Home Sweet Home!

"...Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!..."  ~ John Howard Payne

We enjoyed our trip to Boston and New York City immensely, yet it was such a good feeling when our plane touched down at Detroit Metro Airport.  Our daughter-in-law was there to pick us up, and nothing evokes joy more than the sight of home.

Our daughter kept the lawn mowed while we were away, and as a surprise she planted flowers in the front porch planters.  I don't have the green thumb that she has, but I've managed to keep them healthy and growing for six weeks now.

The trip was our anniversary gift to each other, but since Jerry enjoyed the DVD, Fan Favorites - The Best of Cheers, that I purchased for him in Boston, I decided to get him the complete series of Cheers with 270 episodes.  He'll be laughing for a long time to come!

He wanted me to have a teapot as an anniversary keepsake, and purchased a Wedgwood bone china teapot in the Oberon pattern.  To my surprise, it's dishwasher safe! He liked the gold trim because it coordinated with our Golden Anniversary.

Our granddaughter, Tiffany, gave us a framed 8 x 10 family picture taken at her wedding last August.  Now that the older grandchildren have busy lives of their own, it's very difficult to get the entire family together, so I cherish this picture with every family member included.

With the gifts of money we received, we applied it to a riverboat dinner cruise on Lake St. Clair later this week, and as of right now, the entire family will be together - including all eight grandchildren.   It's our way of thanking them for the wonderful 50th Anniversary celebration they gave us.  I can hardly wait, and will be sure to blog about it.

Below is the docking area where we'll board the boat.  I couldn't get a picture of the boat because it was out on the lake.  Michigan is currently in a drought.  We haven't had rain for several days, and the weather forecast shows an 80% chance of rain the day we scheduled our cruise.  We need it, but I hope it rains either before or after our cruise.

Two other special gifts that were given in honor of our anniversary were the purchase and distribution of Bibles by Gideons International. I am so happy that a Bible will comfort a U.S. Armed Force member far from home, or a veteran patient in a V.A. hospital, or a weary traveler in a hotel room.

The second special gift was from one of my blog readers who I have never had the privilege of meeting, yet I feel like I know her.  She sent a very generous check for our church building fund. Celebrating 50 years of marriage has been wonderful, but beginning tomorrow my posts will return to all the tea-filled activities that have transpired since I've returned from my travels.   

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P.S.  Today is my granddaughter, Brianna's, 20th birthday.  She's the only one of my six granddaughters who is an avid tea drinker.  Happy Birthday, Bri!  You have officially left your teenage years behind, and what a beautiful young lady you've become!