We celebrated Ulana's birthday yesterday. Ulana and my dad were married about 25 years ago. She's been in my life since I was in high school. We all feel blessed that she has come into our lives. Dad, of course, is especially glad, but we're glad she's put up with him all these years so we get to hang out with her too :-) She's strong, generous to a fault, a level-headed dreamer (the opposite of dad and me), patient, tolerant, and incredibly thoughtful.
While the girls and I were on our trip this year, she and dad have been our constant. They have been the ones asking, "Where are you now?" and "How are you doing?" They gifted us with a national parks pass and a reciprocal zoo pass. They were part of the reason we headed home a month sooner than expected. We were all a bit homesick and missed Papa and Ulana.
We have been staying in our camper at Papa and Ulana's house for the past month or so. It has been an absolute joy. We get to have dinners together, laugh a lot, and share our lives with one another.
Yesterday, we took Ulana and Papa for a picnic to celebrate Ulana's birthday. We wanted to give her an afternoon of beauty and rest. We took them to Colt State Park in Bristol (beauty in nature) in the late afternoon. We had deli sandwiches, watched the people go by, and watched the sun begin to set. (restful) It was a beautiful afternoon.
The girls and I each made her a gift (we've been very crafty this past year-me with jewelry and Aisha with Shrinky-dinks; soleil is the consummate design and sticker girl). We told her how we each chose the gift we made for her. We're pretty sure no one else gave her the same gifts we did (as they were all one of a kind) and we think she liked them very much.
Happy Birthday Ulana!
