory Park--a must stop when we are in Ames. Mom and I must have thought we were very hungry for we both ordered the Sampler dinner. Don't be fooled---there is no "sampling" in this meal. We were brought a salad, a huge order of pork and beef ribs, 2 pieces of chicken, and some fries. We both were almost in tears after laughing at our 'impulse' buys. We ate very little and took the rest home for the boys.

We then realized that we had almost 2 hours before the play started so we headed over to Borders for some quick browsing. Let me rephrase that: We don't browse in a bookstore; we grab whatever we can! I brought home some "Frog and Toad" books for the girls (my personal favorites from when I was a child) and "Walt Disney World with Kids: 2011" (cannot wait for the planning to officially start). As I walked around the store, I realized that my mom gave me my love for reading and I may not be where I am today if she hadn't.

After that, we headed for the theatre. I bought tickets for this show because I remembered Mom telling me that this was my grandpa's favorite musical. I could see that love beaming out of her right as the opening music began. Her face lit up and I knew this was going to be a great evening. We laughed and cried, but enjoyed every minute of it.

Besides having such an emotional meaning for my mom, the play also touched me on so many levels. First off, I loved every song and continued to sing "Tradition" and "If I was a Rich Man" well into the first of the week. I also felt like Tevye reminded me so much of my dad, Papa Kenny. He was harsh and crude on the outside, but a gentle soul once you got to know him. He may not have agreed with all of his daughters' decisions, but in the end, he loved each one of them regardless of if they followed "tradition."