This little yellow fur ball says HAPPY EASTER

It is a beautiful warm sunny April 1st at 4649 Deer Creek Blvd in Sarasota Florida as we gather around the table on the lanai overlooking the pool.

My daughter Pamela has set our table while my son-in-law Tracy Drake is preparing his own birthday food, Alaskan King Crab. While her pan of broccoli is steaming, Pamela prepares a bowl of fresh fruit, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes and more.

When I heard Tracy give out the call that the king Crab was ready it didn’t take me long to get out the kitchen door with my walker and get seated ready to make my tummy really happy. It is EASTER Sunday and since Tracy’s birthday is tomorrow we are celebrating both today. Being Tracy’s birthday Alaskan King Crab was his choice but it is my favorite food bar none.

Pamela brought in the melted butter containers that sit in a little rack over a lighted candle, placed one by each of your plates and we all began devouring crab dipped in butter. After an extended time of silence Tracy said, ” You can tell when the food is really good. No one is talking.” YUM!

Everyone’s tummy full and smiling, Pamela brings out the two layer carrot birthday cake with cream cheese icing she had made from scratch yesterday and six lighted candles. Now it’s “Happy birthday to you ? Happy Birthday to you? Happy birthday dear Tracy ? Happy birthday to you ? AND MANY MORE ?. it only took one blow to put out the candles YEH!

As soon as Pamela has started cutting the cake, that is when we remembered, Oh no!!

We were all enjoying this little party so much we forgot all about recording it with photos.So here we go now. Pamela gets my IPad and starts snapping,

Tracy is showing you an Alaskan King Crab claw. Two of them were left over because my granddaughter Sarah has the flu so she and her friend Ado couldn’t come down from Tampa where they live and work.

OH YUM! That cake is soooo delicious it simply melts in your mouth, I gotta say PAM YOU DONE GOOD!

Oh the party isn’t over, it’s gift opening time now and Pamela brings them out to the lanai table. The first one he opens the card first and it is from his daughter Evin and her husband Matt Bender,

A new grill, how fortunate because he ruined the one he had using excessive heat and had to throw it away. A great gift!

And from his mother-in-law, me, a couple of his favorite books. Tracy has been an avid reader since childhood!

From Pamela that beautiful shirt and two pair of pants . Who could ask for anything more?

Have a look see at his birthday cards………

Wait! All those pictures were taken by Pamela and showed you Tracy and some of his 95 year old Mother-in-law, me, but no pictures of Pamela. Soooooooo her goes…….

Tracy and Pamela in Sarasota a night out on the town!!! If I do say so, A BEAUTIFUL couple!!

FRF❤

They are my Great Great Grandsons! Little seven year old Jayden Wedding and brother three year old Isaiah Wedding who live with their Momma and Daddy, Diana and Darren, in the far South west corner of Big Sky Montana.

Their home in the little town of Dillon is nestled between two, take your breathe away, mountain ranges.

Their great great Gramma Flo, me, every now and then, sends them a greeting card with cash inside for them to buy whatever suits their fancy.

You just gotta see what came in yesterdays mail for me! Take a look at this…….Little three year old Isaiah Wedding

Now from seven year old Jayden WeddingPic Jayden Wedding pictured here with his adorable Aunt Terra

When my daughter Pamela emailed these pictures to her daughter and my granddaughter Sarah Drake this is Sarah’s response……….

OH MAN! THAT IS TOO SWEET!!!!!!!

FRF❤

After her schooling has completed, my great granddaughter Holli gets her reward. All her loving family make their way to Springfield Ohio for the ceremonial nurses pinning. Her Gramma Meredythe has flown in from Dillon Montana to share this happy family celebration.

Holli with her Gramma Meredythe Wedding, Grandpa Joey Wedding sent his congratulations from Montana.

Holli with her boy friend who backed her fully throughout her schooling, always so encouraging.

Here you see Holli with her father Dean Carpenter looking so happy and proud of his daughter.

Holli, her father Dean, and her brother Levi with her mother Jodi out front in her wheelchair. Luckily, Jodi was taken from Marysville to Springfield in an ambulance for this special occasion. They had a delightful surprise when they found out the ambulance driver had a granddaughter being pinned also in this ceremony.

