I can keep a secret.  I can keep a secret really well, in fact. If you tell me something in confidence, I can take it to my grave.

But happy surprises are a whole different story.  When I buy someone a present, I want to tell them immediately what it is.  Surprise parties?  I fight everything in me to not share the happiness with the person meant to be surprised.  When I redecorated Mark’s office, I called him within ten minutes of buying his new furniture.  Yes, I suck at keep my own surprises…

So when Mark’s sister began planning a surprise get together for his parents’ fiftieth anniversary, I was nervous.  Mark’s mom knew that Lynne and her family were going with them to Sun River, Oregon, to celebrate, but she didn’t know that the Jarvis clan was coming.  So for the past few months, I have had to be on my best behavior, watching my written and verbal words, so as not to ruin the surprise.

This past weekend was the culmination of all that waiting and whispering.  Mark, Abby, Blake and I flew in from Colorado last friday and met them all at a house that we rented in Sun River.  Were Mark’s parents surprised?  Let’s just say that his mom cried buckets from the time we arrived with recurring episodes throughout the following days.  It was glorious!  And the reaction that all of us were hoping for.

Our weekend was filled with laughter, reminiscing, swimming, biking, walking, eating, and more of all of the above.  It could not have gone better, with the exception of also having our other two girls and their significant others there, too.

Papa Jarvis won the prize for the most hilarious quotes (unintentional, of course!) One of our favorites was when he was admiring Abby’s painted toenails and asked her if she had just had them done by a pediphyle!  He soon realized his mistake, but not before we all had a good laugh about it! Oh, Papa!

Sunday night, after dinner, we gathered in the living room, all twelve of us, to spend some time honoring Nama and Papa and their fifty years of wedded bliss.  It was so awesome to hear each person share a special memory of them, or how they had learned from their great examples of a couple who dearly loved God and each other. And then they got their turn to talk.  Papa shared how for the past fifty years they have been praying for each of their children, their children’s spouses, their grandchildren, their grandchildren’s future spouses and their great-grandchildren.  It was incredible to realize how this couple has been praying all these years for each of us.  It was especially touching since Paul, Abby’s boyfriend, was with us, and for him to realize that they have been praying for him all of these years!  What an amazing heritage.  There was hardly a dry eye in the house.

Today we each headed home (or in my case, a hotel room).  There were more tears as we said our goodbyes, but they were good, good tears.  Tears that we will miss each other.  Tears that we love each other.  Tears recognizing how very blessed we are.  And tears of utter thankfulness for that blessing.

Tonight, for me, is the icing on the cake.  My friend, Terra, will be coming to stay with me for the night.  We haven’t seen each other in about six months and have a lot of catching up to do.  She moved here (Portland) six months ago, and we, of course, moved to Colorado.  So it will be wonderful to hang out and talk all night long! With, of course, a good supply of various types of M&M’s…

After Terra leaves tomorrow, I hope to spend some quiet time reading and writing and hearing from Jesus.  And I am looking so forward to it 🙂

Here are some pics from our crazy weekend…(oops…terra is on her way…will post them when I get back…

Terra and Me here in Portland...