My five-year-old loves to declare: This is my best day ever!  The smallest things bring on this uninhibited joy.  In February, we had a birthday party for our dog.  We made paper hats for her and her dog-friend, Happy.  Best day ever.  We baked a Dutch Apple Pie for no particular reason.  Best day ever.

Yesterday, I had one of my best days ever.  Here is why:

1.  Sunshine.  As we headed out the door to church, I knew it was going to be one of those beautiful, sun-filled days that makes you sure that God created every other season to showcase the stiking contract to sparkling summer.  That’s exactly it: the day seemed to sparkle.  After church, we made the one hour drive to my parents’ home where we were expecting to have a Memorial (Sunday) Picnic with Mom and Dad, Gram, and my sister and husband.  Which brings me to the second reason that yesterday was one of my best days ever…

2.  Kristy & Jake!  My sister is cute and creative and funny.  When I spend time with her, I feel like I am 100% me.  Not that I am a false “me” when I am without her, but when we are together, a little piece of me seems to come back from a quiet sleep.  I like this little bit of me.  I find myself a smidge sillier, a tad more relaxed.  I am nostaligic but present.  I can’t explain it, and perhaps by trying to put that feeling into words, I’ll break the spell.  I just know that when Kristy is around at family gatherings, without even thinking about it, I seek her out.  I notice that she does the same.  Now Jake, the hubby, is another part of the fun puzzle that is our family.  Jake is imaginative and quite reflective.  He is a teacher at the college level (funny that my sister and I are both teachers and married teachers), and I always enjoy hearing his enthusiasm for teaching and creating.  Any gathering with my sister and Jake is a special occasion, and I was happily anticipating this Sunday’s visit.

3.  Cake.  Walking into my parents’ home is always a big event.  The boys scramble into the house like wee puppies, wiggling their way through eager hugs and an enthusiastic mix-breed named Happy (mentioned above).  Hellos and pats on the back greet us as we try to get from door to living room.  This time, Kristy and Mom kept drawing us in.  They couldn’t wait for the surprise.  Turns out, this Memorial Day gathering was also a little celebration in honor of our expected new family member.   They brought me to the diningroom table where a beautiful cake, pretty plates, and a flower arrangement showed that this was not an ordinary Memorial Day picnic.

4.  Flowers.  The flowers were so sweet and festive, and Mom gave them to me to take home.  They are making our diningroom table decided brighter.

5.  Family.  I thought the surprise was the cake and the gifts from my parents and Kristy & Jake.  Nope.  After hanging out for just a little while, our two year old started running out to the driveway, so I followed him…just as my in-laws walked around the corner.  I truly was surprised to see Mom & Dad G., my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and two of their kids.  We had a wonderful day–chatting, eating, opening presents, riding bikes, swinging on the swingset, playing Wiffle ball.  We stayed until dark, enjoying every moment.  The boys played so hard and were so sleepy.  We packed them up and headed home.  Perfect…

Sunday was definitely one of the best days I’ve ever had.  In my next post, I’ll share some photographs of the wonderful gifts that Baby and I received.  I’m feeling so loved!  Thanks, Mom, for putting the celebration together, and thanks to the rest of the family who helped us celebrate and brought yummy food.