Surprise! And what a surprise it was! I was in our home office, on Thursday, September 30, 2021, when Bobby walked in with Stephanie. It took me a minute to process what was happening . . . what is Bobby doing here, and why didn't I know about it? And then it dawned on me, the end of this month was my 60th birthday, and our kids had planned a spectacular surprise celebration for me. (Turning 60 was a tough one for me to swallow.)
The next day, Michael, Stephanie, Bobby, and Bob and I drove over to New Braunfels, where we met up with Chelsea at a condo they had rented for all of us to stay at for the weekend. What a blast! I don't remember the last time we were together as just our original Goodman six. It must have been before any of our children were married, and Bobby was the first to do so in 2007. Right outside of our condo was the Guadalupe River and deer meandering along it's shores.
"The Canyon Lake Gorge was carved by the flood of 2002 when more than 67,000 cubic feet of water per second flowed over the spillway of Canyon Lake, marking the first time the spillway was used since the reservoir was completed in 1964. The power of water sliced open the ground below the spillway, exposing more than 110-million-year-old cretaceous limestone, fossils and even dinosaur footprints, unearthing a geological wonder.
During guided public tours, visitors will hike 1.25 miles along exposed early cretaceous limestone formations, follow aquifer waters coursing through the Gorge as springs, channels and waterfalls, and see dinosaur footprints."
Did you find the dinosaur footprints? The next day we had fun floating down the Guadalupe River on tubes. It was a fun lazy ride in that beautiful turquoise water. We enjoyed time walking around downtown, eating good food and even doing some shopping. In one antique store, I was surprised to find cute Japanese kokeshi doll with a spinning head that reveals different faces - something I had wanted to find while in Japan but never did. Now, I've got one! We played games and laughed at our pairing of pictures with meme's until we cried. It was so much fun just to be together.
Happy Birthday to me! I can't think of a better bunch to be with. It was truly an unforgettable celebration that took away the sting of turning 60. Thanks to everyone who made this possible!
I considered it another birthday gift to have Greg, Kristie, Ryan and Dylan come visit us October 17-21, during their school fall break. We decided they needed a little initiation to Texas by taking them to our friend's backyard shooting range. Everyone had a good time testing their aim and ability to toss and shoot a clay pigeon.
Later that afternoon, we all went kayaking on Lake Woodlands and showed them around our former stomping grounds. We finished off the day by enjoying some good ole Texan BBQ.
Stephanie's family had season passes to Nasa Space Center, which allowed her to accompany us there free of charge. I was probably as excited as anyone to visit Nasa, as it had been many years since I had been there. My dad's brother, Uncle Keith, had worked at Nasa in Florida for years, and I remember Grandma Hill being so proud to have both a Nuclear Physicist and a Nasa Engineer in her family. Bob and I toured Nasa when we lived in Florida, but my memories of that are pretty vague. One of my best childhood friends, Kathleen Barnett, and I used to visit our fathers, at the BYU Eyring Science Center, where her dad taught astronomy. I was always intrigued with the study of space, and I suppose all of these things contributed to my excitement at the prospect of going to Nasa. Bob was unable to go, but the rest of us had a great day together.
That evening, we walked around the park and ponds in our neighborhood. Everyone was pretty successful in catching some small blue gill from the pier.
Thanks for coming to spend some time with us, Greg and Kristie! We are so grateful for our family and love you all dearly!
We nearly finished off the month of October in San Antonio, taking care of Jude, Holly and Knox for a week, while Chelsea and Thomas took a trip to New York. Now that's a perfect way to end a month of birthday celebrations!
And just when I didn't think it could get better, Bob happened to notice that there was a Broadway Production of "Lion King" playing in San Antonio, and he purchased tickets for us to attend on October 28, my birthday, and the day that Chelsea and Thomas returned home. I was thoroughly impressed with the elegant, ornate, historic Majestic Theater, where the production took place (and the prime seating Bob secured)! And needless to say, The Lion King blew me away with it's elaborate and creative costuming and stage set. It was a night I'll never forget!
And finally, we got a preview of Halloween with costume fittings for Knox, Jude, (from the wonderful world of Willie Wonka!) and Holly. We also witnessed spooky treats being made by Brady and Holly, whom we visited on our way back home.
Turning 60 wasn't so bad after all . . . I couldn't have wished for anything more!
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