Where's Lorri & Jeff?

Today has been great, but first I must tell you about what happened on Friday and Saturday.

Besides having a wondeful birthday, I spent all week looking forward to Friday night, because Carol had called earlier in the week to tell me that her dear friends Lorri and Jeff, who Tony and I love, were going to be in Texas and that they were going to come spend Friday night with her. "I want y'all to come over for dinner on Friday," Carol said. "And Nancy, Jeff told me to tell you to bring your guitar, so y'all can pick and grin."

Because Tony and I could not wait to see Lorri & Jeff, during the week I would play my guitar as often as possible and practice for as long as I could, because Jeff is a fabulous songwriter and guitarist and I didn't want my fingers to kill me and make me have to stop picking and grinning with him.

Friday evening, after giving Abbie her 7:00 pills, Tony grabbed my guitar case and we took off for Carol's ranch. As we drove up to Carol's house, I said, "I wonder where Lorri's and Jeff's car is?"

When we got out of Buttermilk, Carol came outside to greet us and as we entered her home, I asked, "Where is Jeff & Lorri's car?"

"Oh, they had to run over to the Highpoint Resort to buy Jeff some beer," Carol said.

Then from the dark hallway people came rushing towards me, hollering, "Surprise! Surprise! Happy Birthday, Nance!" At first it scared me, because it was so unexpected and had caught me off guard and then I realized it was my family.

"Oh my goodness!" I said, as my brother Ronnie hugged me. "I can't believe this! Y'all have really surprised me," I said, as I hugged my sister Cindy, then Ray and then Ronnie's beautiful wife, Nita. Then I started to tear up, because I was so happy to see my loving family. "Carol, how did you pull this off?" Carol and my family started laughing.

"Over a month ago, I decided to do a surprise birthday party for you. Do you remember me asking you how you spelled your maiden name when we went to Port Aransas to surprise Kinky?"

"Yes."

"When we got back home from our trip, I Googled Ronnie and found him," Carol said. "When I called him I got their machine, so I left this crazy message saying, "Hello Ronnie. You don't know me, but I am Nancy's friend and...."

"When we got back home from the football game I called Carol back," Ronnie said. "And I told her that we would make this happen some how."

"Since then, Cindy, Ronnie and I have been back and forth on the phone trying to pull this off," Carol said, followed by a laugh. "We had several dates in mind, but due to work schedules, etc. today was the only day that worked for everyone."

"We arrived a little before 5:00," Cindy said. "And Carol wasn't here due to an appointment that took a little longer than she thought it would. When Ray started unpacking our car, y'all's horses came up to greet us and to check out what was inside the car. It was hilarious."

"I got back to the ranch about 5:15," Carol said. "And when Ronnie and Nita got here, I called you at 6:15 and told you, "Lorrie and Jeff are here, so come on over." But you couldn't leave, because you had to wait to give Abbie her pills..."

My surprise birthday party was so much fun, I know that I will never forget it or be able to thank Carol enough for making it happen! Carol cooked us a delicious dinner and afterward she served us her homemade, mouth-watering birthday (carrot) cake, which she knew is my favorite cake that she bakes.

After dining outside, inside her beautifully decorated screened-in porch, we came inside, because it was beginning to get a little chilly. "Okay, y'all," Carol stated. "Now, I want to hear y'all play us some music." Ronnie and I grabbed our guitars out of the cases and Ray removed his dulcimer from its case and we started picking and grinning.

Ronnie, who is the singer/songwriter and the best guitar player in our family, sang many of his beautiful songs, one after another, with Ray and me accompanying him. When he played Utopia, Texas, a song that he had written for me, back in 1995, I teared up as I always do, because it is about after my husband had died and me leaving Austin for good and moving to Utopia, to live in an old trailer with my dogs. (And it was the best move that I have ever made.)

Around 10:00, Tony and I had to adios everyone, because we had to get back to the rescue ranch, because Rick, The Friendly Lighthouse Keeper, was baby-sitting it for us. We stayed up and visited with Rick until 11:00 and then we all went to bed.

Saturday morning, while Rick, Brandon and Tony were drinking coffee at the Old Timer, in Medina, I was over at Carol's ranch. While Carol and I took her dogs, Jake and Scout, for a short hike and fed our horses, Ronnie cooked breakfast for everyone and it was delicious. And we did a lot of laughing and teasing before 9:30, when it was time for my family and me to go back home.

When I returned home, I quickly cooked up some eggs and warmed up Ronnie's delicious homemade cheese biscuits and leftover bacon and sausage. While Rick, Tony and Brandon ate breakfast, some people arrived and I went outside to greet them.

By 10:00, I came inside The Cabin and happily announced, "Chad has just been adopted to the nicest family!" As I filled out Chad's adoption form, I told them, "This couple is so sweet. They have adopted three young children, all about the age of four. Their old dog died from old age and they want their kids to have a dog. And they told me that their children love dogs and that they know how to treat them right..."

Fast forward. Today has been great, too and a lot of fun. This afternoon Carol and I went to Boerne, to meet up with our dear friends Walter and Cheryl, so we could all go to an art exhibit. We got a fun visit in with them, while we checked out the beautiful artwork and met several of the artists. And that is about it for tonight, because tomorrow is back to business as usual.

Y'all have a great evening!