Family Style Celebrations

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Family.

According to the old fierce Italian woman in Eat Pray Love, family is the only thing permanent in life. I must say I agree. If family means to you what it means to me, it is permanent.

We do not choose our family, but we do choose our friends. The family we are given and the friends we choose are the core of what makes life complete.

So for my birthday I wanted to get together and eat, and pray and love. Enjoy the family and friends who have chosen me.

Family style chicken friend steak dinner in a loud restaurant is what I knew would hit the spot. Sharing mashed potatoes, cream corn, green beans and gravy just fit the tone of where I am right now in life.  Eat we did.

And performing to the classic chicken dance… is a must. (Thanks for telling the waitress it was my birthday, James!) The full video version will be available on Facebook soon according to my SIL Lynn.  Darn Apple phones….. love indeed.

And although all of my friends and family were not able to make it, I pray that I get another chance to do this. Another birthday. Another great year filled with memories of friends and family given to me.

double click on the picture to enlarge

1. Lenny (on his tip toes and giving me rabbit ears no less)
2. Me
3. Matthew
4. Luke
5. Nick (Garrett and Anthony are visiting their other parents’ for the holiday)
6. my Mother (my Dad stayed home- he is a hermit crab)
7. James, my oldest brother although three years younger than me
8. his wife, Lynn
9. Troy, oldest son of 7 & 8
10. Gracie, daughter of 7 & 8
11. Wyatt, baby boy of 7 & 8 and about 10 days younger than Matthew
12. Crystal, my SIL. Married to middle child Jake who is gone hunting and missed my dinner. They have a daughter Sayley who is not in the picture. This is the SIL that is a photographer.
13. Amber, my baby sister. Her husband Kody was working so he is not in the picture.
14. Chloe, my sister’s oldest daughter.
15. Kennedy, my sister’s middle child (who.acts.just.like.a.middle.child!)
16. Karly Kay, my sister’s third and final baby.
17. Jackie, our cousin. Her mom was our grandmother’s tenth baby. My mom was baby #9. Jackie also has her own photography business!
18. Mike, his wife and I have been friends for 12+ years. They own a local garage door business.
19. Kim, wife to #18. She is my super ubber thrifty friend! Our kids have grown up together.
20. Sean, oldest child of #18 & 19. Most responsible well mannered child I think I have ever known!
21. Blake, middle child of # 18 & 19. You guys have seen him on my blog before.
22. Skylar, baby princess child of #18 & 19. She shares her hand-me-downs with Chloe, #14.

(My brother Josh, who is the baby boy of our family and child 4 on the food chain, and his wife Alex, along with their two boys, were not in the picture. They are still out of town visiting family for Thanksgiving.)

Wonderful memories made and a day I am very grateful for!