Surprise, surprise, surprise! We did it, we surprised Susan with a birthday party for her. We gathered in Joey and Kelly's garage for an after church party. Ten years ago, we did the same thing in the same garage for her 50th birthday. I am not sure Susan will fall for it again in ten years.
The birthday BASH weekend started on Friday evening when Nancy and I took Brookville chicken to the farm for all to enjoy. Then on Saturday noon (while we were watching the Wildcats beat Iowa State) we ate brats and corn on the cob. THEN WE PUT A PORK LOIN ON THE SMOKER AS A DECOY FOR THE EVENING PARTY. You see, Susan thought we were going to eat pork loin and salad at her horse after church! It was a great way to deceive Susan about the impending surprise birthday party that we had expertly planned. Susan really did believe that we were going back to her house after church, instead Nancy and I (with the help of Mick and Colleen) prepared for the party in Joey and Kelly's garage while the rest of the group was in church. Of course, they had worked hard to clean the garage and Kelly had most everything ready for us to put out. Long story short - we surprised Susan when she came to Joey and Kelly's after church. For those of you who do not know, the church is right next door to Joey and Kelly's house and we all go to their house after church. So, thanks to that pork loin that cooked or a very long time on the smoker - it served as a great decoy.
Oh, you might ask, what is with the cowboy hat? One of the party goers, Tom, put his hat on Susan's head right before she opened the door to the garage.
The girls - Anna, Natalie and Hallie
Nancy and Kevin enjoyed quite the spread of food.
Nobody is going to be surprised to hear that a football game broke out in the front yard during the party.
Ah, that is a sweet photo!
While the adults ate and drank, the kids played and played.
Natalie found Garrett's scooter.
Natalie took this photo of her dad John with my camera - with a little help from me.
One last hug before we said goodbye.
Natalie and her daddy John
Brooklyn being Brooklyn
On Sunday we gathered for omelets in a bag for breakfast, then we made home made ice cream. Anna, Garrett and Hallie practiced their team work by raking the grass. They actually worked very hard and cleaned the extra grass.
Kelly made faces at Avery
Joey being Joey
Susan decided she wanted a photo with her grandkids - good luck getting a good one.
Sam needed a nap.
Susan decided she wanted a family photo - good luck getting a good one.
How many kids can Matt get on a four-wheeler?
Another attempt at a photo of Susan with her grandkids
Nancy is the best pooper picker upper west of the Mississippi
We always find time for porch time. Debbie seems to be admiring Kelly's boots.
Anna and Debbie discussed the finer points of hand feeding the horses.
Sam and his daddy Joey
We should all take a little time to sit on the porch. It does a person good - or something like that.
Brooklyn absolutely devoured a piece of corn on the cob.
Brooklyn and her mom Lori.
My great niece Brooklyn celebrated her first birthday last weekend. Yes, it took me a while to get these photos posted. I do work even though some of you don't believe it.
The birthday girl
The birthday girl's parents Matt and Lori
Videographer Matt
Sweet Brooklyn
Brooklyn looked surprised about this gift.
Debbie sent me these photos of Natalie and her grandpa Greg and Natalie's horse Splash.
Sweet Natalie and Splash
More of sweet Natalie
Nancy and I went to the game with our friend Frank.
It was Fort Riley Day at the stadium - there was a ton of military related entertainment and ceremony. The Big Red One showed off their brigade flags during the pregame.
Shortly after the game started, play was suspended because of lightning associated with this storm. We realized something was amiss when nothing was happening during a time out. The band wasn't playing, there were no cheers, and the scoreboard was quiet. Many around commented on the quiet, then we heard the announcement that there was a storm in the area with lighting and that play was suspended for at least 30 minutes. The announcement also included a request for all fans to leave the stadium. Those of us who sit close to the field (we sit in row fifteen) just had to wait and wait and wait while the upper rows exited first. There was nothing we could do but wait and watch the storm and lightning roll in. By the time we actually made it to the top of the stadium the lightning and bad looking clouds had passed. Nancy and I decided to wait in the bathroom (with a ton of other people) while it rained. The bathrooms were not women or men during the storm, the restrooms were fair game for anyone seeking shelter. We met one of our friends in the bathroom and spent 45 minutes or so talking while waiting on the rain to stop. After we returned to the stadium and the wet seats, the game was surreal because our fans were not in to the game - probably because we didn't have much to cheer about until the last minute. Anyway it was a crazy, crazy day at the Bill.
The bottom part of this cloud, was churning. It was a bit ominous looking. And, of course, there was nothing we could do but watch it roll in. Bramlage was opened to the public for cover, but we barely made it to the bathroom before the rain came.
It was getting closer
and closer
I took this photo at the end of the game because Fort Riley fired the cannons 20 or 30 times at the end of the game. The smoke from the canons literally filled the Bill. Notice the clouds that moved in again. It didn't rain at the end of the game, but it looked like it could.
Nancy and our friend Diane. We've sat with them for many years. You can see some of the smoke in the background.
Surprise, surprise, surprise! We did it, we surprised Susan with a birthday party for her. We gathered in Joey and Kelly's garage for an after church party. Ten years ago, we did the same thing in the same garage for her 50th birthday. I am not sure Susan will fall for it again in ten years.
Oh, you might ask, what is with the cowboy hat? One of the party goers, Tom, put his hat on Susan's head right before she opened the door to the garage.
The girls - Anna, Natalie and Hallie
Nancy and Kevin enjoyed quite the spread of food.
Nobody is going to be surprised to hear that a football game broke out in the front yard during the party.
Ah, that is a sweet photo!
While the adults ate and drank, the kids played and played.
Natalie took this photo of her dad John with my camera - with a little help from me.
One last hug before we said goodbye.
Natalie and her daddy John
Brooklyn being Brooklyn
On Sunday we gathered for omelets in a bag for breakfast, then we made home made ice cream. Anna, Garrett and Hallie practiced their team work by raking the grass. They actually worked very hard and cleaned the extra grass.
Kelly made faces at Avery
Joey being Joey
Susan decided she wanted a photo with her grandkids - good luck getting a good one.
Sam needed a nap.
Susan decided she wanted a family photo - good luck getting a good one.
How many kids can Matt get on a four-wheeler?
Another attempt at a photo of Susan with her grandkids
Nancy is the best pooper picker upper west of the Mississippi
We always find time for porch time. Debbie seems to be admiring Kelly's boots.
Anna and Debbie discussed the finer points of hand feeding the horses.
Sam and his daddy Joey
We should all take a little time to sit on the porch. It does a person good - or something like that.
Brooklyn absolutely devoured a piece of corn on the cob.
Brooklyn and her mom Lori.
