A 60th Wedding Anniversary Surprise

For many months, we had been awaiting the day that we could all get together to surprise my grandparents on their 60th Wedding Anniversary. On Thursday, May 31, that magical moment came true! My grandparents had plans to go out to dinner with my Aunt Brenda and Uncle Kirk, and we were all there waiting. We then spent the entire weekend in a beachhouse in South Haven, just 45 minutes down the road. I know that my grandparents couldn't have asked for more than to have their family together like this. I am so thankful for the great memories that I made with them all weekend.

It was Nico's first flight and he flew like a champ, thanks to the distraction of grandma and grandpa! He slept on me for the other half of the flight.



 

The big surprise happened at Fieldstone Grill in Portage, Michigan. The look on their faces during our big reveal was priceless. You couldn't help but hold back a few tears when they entered the restaurant, much less when they saw all of us at one big table, hidden away in the back. It was definitely a moment that I will remember forever.

Uncle Neil made a toast to them, and then revealed the big news about our beach house plans!...

Following dinner, we all went to the house to continue the festivities. It was a very beautiful home that was able to house the entire family of 20! It consisted of  3 stories plus a basement... 7 bedrooms... 5 bathrooms... and multiple living areas/decks.



Once we all were settled in, we celebrated with some cake and ice cream...

Just for fun, some current events from 1952, the year they got married, were put together. It's amazing to see how much the times have changed. The average cost of a new house was 9 thousand dollars?!?!?! A gallon of gas was 20 cents?!?!?!   Check it out...

We spent the rest of the night just catching up with everyone! Nico could feel the excitement too- he went to bed 2-3 hours later than normal!

On Friday, we spent most of the morning and early afternoon hanging around the house. It was a rainy, cold day so there wasn't much desire to get out and do anything. The softball college world series was on, so that was running in the background for a majority of the weekend. About the most excitement for the first part of the day was the wild goose chase to hunt down Uncle Neil and Amanda's lost luggage! It's a long story of frustrations with the airport and Fed Ex, and the end result was some of our guys aimlessly driving around South Haven, and actually finding the Fed Ex truck that had their luggage in it. Pretty funny chain of events. (Well, not funny for Uncle Neil and Amanda!)

By the time that early afternoon hit, it was time for a beer! A small group of us slipped out for a few hours and went down the street to Captain Lou's.

We came back to the house and ordered pizza for dinner. We then had another little surprise for grandma and grandpa. A video was put together of photos throughout their life, with all of their children and grandchildren! It was a nice reminder of how they have always been there for the big moments in our lives- graduations, weddings, sporting events, and so much more.

 

Saturday brought much better weather, so we were able to get out of the house for a majority of the day! Aunt Nancy and Uncle Scott took Caitlyn and Nico for a walk down to the park to start off the day. We also had family pictures taken early in the afternoon, courtesy of Chase, who is the professional photographer for the Chicago Blackhawks. Here is our gang.

Then we went down to Saugatuck, a cute little city with a few bars and shops. Our first stop was to sit out on the patio at The Butler.

Our next stop was to Coral Gables. They had a nice, big patio that overlooked the water. Towards the end of our stay, a live band started playing. The band members recognized grandma and grandpa's 60 years together, which drew a round of applause. When they asked my grandpa what his advice was, he pointed to grandma and said something like, "It's whatever she says." I guess after 60 years, he has been well trained.

A majority of the group went back home to get dinner going, and us 4 made a quick pit stop at the Saugatuck Brewery.

We returned home just in time to eat burgers with everyone, and shortly after dinner, my grandpa spoke a few words about how much the weekend has meant to him.

Some of us then walked down to the beach to watch the beautiful sunset over Lake Michigan as our last night drew to an end...


 

We woke up the last morning to find a sweet article in the local newspaper that congratulated the couple on their achievement of 60 years, and summarized our big family surprise.

It's not often that a couple celebrates 60 years together. It is so funny to watch them together. No matter how many times she yells at him for eating something he isn't supposed to, not paying attention, not doing something right or fast enough; or how many times he just rolls his eyes at her or gives it right back to her, there is still one thing to be said- they really love each other. When asked how she feels and if she has any advice, my grandmother replied, "Some times you love 'em, some times you hate 'em, and sometimes you just gotta kick 'em in the nuts." Well said.

I'm thankful for the quality time that we shared over the long weekend, and am so looking forward to hanging out with them again in a few short months!