Here we see a close up of Holli with her brother Levi.

And now you see the whole happy family Holli, her father Dean, brother Levi, grand mother Meredythe and in her wheel chair Holli’s loving mother Jodi.

FRF❤️

Portrait of baby Jodi

Can you tell who those people are? The three of us, Meredythe holding baby Jodi and Jodi’s gramma Flo/me at my sister Fannie Hoffman’s beautiful country home for a bridal shower. That was 50 years ago. Jodi will be 51 years old March 26. Where has all that time gone?

Jodi’s recipe for making butterscotch cookies, in her childhood hand writing. This is a precious keepsake.

All grown up now, as she goes for a spin on his motorcycle with her boyfriend Dean Carpenter.

Now it’s dress formal for the prom and dance the night away.

When they decide to marry, it’s a flight to Los Vegas for a chapel wedding and buy a little farm South of York Center Ohio to make their home.

Their adorable children Levi and Holli have just told Santa what to bring them for Christmas.

In just a few years as Jodi starts getting sick they keep trying to find out what it is as the sickness continues to take over more and more of her life. With Jodi’s parents help, her mother Meredythe being a registered nurse, they get a doctor who diagnoses her ailment as Multiple Sclerosis.

After being in bed for a couple years at her parents home, Meredythe gets her accepted in a nursing home in Marysville Ohio.

Here she is in Gables Nursing Home. On the wall of her room you see the portraits of her children.

This photo was taken Christmas 2017 by her Mother Meredythe who flew from Dillon Montana to Ohio be with her.

FRF❤️

They know how to make the most of the life we each have on this earth of rolling green hills, snowy mountain peeks that reach for the sky,, ocean waves rushing in to the sandy beaches, sunshine that brings the beautiful flowers and ever so many wonders of this world.

You want me to show you proof. Well take a peek at these gorgeous pictures and you will know I didn’t exaggerate their happiness.

This is the family of my nephew Larry Gardner and his beautiful, looks like a movie star wife, Patricia as they celebrate Patricia’s seventieth birthday, on the banks of Lake Erie. And I agree with you, it is no way she looked seventy. She doesn’t even look fifty!

The family here are Astrid,Jessica,Todd,Greg, Patricia, Brad, Larry with little Blythe and Sabine

Larry comes from a family of three sons and Larry and Patricia have three sons. However their second son Brad and Tonya have three fun loving happy little girls pictured also by Lake Erie.

Here you see those three precious little girls as big sister Astrid with a warm pretty smile cradles her adorable sisters Blythe and Sabine with a loving arm.

Here are those same three little girls a couple years earlier. Astrid is holding new born Sabine while Blythe is looking at their baby sister with delight.

Over 2018 New Years Larry and Patricia visit their son Brad and wife in Austin Texas. And Larry with the help is his little granddaughters Blythe and Sabine is mixing up chocolate chip cookies. See the empty Nestles chocolate chip bag on the table? The recipe is on the back of that little bag, just in case you want to make some for your family.

And here you can see little Blythe giving her Grandpa Larry a helping hand preparing the cookies ready for the oven. And the when baked…..yum yum!

Brad along with Blythe and Sabine taking gifts as they go to visit Patricia’s sister.

Have a look-see at this beautiful wedding picture of Larry and Patricia’s youngest son Todd and his beautiful bride Jessica with all the family.

Brad, Tanya holding little Sabine’s hand, Astrid, the beautiful bride Jessica and the handsome bridegroom Todd, little Blythe, Patricia, Larry and their first son Greg.

I can’t finish this story without showing you, pictured above, the Gardner sons with their wives, Phil and Nancy…Steve and Karen….Larry and Patricia. Family of my sister Bobbie (Hazel) and her husband Harold Gardner.

And last but most important of all my beautiful sister Bobbie cutting roses at her rolling hills country home just north of Columbus Ohio.

If she could look down from heaven and see this little story she would be BURSTING WITH PRIDE.

FRF❤️