ten things tuesday

Ten things I did last week:

1) My Virginia and Pennsylvania sisters' families were here visiting! We laughed so hard I actually have a sore throat.

2) There was also a family reunion with my mother's side of the family. Her older sister passed away last spring but this week was when her children planned a funeral mass and committal service. So I got to see cousins I haven't seen in about five or six years or longer!

3) The real purpose for my sisters' visits was to celebrate my dad's 80th birthday as a family!

4) I put in a lot of effort making sure there was something planned for each day--with plenty of down time thrown in! Monday was a reunion party, Tuesday was the funeral and in the afternoon we had sister manicure appointments, Wednesday was the official family birthday dinner, Thursday was a trip to Grand Falls for zip lining adventures followed by birthday cake, and Friday was goodbyes for one of my sisters and also my nephew.

5) I got to play with my almost 6-month-old great niece! My Pennsylvania nephew and his wife came up for the party--their baby is the sweetest, best-natured baby I've ever seen!

6) I got to see my favorite cousin!

7) The fancy cake and cupcakes I ordered were a MAJOR success! It's decorated with the comedy/tragedy masks and musical notes--with an edible film strip with photos of him. Here's the birthday boy:

8) Our trip to Grand Falls, New Brunswick, was so much fun! The zip line adventure was a major success. I'm sad I wasn't able to do it but with high blood pressure and my weight, I couldn't. It was a blast to watch, though! And I still can't believe my Virginia sister did it.

9) I got to spend a lot of great, quality time with my younger Virginia niece. I was concerned that she would have fun, and actually, the zip adventure was for her. She is an excellent photographer--she's taken a couple of classes and they have paid off! We went on leisurely drives around so she could snap photos. Lots of quality car time.

10) I got to spend quality time with my sisters, too!