After several weeks of sadness we were able to get Dad out of the house for a ‘surprise’ birthday party! The Gaddis Family planned a great lunch at NOLA a creole restaurant in downtown Tulsa. There were 17 of us there. The food was great and Dad had a good time! He turned 86 the next day, December 22! Missing from the group was Dad’s son John and son-in-law William, Dad’s Grandchildren, Kristin and Jason and Great grandchildren, Gracen, Lincoln and Jackson, and those steps, Granddaughter Jaime, and Greats, Bailey, Tyler and James! Also missing was Janet’s oldest son, Jay, who lives in Detroit.
We took a drive Sunday evening to go have some ice cream for Dad’s birthday and look at Christmas lights. Joanette thought Sheridan Hills would be place to go, of course in the dark we didn’t really know how to get exactly where she thought we should go, but Keith took the first left that wasn’t into a gated neighborhood and, VIOLA, the place to go for Christmas lights! There were even a couple of tour buses and several limos touring the neighborhood. The pictures don’t do justice for all the hard work and expense these people go to, but trust us, it was beautiful!
Monday evening was another birthday, Samantha Gaddis turned 12! We ventured the mile or so over to Rob and Laura’s and celebrated that sweet young ladies birthday with her! Tacos! She seemed to enjoy her gift of watercolor paints, watercolor paper and brushes. We look forward to seeing her artwork!
Two days later would bring us all to another first, Christmas for us with Dad, Christmas for Dad without Janet. We had a great day! Gifts from our families and gifts for Dad and then the best gift, spending time with the Gaddis clan again, dinner at Robyn’s — ham, potatoes, mac and cheese, pies, green bean casserole, we were definitely in 7th heaven! Merry Christmas to all!
We are spending some time getting Dad all set, getting him set up with a good cell phone, a nice lifting recliner, streamlining his environment, he even let us help him put in a gas log system in lieu of the wood fireplace! He is letting us spoil him a little.
The weather down here has been good since the one day of ice. The temps have been generally in the 60s daily, and 40s in the evenings. At one point yesterday were heard there was a tornado watch, which really thrills Joanette! In the afternoon a crazy gust of wind followed by sideways rain came in but nothing more. We did hear on the 10:00 news that a tornado damaged a house in the neighboring town, Broken Arrow. I guess that was a leading edge of a cold front. The days and nights are supposed to be cooler for a while. It is winter though, right?!
John arrives tonight for about 10 days followed by William for a few more. Sometime after John’s arrival, but before they leave on the 13th, we are thinking of taking Coach, Toad, the bikes and dogs, and doing some camping (glamping?) at an Army Corps of Engineers campground not too far away! Pictures to follow!
We truly hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each and every one!
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