Another Birthday Story. Different Birthday(s).

Remember how I said our stop in Atlanta was a soft landing place before making the haul to our next stop?

That was true.

(Because I don’t lie here – right?  Well, at least not intentionally.)

We drove

nine hours to Florida two days before Christmas

because we wanted to be a part of a fabulous birthday surprise for two marvelous people.

Maybe you remember seeing their faces here before.

Oma.  Papa Dale.

The matriarch and patriarch of our framily.

They both turned sixty.

And we made it (just barely in time) to see their surprised faces as they entered the room.

And by “just barely in time” I mean – seriously.  Just barely in time.

The GPS predicted our arrival time as 5:30 p.m., which I managed to beat by arriving at approximately 4:59 p.m.  I did this by never stopping for gas and not allowing Kevin to switch drivers after his short nap and never stopping for a restroom break for any of the eight passengers in our vehicle for nearly five hours.

Which resulted in us pulling into Erik & Sarah’s house on a completely empty tank of gas and kids piling out of the car in a mad dash to the bathroom.

But we made it.

In time to get this hug.

It was a beautiful, lovely evening.

Celebrating sixty goodgoodgood years of Sally and Dale.

I set my camera down and let Emma take all the great shots.

(I might have borrowed her sweet camera set up for a rather important shot or two.  Like this one.)

MmmmHmmm.

That’s a real tattoo.

It really says “Mom”.

How’s that for love?

Oh, ‘Stin.

It really was worth the drive.

Worth the drive to let Sally and Dale know how much we love them and appreciate them.

How we don’t take them for granted.

How we are glad they love us back.

How we think they are funny and kind and important.

How we love that they care for our children

and welcome us into their clan as if we were born right along with the rest of them.

And it was worth the drive to let those rascal-y pals Piper and Beckett hang out together on a pillow.

And worth the no-stopping-to-use-the-bathroom for five hours to cuddle with baby Rowan

and be amazed at how much he has grown and how happy and content of a little man he is.

And to see how cute he looks in the clothes we have loved so much on Berg, Cole, Beck and Fox.

(I delight in the passing down of clothes.  It’s so sweet to see them looking adorable on other tiny people.)

And it was worth all that driving

to just hang out and

be ridiculous

with this family

that I love so much

but do not see

often enough.