70 Year Surprise

 We're here!  We are at the SLC airport and grandma and grandpa don't have a clue!

Gavin is picking us up from the airport for my dad's surprise 70th birthday weekend celebration!

 Flying out for such a big event is pretty exciting in itself - but when your 11 year old son finally learns to blow his nose on the flight there - it becomes a monumental event!

 

 Heather and I had been scheming for weeks trying to put together a fun and memorable birthday weekend for our dad.  The hardest parts were trying to plan it long-distance and trying to keep a secret from my mom as well.  We really wanted this to be a special celebration.  Why?  Because he is a pretty special dad, a devoted husband and a fighter.  A year ago he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.  Prognosis:  not good.  Within days of his diagnosis, he was on oxygen and didn't look or feel well.  There were many times over this past year that we weren't sure he would be here to celebrate 70 years. But today, he looks and feels great!  Well, at least he did before we showed up!  We might have worn him out a bit with all our festivities but when we come to party - we party!

The party started with a surprise potluck breakfast at the park.  Grandma told grandpa that they were coming to a memorial day breakfast for Heather's ward.  It didn't take grandpa long to figure out it was a family affair instead of a church affair.  We yelled "surprise" and he started greeting everyone.  He gave Will a big hug then did a double-take when he realized that Will shouldn't be there!  Then he saw us all and both he and grandma were surprised and happy to see us!

 We had special t-shirts made up with dad's photo on it along with the logo "King of the Road".  That is from the song which was on his Stewart's commercial that aired many years ago. The back of the shirt was like a jersey with the name STEWART and his number of course was 70.  

 

 After Breakfast, we played the Decades game.  I passed out strips of paper with events from grandpa's life.  People then had to decide which decade of his life the event happened in and tape it on the corresponding decade poster.  It was great for the grand kids to hear more stories about his life and more importantly, to hear his version of the stories.

After breakfast and the Decades game, we took it indoors the church to play our own version of minute to win-it games.  In honor of the 70 year old - we called it "70 seconds to Win it" games!

 The best was watching grandma and grandma race against each other to see who could get their cookie from their forehead into their mouth first without using any hands.  I don't know when I have laughed so hard!  My dad spent more time eating the cookies than competing and my mom looked like she was having seizures!

After a full day of food and games, most of us headed to The Desert Star for dinner and a show.  

Sunday, as many of us that could, went to church with grandma and grandpa.  Then everyone else joined up with us at their house after church for dinner, a white elephant exchange, cake and ice cream and a talent show.  Notice how the cake matches the t-shirts!  Yes, no detail escapes these party planners!

The white elephant gift exchange was really fun.  Instead of everyone bringing a gift for grandpa, everyone brought a gift that reminded them of grandpa to put in the exchange.  There was a lot of mugs, soda, Jazz merchandise, pool toys, black licorice, and things representing a world traveler.

Then we did give grandpa a gift just for him to keep.  We put together a book from all the grand kids.  Each grandchild had a two-page spread with photos of them and a special letter written just for him.

 Then it was time for the grandchildren to show off all their skills!  I can't think of any greater gift for a grandparent than to watch their grandchildren shine!  Will did a hip hop dance with his cousins and Layton did some magic tricks.  The girls thought they were too old to perform but enjoyed watching their younger cousins steal the show.

Monday was Memorial day so we thought an appropriate activity would be to take all the kids to both cemeteries there in SLC to see both set of great-grandparents graves.

It was such a beautiful day that we took the kids for a drive down memory lane as well.  We drove by our old house on Chevy Chase Circle.  This is the house I grew up in.  We moved there when I was 3 and my family moved from here when I was 21 and on my mission.

 We then gave grandpa a generous hour or two to rest before our next big outing to the Hollywood Connection for rollerskating, miniature golf, Laser tag and pizza.  Apparently we needed to have given him a couple days or two!  He did great at rollerskating - he even got kicked off the floor for using an illegal scooter on the floor!  He even made it through miniature golf.  But by the time it came to laser tag he was done!  I think we all were.  But the grand kids loved it and finished strong.  

What a great weekend and what wonderful memories!  It was fun to create new ones and remember many old ones.  It was a weekend I will never forget.  I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful dad and even luckier that he is still here and feeling well. Family is truly the greatest gift of all and absolutely worth celebrating!