SURPRISE!!

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

So tell me…are you a person who likes to be surprised?  Are you a person who likes to surprise someone else?

Well, I am both, to a degree.  For instance, I wrote about how our girls and I surprised Fred for his 80^thbirthday (please see my post of March 3, 2019 – Another Surprise).  It was so much fun planning for that day – and it was a total surprise to him!.

As it happens, my 80^th birthday was this past Monday.  We had gone to dinner with Bill and DiVoran a few weeks before (which we do about once each month), and DiVoran mentioned that she would like to invite Fred and me to dinner with her and some of her family at Dixie Crossroads in Titusville on Sunday, July 18^th.  Since that is one of our very FAVORITE eateries in Titusville (love that Rock Shrimp!!), we agreed and put it on the calendar.  Unfortunately, Bill would be gone on one of his planned trips at that time.

So we eagerly awaited the day – and it finally arrived!  We walked into the restaurant a few minutes later than the appointed time, to find DiVoran and her two children with their spouses waiting for us!  We hadn’t seen those kids in more than a couple of years.  It was WONDERFUL to see them again!  I really looked forward to the food and the fellowship we would have with them.  Lots of catching-up to do.

We waited a few minutes while they prepared a large table for us, then they led us to the back room.  When we walked in, I saw OUR family sitting there!  Karen and her family, and Janet and her family!  SURPRISE!!  I was dumfounded!  How did they work all that out?  The girls told me that, in trying to coordinate things, as Fred was at the church counting money one Monday morning, he texted them to say it was a good time to call.  When he got on the phone with them, he told them that he “couldn’t get away from your mother!”  You see, because we are both “retired” we tend to always be together, so Fred had a hard time finding a time to “get away from” me and coordinate with them.  But they were finally able to set everything up, and the tables were turned, and I was the one being surprised!  

I can’t tell you how much love I felt in that room that evening.  The catching-up was great and we vowed not to let so much time get away from us.

So I’ve been on both ends of the surprise spectrum – I enjoyed so much surprising Fred, and I thoroughly enjoyed being surprised.

As it turned out, our girls had rented a vacation house where both of their families stayed.  And, as it also turned out, my very best friend in all this world (and her husband) were scheduled to arrive for a visit on Monday, my birthday (please see my post of April 6, 2014 – My Best Friend).  We all went to Outback on Monday evening for supper.  Our granddaughter, Katie, had to leave Tuesday morning, so we made the most of Monday with her.  Tuesday morning we all went to Disney Springs to walk around and just absorb some of Disney without actually going to a park.  I cooked my famous teriyaki steak with my fried rice and a salad for supper.  Sue had made a pound cake, so we had strawberry shortcake for dessert.  Then we just sat around the table and talked for a couple of hours.  Sue said it was one of the best times of her life! 

Our girls and their families left on Wednesday morning, so we had that day with Sue and Bud.  We took them to Mission BBQ for lunch, then Culver’s for supper after showing Bud the Shades of Green, where we stay for our anniversaries at Disney.  It was a great and relaxing day.

They left this morning following breakfast.  No tears, but gigantic hugs.  

One last tidbit – on my birthday, my brother Bill, called me from his trip (he was in Buffalo, NY) to sing “Happy Birthday” to me.  He’s a jewel!

God has been so gracious to me.  He has given me 80 years on this earth – and the promise of eternity in His presence.  He has given me the love of my life – Fred.  He has given me two adorable daughters, who married two wonderful men.  He has given me four precious grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

WOW!  What more can I ask for?  God is good, and I love Him!

And I LOVE surprises!!

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

Tags: Birthday Surprise, Family