August 18 – “Perfect evening”

I got to tag along on Chris’ birthday schedule for the most part yesterday.  I say, “for the most part” because a long few hours in there she drove up to the quilt shop in Dickinson.  She blessed me by saying I could stay home and watch the Astros game.  (A gift almost as special as the Harry Potter book book/screenplay she got me for my birthday.  I have already read it.  Can’t comment, though, until Chris reads it).  Sweet lady.  When she left I did some more work and then I went and bought her some roses.  Put them in a vase and just left them on the counter.  Several hours after she got home and got started quilting again and then took a break, she finally noticed the flowers.  I told her they had been there ever since she woke up that morning.  For some reason she didn’t believe me.  Something about her having cleaned off that very counter some hours earlier.  Oh, well.  I fessed up, and she seemed happy to have them anyway.  Almost as happy as when she opened up the Kreg Jig set I gave her.  After supper I grabbed a leftover piece of the birthday cake I received Sunday at church, stuffed some of the candles back in it, lit them (of course), and took it over to her while singing “Happy birthday to you.”  Didn’t trip or spill it in her lap or anything.  Just the two of us long-time love birds eating cake and watching the youngsters in the Olympics.  Perfect evening.

Oh, I got ahead of myself, didn’t I.  We also had a great lunch with Nathan and Cailyn.  They barbequed some chicken and sausage that was incredible.  He soaked it overnight in some stuff he had that made it taste really good.  He also had plenty of barbeque sauce on hand.  Also a plus.  And there were even presents involved.  I got a new fish-cleaning cutting board.  It will take the place of the old street sign I have been using.  And it is pretty massive, too.  Guess I’ll be forced to do some fishing so I can try it out.  I’m willing to make that sacrifice.  Chris got a yard flag.  I didn’t really know those were a “thing.”  Hers is a picture of Grandma’s house with the words, “Grandkids are loved here.”  That will certainly be an appropriate welcome to this house, although some might say one particular word should be replaced with “spoiled.”  I don’t see much difference, do you?  Tomorrow we get to go out to eat with Kel and Christina and their kids.  That will be Mexican food at Gringos, so Chris will be happy.  And everybody knows, when Mama’s happy, everybody’s happy.

1 Corinthians 9:25 says, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

Father, thank you for perfect evenings with my best friend.  Amen.