...80 years young

My mom's sister, Lorraine, better known as "Aunt Nanie," turned 80 in June. She asked her children for a picnic at Champoeg State Park, but "Please wait until July, when the weather is nicer!" The picnic was yesterday, and I had no intention of going. You see, I have this class to finish. Papers to write. Mom asked on the phone, "Are you going?" Sorry, no. Saturday morning I got up, intending to walk to the farmer's market to buy blueberries, then chain myself to the computer for the rest of the day. I am motivated to get this work done--as soon as Arlene closes on her house I want to be free to GO. But.... I kept thinking about Aunt Nanie's party. And waffled. Should I go? No. Maybe I should. Nope. Too much to do. But...if it were her funeral I would be there and not second guess my decision. A quick conversation with Arlene clinched it. I was going. I quickly packed an overnight bag, texted Katie to let her know I needed a bed for the night, and was out the door by 10:00 a.m. It's almost a four hour drive to the park, but my little ol' truck made it in record time. Luckily, Katie didn't have to work until 5:00, so she met me at the park. It was bigger than I realized, and we didn't know where to find them. No one knew we were coming, and mom's cell phone was turned off. We strolled past several family gatherings, peering carefully at the faces. Do they look like my cousins? (Nope, nope, and nope, but the food smelled good!) Finally, Katie spotted them, and we joined the party. What fun to surprise them all! Lots of hugs all around. A good decision. (And I'll chain myself to the computer tomorrow.)