Most days, I am fine with living far away. But, there are some things I can't miss...like my little sister, Nicole, turning 40. Nicole and our Danceline friends starting planning their weekend together back in January for her March birthday. Just for the fun of it, I thought I would check flights. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could be home to surprise her!!! They were a bit high, but I continued to check. In late January, they took a huge dip, and the price was one I couldn't refuse. I booked it! Now to keep a secret for over a month!!! Normally, this would be easy, but our group chats daily on the Voxer app. I cannot tell you how many times I almost slipped. Then, the week of the party, Nicole called, and we chatted for nearly two hours. That was the LONGEST two hours of my life. I spent the whole time trying not to mess up. Thankfully, I didn't!
So, on Friday, March 6th, I headed out of Brussels for Newark, Chicago, and finally Moline. It wasn't ideal, but it was cheap. While in Chicago, I found wifi and caught up on my Voxer messages only to find out my grandpa had passed away that day. Our family friend, Nicole Miller Smith, had passed away on March 2nd, so I went home knowing I would be able to attend her funeral. I had no idea I would be staying for a second. I spent Friday night at my mom's house. It was so good to be home. Now, I normally chime in on Voxer when I get up in the morning. I wanted to make sure I stuck to the normal schedule, so I set my US alarm for midnight (7 am Brussels time...holy jet lag) to wish them all a happy Saturday, lots of fun at the party, and told them how much I wished I could be with them. Hehehehe...sneaky. Then back to sleep. My mom drove me to Normal on Saturday morning where we met at Danielle's house. Nicole was due to arrive around noon, but of course, she was late for her own party. :) Finally she arrived, and it was the BEST surprise EVER!!! I think I've watched the video 50 times!!!
Danielle had decorated her home with a Paris theme (Nicole LOVES Paris.) It was awesome! And, she used my Eiffel Tower pics in the decor. LOVE!
Jenny brought the cookies from the St. Louis area. So adorable!
Here's the video! EEK!! So fun!
Try to ignore my super annoying, excited giggle.
She was just a little shocked!
Trying to figure out how this all worked out.
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| The Williams girls |
The Gift! The 40th Birthday gift is the infinity bracelet from Tiffany. I'm the only one who is surprised since I'm the oldest. There's one perk!
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| The girls...just missing Katy! |
To continue the Paris theme, we were off to Merlot and a Masterpiece in Bloomington to do some painting.
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| My masterpiece! I followed the directions very carefully and could not figure out why it looked so weird. Well, after finishing, we all realized the top of the tower was too short. You would think I would have figured that out while we were painting. I've seen the tower a couple of times. Ugh! |
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| Love how they are all a little different. But, they have one thing in common...the top is too short. ;) |
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| She was kind and shared before she devoured the rest. |
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| What a terrific celebration!!! |
Sunday afternoon, was the funeral for our beautiful friend Nicole. She passed away at just 34 years old after a very courageous battle with cancer. Nicole was very transparent about her battle. She kept a blog that updated everyone on her progress as well as her setbacks. She was always positive and no matter the news she received, she used it to glorify God. What an inspiration and role model for so many. She will be missed.
Rather than flying home on Monday, I rebooked my flight to leave on Tuesday morning after my grandpa's visitation on Monday night.
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| It was so good to see my cousins! |
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| Pizza at Mom's house after the visitation. |
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| Our kids with Grandpa at Christmas. |
Tuesday morning, I was packed and ready for my flight. My mom and Mike dropped me off at the airport before heading to the funeral. While sitting at the gate, my flight was cancelled due to fog. So, not only could I not make it to my connecting flight in Chicago, but no one could come and get me because they were all at the funeral. And, I just wanted to be at the funeral. I had a little cry fest all to myself for a couple of minutes. Some nice stranger offered me a ride wherever I needed to go...thanks, but I'll be okay. In the end, our friends came to pick me up, and I was still able to attend the luncheon. The next flight out was Wednesday night from Chicago. So, Wednesday morning Mom and Mike drove me to O'Hare. They are the best! Of course, when I got to O'Hare, I wasn't on the flight. Really? Because I rebooked it YESTERDAY! I'm in meltdown mode at this point and trying to hold it together. I'm fairly certain the gal at the counter sensed this and got me on that flight. Phew! So, I arrived home safely on Thursday morning to leave again on a flight Friday morning. More on that in the next post.
It was definitely a weekend I will never forget. I was meant to be home. It was really God's perfect timing to have me there for so many important events. He never ceases to amaze me.
Until next time,
Wendy
