A Two-Week Birthday Celebration

Susan's birthday was two weekends ago. It was on a Sunday, but her birthday festivities started two days earlier and continued through tonight!

Fridays are usually date nights for us, and a frequent spot for us to eat on a Friday is El Sombrero, a family-owned Mexican restaurant in Dickinson. When we arrived on the Friday before Susan's birthday, she asked for a table for two--but one of the brothers who run the place saw me and directed us to a table set for eight instead. I had called him earlier to make a reservation, and I surprised Susan by inviting some of our couples friends from church to join us for an early birthday celebration.

On Susan's actual birthday, her dad and his girlfriend, JoAnn, joined us at noon for a birthday meal at Butterhorn in downtown Bismarck. Butterhorn has great brunch items--and of course we had to start with some hot butterhorns topped with butter, raspberry jam, and vanilla icing (health food). In the afternoon we enjoyed a family video call with our daughters. In the evening, I made Susan a birthday supper of sautéed scallops, cavatappi alfredo, and Caesar salad. (It was just too frigid outside to venture out for another restaurant meal.)

Tonight we combined our date night with another (belated) birthday gathering. We met Susan's "lunch bunch" (a group of her coworkers with whom she eats lunch each day and who socialize with us and their spouses outside of work) at Los Cabos, another Mexican restaurant in Dickinson. The ladies in this group always exchange birthday and Christmas gifts, so Susan got to open presents; and the servers gathered to lead the other guests in singing "Happy Birthday" to her!

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I had a bouquet delivered to Susan at work on the Friday before her birthday. Our daughters had flowers delivered to her at work that day, too!

JoAnn and Roger with Susan and me at Butterhorn.

Susan and I had mimosas with our meal.

For Susan's birthday cake, I got her a variety of "bundtinis" from Nothing Bundt Cakes.

The servers at Los Cabos had Susan wear this sombrero while they led the restaurant in singing to her--and then they gave her a birthday dessert!

A Celebration of Lives

Last November, my aunt Rose passed away--and the next month, her husband, my uncle Elton, passed away, too. They were such a loving couple, married for 67 years and so caring toward one another, their own family, and all of us in their extended family. I have only fond memories of the two of them.

Rose and Elton lived in Colorado, as did most of their children and all their grandchildren. This weekend their kids and grandkids traveled to North Dakota for a memorial service for Rose and Elton in Battleview, where Rose and my dad (her brother) and their family first lived--and where Rose and Elton later were married.

Rose had let her kids know what she wanted at the funeral, and they honored her wishes. It was such a meaningful ceremony. Rose and Elton's kids are all great musicians, and they and some of their children provided all the music for the service. Each of Rose and Elton's kids spoke, too, sharing beautiful memories of their parents. It was all so touching and perfectly expressed just how great Rose and Elton were and what an impact they had on others.

After the service and burial in Battleview, we all gathered in Tioga at Neset Consulting, a business with a large community room that groups can rent for events. Regina Lalim from the Side Street Diner catered, so everyone could focus on visiting and catching up on one another's lives while sharing stories of Rose and Elton. It was not only a celebration of my aunt and uncle but also a demonstration of the closeness of our extended family.

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Rose had six siblings, three of whom had already passed away. The remaining two are my uncle Alden (left) and my dad, Arlo (right). Next to Alden is my aunt Connie, widow of my uncle Ray. Next to Dad is his cousin Tammy, whose mom, Bea, was a sister to my grandma, Olga. (Also in attendance but not pictured: my aunts Goldie and Janet.)

My Moberg cousins: Rose and Elton's kids, nieces, and nephews. We were missing five: two who had earlier attended Rose and Elton's memorial service held in Denver, two who could not make it from out of state, and one who has passed away.

Rose and Elton's children and grandchildren except for one grandchild, his wife, and their child, who were not able to attend. In the front row are Rose and Elton's kids, my cousins Randy, JoAnn, Renae, and John.