Here's the Story

from Jana-
For our precious friends and family who could not join us for Bob and Floyce's 50th anniversary party, I will try to give you a recap of all things fun, surprising, and exhausting-

By the way, it really wasn't a complete surprise- after the party, they told us that so many people they hadn't heard from in a while called or emailed to say happy anniv., or things like "we know you'll be surrounded by your loved ones," etc. They wondered how so many people knew what was going on. It really was sweet of everyone, but for those of you planning a SURPRISE party, you need to DEFINE the word, and specifically say "please do not even act like you have a clue that it is their special day, do not email, do not mail cards to their house, etc, until 24 hours AFTER the party!" We did get many cards mailed to my house, and I thank every one of you, and also those well-meaning friends who just couldn't help themselves!

I just have to say, my sisters amaze me at how talented they are:
Terri- the gourmet chef, who could make glue taste scrumptious,

Becky- who could decorate circles around Martha Stewart, and make burlap seem like satin,

Jill- who flies in from TX late afternoon, survives Atlanta traffic with Erin driving (love you Erin;)) and walks in the fellowship hall the night before just asking what she can help with, and smiling the whole time, and who made the awsome programs, bookmarks, and ordered the favors and napkins

Me- well, i guess i'm good at telling everyone it's time to eat

Wed. night Terri arrived, she stayed at Becky's house, she ran to hide any time the door opened, thinking it was Daddy. And planned the menu and program, worried that she was going to forget something, or that we didn't have someone assigned to the ice station for drinks. Poor thing, she couldn't sleep b/c she worried herself about who was going to speak, what they would say, etc.

Becky was feeling sick the whole 2 wks before and during- tooth abscess, antibiotics, planned root canal for the week after the party, and Hemoglobin at a wimpy 6 (normal for females 12-14) The doctor was surprised she could even walk in his office alone. She just had a 6 hour long iron infusion yesterday - and it was at the oncology clinic, but thank you God, she has no type of cancer. Pray for her through her root canal tomorrow :(

So if y'all don't know these two, it's very funny to see them work together, b/c they are so different- Becky has a vision in her head of what is to happen, is very methodical, and will work til she drops. Terri, on the other hand, has many visions playing through her head at one time, and she is speaking them out loud trying to figure out which one will work, is the leader/bossy type telling us what needs to be done, then changing it 5 minutes later.

(Our new joke about Terri: What makes Terri a great governement employee?
1. she's inefficient
2. she doesn't listen
3. but she has good intentions!!!) Seriously- we poke fun at her, but she is really a lot of
fun and one of the most dedicated daughters/sisters I know!
Anyway, I'm droning on about us- you want to know about the honored couple!

Holton got Daddy out of town Friday night to Athens for the Ole Miss/GA game, in case he suspected something and went to all the hotels looking at license plates. Sat. am Holton/Becky picked them up, we met at his office to ride together, and then he stopped up the road a bit, and made Mama and Daddy put on blindfolds, telling them that they had a big surprise ahead before we went to eat. The whole way, Daddy was trying to figure out where we were by the stops, turns and bumps. Mama said, "Bob, if you were ever kidnapped, they'd throw you out quick!"
We got to the church, led them inside, and everyone was shouting happy anniversary.
They were crying, and it was truly incredible that every one of Mama's living brothers and sisters came all the way from MS just for this- Alice, Dub, Ada, Felix, and Aunt Sue's husband Herb, their spouses,and many kids and grandkids of Theirs. 2 couples from Tullahoma at their previous church came, and of course Bob and Mary Jo Givens, their best friends from Greenwood. Almost everyone who was invited from their church came, overall around 100 people.
Mrs. Mary Turner played piano while everyone ate, friends and family spoke about the couple: Uncle Dub read Proverbs 31 and said " this was written about Floyce" (I about lost it there), Uncle Felix was crying when he talked about Mama and baby Terri getting on that plane to Germany, knowing they wouldn't see them for 3 yrs. Basil spoke about their travels together, and Daddy's friend Billy Seay, from Spartanburg, SC, spoke about their early Air Force days.
Mary Jo and Bob, crying, more crying....and laughing....
Erin and Haley singing... more crying
Video of children and grandchildren......everyone crying.........
Cutting the cake- they were excited about that, never had one at their wedding!
Fellowship with dear friends, and that night Becky invited all out-of-town family over to her house for a mini-reunion- that was so much fun- Ava was excited to have Lindy there to play with.
The next day, we all went to their church with them, then back to their house to open presents and Ada and Basil came over. I had a chance to read all the cards, and , y'all!!! they were so sweet!!! They really appreciated all of the kind words.

Since my camera is still at Becky's house, please visit Emily's blog http://tatesteam.blogspot.com and see her slideshow
I can't believe the party is over, here's to many more years of love for them! I love you, Mama and Daddy!

Location/Time

SORRY!!!
Mr. Neely just pointed out that there was no information here on WHERE or WHEN the actual party is.
Saturday, May 3rd,
1pm -prayer and buffet served, Bob and Floyce will be brought in around 1:20-1:30
Cornelia, GA
Level Grove Baptist Church - Fellowship Hall
Hwy 441 South + Level Grove Road

Come Hungry- Lunch buffet will be served, and this is a sit down reception with program to follow, not just a drop in reception. You won't want to miss anything, the video will be toward the end after they cut their cake.

Looking forward to seeing everyone- please call if you have trouble finding the church
Sat. 601- 992-0228- Terri
Jana on Friday 706-499-8684

Almost Time!!!

