Moving On

The time has come for my dad to retire yet again, and Patty is joining him in retirement this time.  With this new chapter in their lives comes some big changes, mainly moving back to my dad's home town of Alpena.  They will make their journey north after my dad leads the Shriners in Sturgis' annual parade one last time this coming Saturday.  We won't even be there to see it since we will actually be in Alpena ourselves, but we look forward to welcoming them to their home (and using their showers).

With their impending move, my sister and I thought it only fitting to send them off with a small farewell party.   Both my dad and Patty have been active in this community for decades, so how to make sure we included all who needed to know was a difficult task.  We opted to plaster it on Facebook, hang a few fliers, put an advertisement in our local newspaper, and get our local radio station to plug it for us.  The turn out was pretty good.  Great Lakes Chocolate graciously allowed us to hold the event at their location.

We've kept Kees busy making cakes for us this spring.  The cake was humongous!

Here come the guests of honor.

I got the glorious task of cutting and serving cake.  Mind you, I'm not, nor have ever claimed to be good at this job.

The grandkids mingling and enjoying refreshments.

Mandi and Patty - Mandi is taking over Patty's massage business in town.

Dad and one of his former coworkers from his days at the Sturgis Police Department.

Grandma Patty opening a gift from Esther.

Jeff Mullins and dad - Jeff worked with my dad at LTI Printing and he and his wife Nicole bought dad and Patty's house last year.

My sister catching up (or pointing out her children I'm guessing) to Jack and JoAnne Grim.  I used to call them Mr. and Mrs. Grimmis when I was a little girl.  That was the era when McDonalds had all the cute characters like the French Fry kids, Hamburglar, and the purple guy, called Grimmis.

More family visiting with Patti Anderson (Jared's mom) and Rusty Kyle.

Both the girls grandpas together.  John will take any excuse to dress up.  Just kidding.  The Knights of Columbus, which he is a member of, had to be present at the church prior for Confirmation.

The Listons and Cheryl Jordan chatting it up.

Merry Jo and Kevin Tavernier from their church came for the event.

My dad's cousin Scott drove down from Lansing for the day.  It was a big surprise for my dad that I know touched him deeply.  Scott's family was actually up in Alpena for the weekend, so he graciously accepted our offer to stay for our family cookout after the party.

A pretty decent family photo of all of us together.

Dad and his girls.

The plan was to get all the family together for a picture at our house during our cookout later that evening since some of the grandkids had snuck out early, but we of course forgot.  The camera didn't make an appearance at our dinner, but we had a fun laid back evening spending time together and eating too much food.  

We wish nothing but the best of luck to dad and Patty on their move to Alpena.  We look forward to spending time up there with you both.