Sunday, May 22, 2005

The Library.....

Well, this weekend Lee and I traveled to Roanoke to go out to dinner for my Grandfather's 90th birthday. Granddaddy has been RAVING about this restaurant for YEARS!! So, naturally, I was really looking forward to it. We got to Roanoke around 5:00 yesterday which gave us some time to relax and visit with the family before getting ready for our 6:30 reservation. Once at the restaurant, we were seated in a room with only a few tables, one set for the King....G-Daddy. Dr. Rip was seated and we took our places around him. He was just smiling the entire time. The waiter decided to get our drink order, only we had not received a wine list, or menus, so we had no clue what we wanted to drink. 1st Strike!!! After the wine was ordered and poured, I decided to make a toast to Granddad on his successful 90 years on this Earth. Food was ordered and brought out. I was really looking forward to the salmon dinner I had requested not 15 minutes prior. Wow, that was the driest piece of salmon I've ever had. Oh, and the shrimp and crab that was supposed to be on top consisted of one piece of shrimp. Super!! Well, G-Daddy was definitely enjoying his salmon so I couldn't complain. It was his night!! My aunt had ordered a cake to be delivered to the restaurant and brought out for him to blow out his candles. Well, there was an "oversight" and the cake was never ordered. 2nd Strike!!! So, a few folks ordered their desserts and I ordered coffee, and it was time for the bill to come. There were 11 of us, so I knew the bill would be pretty hefty. Turns out, the waiter took it upon himself to go ahead and order 2 bottles of wine without asking if we wanted them. We never knew we had more. They kept pouring it, and we didn't pay much attention. So, my father, took the waiter aside and let him know that he didn't appreciate him ordering these extra bottles of wine ($40 a piece) and had them removed from the bill. 3rd Strike!!! Well, at least G-Daddy had a wonderful dinner and made a beautiful speech about how we were his greatest friends he has.

After dinner, Granddaddy opened his gifts. From my aunt and uncle, he received a beautiful framed piece of art about Charles Lindbergh (his childhood hero) which included all the stamps that were created about Charles Lindbergh and his flight. From the grandchildren, we made a donation to the World War II Memorial and also registered him as a Veteran of that great war. He was extremely touched and told us he couldn't be happier. It was truly awesome to see the look on his face. He was just so happy. Then, my mother explained the book we all put together for him. This book included letters and cards from family and friends the world over. He was just in awe. He couldn't wait to sit down and read all the incredible words people wrote about this incredible man.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. Lee and I celebrated 5 years together on Saturday, but will really celebrate in a few weeks. I can't believe it's been 5 years already, but I know they have all been truly wonderful!!! I can't wait to see what the next 5 bring!!!!!

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