Friesen family weekend together

Saturday afternoon-due to the weather, alternate plans took over, and the females in the group did pedicures......
The men went for a ride to see where mom and dad lived originally, and then they did a 'truck' pull-chevy vs. ford-
As you can see, the rain settled in our yard. Del tried to do some 4x4ing, but could not get stuck. I think he was hoping Rol would have to get his vehicle dirty and pull him out!
Some of the men were man enough to get their feet done as well.
After supper, Rol and Laureen arranged indoor activities for the family. In this one, the two teams had to replicate a photo of mom and dads farm. It was a relay where each person had 30 seconds to add to the picture. Mom was to decide who the winner was, but of course, she called it a tie.

Vicky and her kids
Roger, Anita, and their kids
Del & I, and our boys
Roland, Laureen, and their family
My mom and dad with their original 4

My mom and dad with the 50 beautiful roses the Friesen family in BC sent them!
Mom and Dad with their children and spouses.
The anniversary couple
The whole family!
Yeah, the family made the original six sing. Dad made it through....

So, yes, the Friesen family had a great weekend. Hopefully the above pictures give you a window into our good times. The weather definetly wreaked havoc with our organized plan of outdoor activities and mosquito war. But, then we had no option but spending time together inside, in close quarters. We spent alot of time listening to old music, looking at old pictures, played games, doing hair, feet, and nails, and of course, eating. Lots of good food! Sunday morning was our version of church. Started with singing, and then everyone could add whatever they wanted. Justin played/sang a song he wrote for the occasion. Alyssa, Michelle, Stacey, and Keith's wife-Stacey J-, sang a song. I presented flowers to mom and dad from his brother and his family. I was supposed to read a poem they'd sent, and of course, wimpy me took over, and Roger had to take over. Then someone had a bright idea and suggested my sister and I should sing. It wasn't the time to say no, so we tried, and did it. Then it wouldn't stop. My parents got called up and the original family had to sing. My dad was the strong one and actually finished the song. (I guess having a hearing problem is a good thing sometimes!) For those of you who are wondering why all this was done, our family grew up singing together. I remember when I was little, we would sit almost every evening, and play music and sing together. Then when the boys had left home, my sister and I sang together. Alot. Church events and such. So this was a walk down memory lane. Rol would play guitar, Rog would play accordian or guitar, and we'd all sing. Those were the days.......

Yes, it was an emotional 'service', but I guess its important to have those moments. Yes, we were celebrating a special occasion-50 years-, but it was also a time of togetherness working through the grief that cancer sends our way. I know everyone was thinking 'is this the last time we're together?' -and that is natural to think this way. It's good to realize that time together is important, and to savor it. It's too bad it takes an illness to remind us of the value of family and friends.

So we capped off Sunday by Roger playing the accordian, after I begged him. That turned into a sing song of sorts. Roland's new deck was awesome. We got to relax outdoors, listen and sing together, and enjoy the beautiful evening. Clean up was done, and everyone went home.

We then went for a crop checking ride and picked wild flowers. Great way to end an awesome weekend. And as my boys said last night, why don't we do this every year???? Good question!