Mom Is 80 Years Old

All of us kids with our parents.

My mom and her delicious cake.

Our big group at dinner.

Wow it's weird when your parents turn 80. I know how I feel at 56 so they can't feel all that great at 80. I talk to my Mom every morning and if I call her she is always so chipper and happy. I'm not a morning person and Rich has even compared me to a grizzly bear. Anyway, I usually ask her why she's so happy and her reply is always, "well I made it through another night." Isn't that nice that she is excited to live for another day? We had a really nice evening with her for her birthday. My sister Mell and her husband Larry, Rich and I, my brother Len and his wife Julie and my sister-in-law Linda all met at the Temple and did a Sealing Session. The Temple is really hard for me because of my anxiety but I did so good with my family all there together. Dad was a little upset because we came on Wednesday and that is a night that they work in the Temple but we tried to change his attitude about it because it WAS Mom's birthday. After we finished at the Temple we took her to the Landmark for dinner. My brother Ben joined us there, he had been away on business. The food was delicious and we had a good time laughing and visiting. We didn't invite the grand kids and great grand kids because we did that for Dad's birthday in January and it cost a "pretty penny" to feed that crew. Besides we will all be getting together this week for Thanksgiving and that is always hectic and we didn't want to tackle it twice in one week. I feel so blessed to have both my parents still living. I never new either of my Grandfathers so my kids are really lucky to have grandparents both living. They are both such good examples to our families. They have lived a very modest life where we were taught service through example. I am so thankful they are still healthy and able to take care of themselves and work in the Temple. I hope I'm doing that good when I turn 80. My sister and I were wondering if we would even be around when our 80th birthday rolls around. Anyway, if I am I hope my kids will do a birthday extravaganza for me, I'm not holding my breath though.