SURPRISE #3 SO WORTH THE WAIT...

Due to work schedules it's not often our immediate family convenes in one place ever but last Tuesday was the closest we were going to get.  Our kids from Atlanta, San Francisco Bay Area  Indianapolis and Westby were under the same roof for dinner.

Our family had so many simchas (blessings) to celebrate so a Simchas Galore gathering was planned at a local recently reopened new Sylvan Glen Supper Club.  We wanted to patronize and promote this local business since the new owners actually also run a truck and excavating business which was instrumental in making sure our mile long drive was rebuilt after the 500 yr flood, subsequent 100 yr flood and most recently hard rains which had us close to losing 2 sections of road. Sylvan Glen is normally closed on Tuesdays but rented our their restaurant and bar with a 94 person seating capacity in the main room and we filled it. 

Cousins Nancy and Phyllis, not pictured Mary

Invitations first went out to relatives who live close by and 3 cousins did come from the Twin Cities by RV and then there were friends from different parts of our life who we have also celebrated their life events and passions.


As far as Natureman knew we would be celebrating simchas including welcoming daughter Lori's husband, Evan, and granddaughter Hannah's first Coulee visit, an engagement and move for son Simon and Leah and special decade birthday for another future family member, Steven's fiancée Karen. At the time we didn't know Steven would be proposing the previous day! Surprise #1. (Rats: Too late to be added to the cake.)

Surprise # 3 was on Natureman as he will be celebrating his 70th this summer and said he said he didn't want a party. Well, this was too opportune to not celebrate his new decade early. There were slips along the way but Natureman had no clue even after numerous people wished him Happy Birthday and even handed him cards that evening. He really was taken aback when he was told his simcha was also being celebrated.

The evening's intentions of Meeting, Greeting and Eating were all fulfilled with an open bar, dinner buffet with yummy broasted chicken, garlic mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, locally grown green salad, rolls and of course a dessert table with the swirled b&w cake,  brownies with raspberries, chocolate cake, strudel and rugelach. 

We also had special stations to wish the celebrants well, a Best Wishes board for newly engaged couple Simon and Leah, 














a book of 'unsolicited' advice for the 30's for Karen,

a red nose photo station to let our first time Coulee visitors know we are friendly Midwesterners...  We have great pics of our red nosed guests!


(Red Noses most importantly help Walgreen's program fighting child poverty) 

and for the birthday boy, Natureman, 

a dictionary station to pick out a word to describe him with an explanation. 






It was a wonderful evening filled with family and friends from what I call the second part of my life...  I think we are all surprised out.  Yet one never knows what tomorrow shall bring, do we?