Happy As Can Be Birthday!

 Robb's birthday was Monday and his favorite cousin sent money to me to celebrate in a grand fashion.  He and his wife are very generous.  We used it all up!

So Meri and I planned a day trip to go visit all of Robb's favorite places and a couple of mine, as well as visit where we first met and where we were married.

After stopping at Robb's grave and wishing a happy heavenly birthday, 

we drove a few hours to see my parents grave where Meri and I sang a hymn in their honor.  Then we sat and remembered things and cried a bit.

After that we drove to my hometown just over an hour away.  We decided to wait until hometown to eat lunch because no one in Nebraska wears masks.  Hometown is on the other side of the river in Iowa and hometown still has a mask mandate.  Meri felt more comfortable with that so as soon as we got to town, we stopped at a local candy shop and bought sweatshirts and hoodies all around.  Then stopped at another locale to get a couple other non-candy related hoodies for the menfolk.

So that was all before lunch which was around 2pm.  We were not exactly starving.  I HAD eaten a whole box of hot and spicy cheezits on the drive.  

Then we stopped at Robb's favorite pizza joint for a few pizzas to bring home with us.  Then with them in the back seat, we stopped at our old college and I told her stories about the commons and various places around campus.  Here's where the house Robb lived in used to be.  Here's where I was editor of the yearbook and now it's a bookstore.  Here's where Kim and I ate lunch while we watched Santa Barbara until our afternoon classes.  Here's where the bookstore USED to be and here is my mailbox that if you twisted the knob JUST right, it would open without having to know the combination.  Here's where we had our wedding reception.  

I realized I hadn't bought a sweatshirt for myself so I did here.  One that didn't have the new logo and mascot on it. Just the name of the college.

Then we drove about a mile away to the park where we were married and I told her that I'd tripped on my dress getting into the horse drawn carriage and started falling backwards.  

Robb caught me with his hand on my butt.  And then we rode back to campus past his car parked in a lot where all could see.  It was supposed to be hidden so no one would decorate it.

It's right there guys...

Then we hightailed it back home with the pizzas.  It started raining and so when we got back to town, we stopped at Robb's grave and poured Diet Dr Pepper on it as well as a half box of Hot Tamales candies.  His favorites.  The ants will love my husband, but not as much as I do.

We were hoping to sing there too but with the rain, we couldn't.

We'd been hoping to see my sisters and brother in home town while there, but time was cut too short and if we only saw one, that would cause hard feelings.  So oh well.  Just a quick round trip.

Ryan and the rest of the gang waited at the house for the pizzas and we had a proper birthday party for Robb there.  No cake, but that's ok.

Happy birthday my dear!  I miss you so much!  I'm planning a night to just watch home movies and remember everything I've forgotten and cry.