Buddhas, Bouquets, and Burgers

 

In honor of Memorial Day, my granddaughter Jess, her husband Brandon, and my cute little great granddaughter Zyrah drove to our home to visit today. Terry had Mallory come over as well, rounding us off to a very nice group of five. 

Jess and Brandon walked in with a bouquet of flowers for the day to give to Terry. They were beautiful, in more ways than one. Not only were they sunflowers topped off with a flag for design and commemoration of Terry's time in the US Navy, but they were pretty in terms of appearance. They fit well in the center of the dining room table. At least for the day. I will have to remove them tonight and put them in our room because we have Kit. Everyone should have a Kit, but just know you can't have anything sitting around if you do have a Kit. 

The gorgeous bouquet to Terry was a surprise. He did not expect anything from anyone today, but Jess and Brandon thought of him today and that made me happy. Terry loved it. 

For anyone reading this post who does not follow our blog on a regular basis, this is Kit. He is absolutely stunning in beauty, but he is one to keep you running. Curiosity definitely has this cat venturing into everything he can get into. He is a sweetheart though and those eyes! Anyway, this is why we can't have nice things. 

Now, the family members came down to see us on short notice. We were ecstatic to see them and have them visit, but their arrival also gave Jess a chance to give me my Mother's Day gift. We have not seen each other for a while so this trip down here meant a lot. Seeing the baby is always a treat as I miss being around her as much as I used to be. 

Anyone who knows me understands that I am very spiritual. Jessee's gift was perfect! Absolutely perfect. She knows me so well. 

Jess gave me a Buddha that is painted gold. She found this one in an auction group she belongs to. I guess these are rather expensive when they sell on the Internet. She gave me a black stand with it, but I feel it's not sturdy enough to sit on it until we glue it on. After all, we do have a Kit. The piece was placed in our room where Kits, Bellas, and Jaspers are not allowed. 

The color gold, in Buddhism, represents good health and happiness. I love my gift! 

The face on this piece is softer than others I have seen. Not that others have vicious or angry looking faces, but this one seemed softer to me, more loving and happier in expression. 

Terry invited his daughter Mallory over, which is always a good thing. Spending time with family is one of the most important things in my life. I'm so happy Terry has his daughter living about 10 minutes away from the house. I want her to feel as though she is family too. She joined our little group, and we all had a good time. 

We spent time chatting for a couple of hours. Little Z was sick the night before with what was believed to be food poisoning. She had thrown up for quite a while, so Jess and Brandon took her to the hospital. The staff there thought it was food poisoning, so she had to be on a liquid diet for the most part. Twenty-four hours later she would be able to eat again, which meant 5:30 AM Tuesday. 

Now Z loves to eat! Jess and Brandon have her eat healthy, no sugar options. She has always loved healthy foods. Not saying she doesn't like some of the foods that we say are not quite as healthy as they could be, but the majority of her diet is very healthy. Her mom and dad thought the poisoning might have come from a restaurant they ate at the day before. Brandon also came away with some gut issues from the eatery. Zyrah was actually doing pretty well in terms of her mood from the lack of food. We all chose to go to Red Robin for dinner, another gift Jess and Brandon had for us. Off we went. 

Terry had a healthy avo-cobb salad that he reported was very good. Jess and Brandon loaded everyone up with three servings of French fries to go with the meal. It was awesome! Mallory ordered a chicken breast with a salad. Brandon had the wings with BBQ sauce and bleu cheese crumbles. Jess snacked on her chicken wrap and sweet potato fries, and I chose the crispy chicken sandwich with fries. We all had enough fries to put us in a coma for a week! 

The drinks were served all around. Mine was club soda with lemon wedges. Terry had a diet Coke; Mallory ordered a cocktail called the "Sand in your shorts" and Jessee had an Oreo milkshake. Zyrah had apple juice and Brandon a couple of beers. It was a good meal, with family to share it with. More chatting, more laughter, more precious time spent with family. It's a beautiful thing. 

My crispy chicken sandwich was so good!

Terry spent time "teaching" Zyrah how to color her coloring sheet. Although I believe Zyrah was showing him how to do things. Either way, it was a good time spent with her. She loves her great grandpa, and he loves her. 

The outing to the restaurant gave us a chance to ride in Brandon and Jessee's new car they purchased the day before. It was beautiful! It's an SUV, all black, and loaded. Nice ride!

Unfortunately, Brandon had to get up at two the following morning to go to work. This meant they had to take off and drive back home. It was hard saying goodbye so soon, but what a wonderful day they had given us. Thank you again, Jess and Brandon. We love you!

Hoping everyone had a good weekend, filled with love, family, and laughter. Nothing beats being with family members to make your life better. Blessings to all and may all blessings be recognized.