So once I was able to comprehend that my beloved sister and my beloved friend (and former roommate) had DRIVEN across the country in a couple of days to spend my birthday with me (in I-O-W-A)... I learned that they had brought a tent and finagled their way into having the campsite right next to us! The site had been occupied by an older couple in a motor home until that very morning and now, like magic, we had ourselves a BirthdayFest! And I must point out that when I say Alyson "finagled" the site next to us, I mean that in every sense of the word! You see, at the state parks you have to reserve online through Reserve America and it is somewhat of a production. Well, Alyson was DETERMINED to at least be in the vicinity of our campsite for my damn "big birthday"! So she was not only able to get someone on the phone (a miracle unto itself), but she was able to sweetly and emphatically get the operator to get her the ADJACENT campsite! Granted she went on and on telling them the whole story about the big surprise and eventually told them both Karl and my phone numbers and birthdays to convince them that she wasn't a crazy ass stalker - and her efforts were rewarded!
But, for the record, I must point out that MY BLEEPIN HUSBAND WAS IN ON THE WHOLE DAMN SHOCKER VISIT! And the down-side to that fact is that this man can keep a secret and a poker face like no other. (A fact I have been totally unaware of during our 21+ years of marriage!) Apparently, on various mornings when Karl took Penny out for her morning pee before breakfast he would call to check in with Alyson for updates and strategies. Once I had gone into the grocery store alone and when I came back he was hanging up from chatting with "Mr. Toole" (Alyson's husband)...NOT!!! When we were at Hansen's Farm and he had decided to get the Wagyu steaks for my birthday dinner he asked me to take Penny for her afternoon stroll since we had been on our tour longer than planned. I thought he was brilliant and was only too happy to oblige - only to learn he had gotten rid of me so he could buy FOUR b-day dinner steaks and not TWO!!! Right before their arrival he got a text from my sister (she has a distinctive and beloved text tone on our phones) to which he dictated to his phone "sounds good"...when I looked at him inquisitively he responded "a construction question" which made TOTAL sense since they had been working on projects all week and they would often check in with him for input or suggestions. However, the "sounds good" was actually a 5-minute-warning to their arrival! And then there was his being a weirdo/pain-in-the-butt putting down the shade on his side of the trailer window, despite my having had lifted it for sunlight a few minutes earlier. (Come to find out he had put the shade down so I wouldn't see them approaching the damn trailer!!)
Needless to say we had a wonderful time. Our guests spent a couple of nights; the first of which they unfortunately froze their buns off in the tent (as the evening weather in Iowa that week was 36 degrees). That first morning they joined us in our trailer for coffee and tea and they were these two pitiful popsicles wrapped up in numerous layers of clothing! Luckily we thought to hook them up with a space heater we had stored in our truck "just in case" on the second night and it served them well! In experiencing our retirement life, Lauryl & Alyson got to accompany us on our morning and afternoon daily walks with Penny and lounging around the campsite in the lovely Iowa fresh air.. We ate well (thank you Chef Karl), and they got to partake in the memorable birthday steaks. We checked out the Lewis & Clark Expedition museum on the grounds of the park and pretty much just had a wonderful time being TOGETHER. There was tons of laughter and love and reminiscing and some pretty damn good campfire songs accompanying the bottle of birthday champagne!
It was sad to see them leave after lunch on Tuesday (5/11) but what a gift to my heart...An unbelievable, mind-boggling GIFT.
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