My June collage contains a hint to this past weekend. But first let's get through the first 7 pictures. June started with my effort on Kim Diehl's Simple Friendships II quilt along. Most of the Frankfort Girls worked on this together - and my version is the first picture. My next is of Schnormeier Garden, a day trip that DH and I took to Gambier, OH. It was a lovely day and a tour of a lovely garden. The final picture of the top row is my finished Weathervane quilt, borders included.
The middle row shows my two blocks for the Quilter's Planner QAL; one of our planters doing quite well despite the rabbits and because of all the rain; and daughter Emma sewing a baby quilt.
The bottom row begins by featuring my progress on a UFO called Six Degrees. The we have the final two pictures that represent our fantastic weekend. The card reads "Jayne, you are my favorite wife. Happy Anniversary, Love, Kevin" - yes, we celebrated a milestone this weekend, and our daughters really pulled off a great surprise for us, which is shown in the last picture, the Granville Inn in Granville, OH.
They'd told us a good while ago not to plan anything for our 40th. So we didn't. And they were very secretive about what was going to happen. I was told that the "anniversary fairy" would call on the 28th to provide details. And sure enough, that fairy came through - a night at the very posh Granville Inn, complete with wine and cheese delivered to the room, dinner reservations, all courtesy of the girls. What a great gift!
The whole 40th anniversary experience was full of surprises within surprises. I credit both daughters for their creativity in making a truly special weekend for us. Upon arrival, flowers were waiting on us - shown above. They were from the girls who had instructed the florists to sign their dad's name to the card. Smart girls!
Since the dinner reservations were at 8:30, they'd ordered a charcuterie platter and wine to be delivered around 5. Yet another surprise, and what a treat. It was delicious and did the trick in tiding us over for a late dinner.
The Inn is a beautiful 1924 structure situated on the spacious, historic main street of Granville. Folks from around the area know Granville as a college town (Denison University) as well as a quaint New England-style village full of historic landmarks. After checking in, we took a walk from one end of town to the other (not a very long walk at all) enjoying the architecture, beautiful homes and yards, and reading historic markers. People we passed were friendly, and I actually exchanged IG handles with one man who is a prominent landscape designer. (That whole bit was rather remarkable and warrants a story to be told later.)
The best surprise of all was yet to come, though. We headed down to dinner and instead of seating us at a quiet table for two, we were taken to a large table at which sat the kids! What a surprise! Neither of us had an inkling that they would come to join us, but oh, how glad we were to see them! It was the best of all possible surprises. I still get teary-eyed and emotional when I think of it.
Our dinner was divine. Every single bite was delicious, and all was so beautifully prepared and presented.
From the appetizers and drinks all the way to the desserts, the entire dinner was wonderful in every way. I don't know how it could have been made any more perfect. Having the kids there was just the best of all scenarios. My heart was so full. The bride I was 40 years ago surely never imagined how much more love could ever come into her life.
And that is why I am a day late in welcoming July here on the blog. Well, that and the fact that from Granville we drove over to DH's hometown of Coshocton for the funeral of his Uncle Tom. A sad part of our weekend, to be sure, but such is the way life works. The pendulum of time brings us a fair measure of highs and lows, and along the way the love of family propels us on our journey.
Happy July, dear readers, and
Happy Quilting, Friends!
Belated congratulations to you and your husband on your Ruby Wedding Anniversary. What a lovely celebration your daughters prepared for you both. In these strange times it is wonderful to see marriage and family being celebrated in such a positive and loving way. :-)
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