Oh my goodness!!! It's Thursday morning already- 2 more days!!
I woke up early this morning to do a final count of reply cards and there are 108 people confirmed coming- and 5 couples who may be coming that have not responded, but are likely to show up! I think we will have to put the kids in the back room!

Poor Daddy- he's really been down this week ;( They even bought their own flowers for church this Sunday, and he asked if we would come. He also asked if we had heard from Terri lately, and said, "well, I thought maybe they would drive over since it's such a big anniversary." Poor thing, I really hope this all makes up for his disappointment.

Beware: I've heard that the 30 minute long video that Terri made is quite a tear jerker, so bring your hankies.

And I still haven't found anyone to take pictures and video!!! What will we do??? My little digital may be working overtime, while everyone waits that long 5 seconds before it will take a picture;)

And , oh, I spoke with a couple from Level Grove that will be there and mentioned that
we will serve the buffet before Mama and Daddy get there, and they said," Oh, you're feeding us, too?"
I FORGOT TO PUT THAT ON THE INVITATIONS!!!! What if we make all this food, and everyone has already eaten? Spread the word to come hungry!
Well, I better get back to making placecards and sticking flags on the globe- Jana

Funny

Funniest phone conversation last week:

Terri: Dave, what year was Daddy born?

Dave: I don't know, he's your dad!

Terri: Jana, do you know what year Kevin was born?

Jana: Uuuuuhhhhh, I know he's a senior this year.

Terri: Putting together this video is the hardest job!

Sorry, Terri! It's just so easy to poke fun at you, and we really do appreciate all your work on the video. And Becky says she's really looking forward to cooking with you on Friday in her kitchen ;)

Please Pray

Daddy has an appointment this Tuesday with the cardiologist, and I am hoping they will tell him to go ahead and get a pacemaker. His heart rate almost daily now gets as low as the 30's, and he looks miserable, can barely even move. They have planned on going on an anniversary trip to D.C. in early April, so please pray that he can have the pacemaker done (if needed) as soon as possible.

I am really beginning to feel guilty about keeping this party a secret from them, mainly because they think we aren't doing anything for them. Well, Becky told them we will take them to Atlanta to a nice restaurant, but I know what Daddy is thinking - "we have 4 daughters, 4 son-in-laws, and 11 grandchildren- looks like they could come up with something better than that."
So I think that I'll tell them this week we are planning on doing something bigger when we have our big family vacation this summer- that would make sense b/c everyone will be there.
And y'all, I think this is so funny- my father in law and sister in law and her daughter want to come b/c they like Mama and Daddy that much- isn't that sweet? So they will be staying at our house that weekend- it will be so much fun!

It's getting closer! 1 1/2 months till the big party!

Detailed Plans

Video: we are trying to put together video of all the grandchildren sharing some memories, and will have this edited to use between pictures - Terri is in charge of the end product.

Program:
Guests to arrive at 1pm- we will immediately begin the buffet line and have everyone seated, then will have Mama and Daddy come in after 1:30- they may be so blown away- we might have to let them sit down right away- if they are OK, we'll let them go around to the tables for a little while.
*Mary Jo and Bob Givens have agreed to be MCs, we will ask uncle Dub and Felix to speak, and a few others from out of town friends who will hopefully be able to make the long trip, but of course anyone can share if they'd like to speak.
We would like to share how they met and all the places they have lived during their lifetime.
*Mary Turner, Erin and Haley's voice/piano teacher will be playing for us during lunch and accompanying them during a few songs.
*Video
* Let Mama and Daddy speak if they would like, then cut the cake- then mingling until the end.
We decided on a 4 tiered wedding cake (they never had one after their wedding by a justice of the peace) with pale green icing, white lace detail, topped by blue hydrangeas. 2 layers of chocolate cake, one vanilla with pineapple filling, one vanilla with raspberry filling- YUM!

Becky and Jana working on decorations and food, invitations went out this week, Terri working on video, Jill working on favors and program- did I leave anything out?
I'm getting really excited!! Hope many people come, and hope we can fit them in this fellowship hall!

Prayer Request

Please pray for my friend Monica's father, Dr. Dan Sanusi. He was playing tennis, fell, and sustained a skull fracture with multiple bleeds in the brain, is in VA in ICU on life support, has had some surgeries to relieve pressure on the brain, and he seems to be getting worse since this happend on Friday, March 7th. His wife, 3 children and their spouses are all there, most from out of town, and waiting and praying.
Thank you! Jana

conference call

Sunday, Jan. 13th, 2pm- conference call for planning,
i'll see if dave will tell me how to do it!

It's Time!

....to kick in with the planning for the party. So much to do, Becky really wants a wedding cake since they never had a real wedding, just the Justice of the Peace. Haley and Erin will be singing something from the past (and present?) Terri is working on a video, and already made us all a family calendar- quite creative- Thank you, Terri!
I found a local lady who does all types of invitations, so I'll be working on that soon. We have the place, Level Grove Baptist Church fellowship hall, but it will need a lot of work to make it pretty. No windows in there, so maybe we can find something sturdy for candles or bring some lamps in. For decorating, 50th is gold, but Mama really likes blue. Most of our budget (which we need to discuss) will most likely be spent on food, and Dave has suggested shrimp and crablegs as one thing, since it seems like Mama and Daddy really love both.
I'll be checking soon on local hotel rates for out of town guests, maybe we could reserve a block. I'll check Hampton Inn in Cornelia first. Any other suggestions? What am I forgetting? Favors, reception line...?