Happy Birthday Sally, Irdie, and USA!

July 3rd - July 6th, 2015

     SiSi was all decked out for Independence Day

Rick's son Mark, his wife Cristin, and their 21 month old daughter, Avery, met us in Scottsdale and stayed with Matt for a few days. When we left Scottsdale for Santa Fe, the 3 of them rode along in the RV with us. It was a much longer ride than we anticipated...it took us about 9 1/2 hours door to door. Cristin is expecting another baby (Cora) in October. I think Avery and Cristin were both happy to have the extra room while traveling in the Liberty.

We were traveling to Santa Fe to celebrate my father's 90th birthday and my 60th. We stayed in a decent little RV park close to town and Mark, Cristin and Avery stayed in a Marriott Courtyard just a few doors down.

It was an amazing weekend! My daughter Emmy flew in from State College, PA. My daughter Abby and husband Joe flew in from New Orleans. My father's five children and spouses, three step-children and spouses, 13 grandchildren and spouses, and 7 great-grandchildren were ALL in attendance. Two of my step-mother's brothers came with their wives, and my son-in-law, Joe's, parents drove over from Arizona.

The weekend kicked off with a fun cocktail party at my parents' house. Here's dad with one of many birthday cakes he had that weekend!

The next morning my two beautiful daughters organized a small birthday brunch for me at a local hotel where we had good food and good times. We then spent the afternoon at a big party hosted by my step-brother Ronnie and his wife Karen, at their amazing house. Ronnie and Karen have a huge walled back yard which is half flagstone patio and half sandbox. Where the patio ends they have several flagstone benches around a firepit, and they have, literally, made the rest of the yard one huge sandbox.

Avery had a blast in the "sandbox." Between it and the birthday cake she was happy for hours.

 Did I mention that the party was on Independence Day? We even had live entertainment at the party by one of the guys who plays in Ronnie's band.

And here's one of the favors that I made for the tables.

   A good view of the sandbox back yard with my daugter's Emmy and Abby in the foreground.

              Dad posing with most of his grandkids and one of the great-grandkids.

                              The birthday boy and my step-mother, Florence.

Most of the family left town on Sunday morning, but a few of us stayed on. We had a great dinner that evening at the restaurant where Ronnie's country band was performing. 

                Ronnie's in the white shirt on the keyboards and that's Avery dancing.