January 23 – “Big Birthday Bash”

Big birthday bash yesterday.  Cailyn turned thirteen years old.  Teenager.  Thirteen going on eighteen, for sure.  I was quite impressed with the guest list.  It included family, of course.  Kel and Christina and the youngest of their brood were there.  April’s Mom and her family were there, and her Dad and his family drove up from the Corpus Christi area to be a part.  Her aunt (the horse lady – well, the lady who lets Cailyn ride her horses) came down from her ranch.  A hefty contingent of Cailyn’s junior high basketball team came, along with a friend or two from her days in Galveston.  One of those friends was the guy who used to be her softball coach.  Their good friends and neighbors from when they lived in Galveston, the Luja’s, were there.  There were several other guys from the Galveston fire department, too.  Even one of the guys from where Nathan now works brought his two sons.  April’s long-time best friend was there.  A couple of the people I didn’t know at all, including the guy who spent his time cooking all the meat for the fajitas.  I enjoyed being there for a reunion of sorts.  Three guys who all played basketball on one of the teams I coached came together for the first time in years.  Nathan, Philip and Michael got to touch base and do a little reminiscing.  I gotta say that it is pretty impressive to have representatives from so many eras of life all come together.  Speaks well of Nathan and April, for sure.

 

Speaking of impressive …

Well, I don’t know whether to be impressed or appalled.  There were kids running around everywhere, but at several points I noticed that they were also taking dips into the hot tub.  Not a negative thing in itself.  But it was 39 degrees out there.  And they would climb in and out of the tub, then race back to the blow-up bouncy house, all in wet bathing suits.  Not me.  Nope.  Uh-uh.  Way too cold. 

 

Chris had another one of those weird spells of hers.  We were just standing around talking when she suddenly felt sick.  Nauseated.  Dizzy.  Hot.  She reached out for my arm and said she needed to sit down, and quick.  She looked pretty pale, but it passed almost as fast as it came on.  Guess she’ll write that one down in her log and tell the cardiologist when next we meet. 

 

Psalms 30:5 says, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

 

Father, thank you for our Cailyn.  She has been a real blessing from you to us all.  Amen.