It was a weekend-long 70th birthday bash that had been six months in the making. The dreaming and planning were exciting but nothing compared to seeing all of our hopes fall into place perfectly. Not only were we celebrating this milestone birthday for my father-in-law, Alan, but we were accomplishing something that hadn’t happened in this family for twenty-six years: all four of Alan’s sons in the same place at the same time.
Phase One: Thursday, July 28th
Paul’s brother, James, flew from Hawaii to Asheville, arriving around 9 a.m. Our family met him at the airport and drove him straight to the Kruegers’ house. The timing was such that my mother-in-law, Susan, was at her regular workout, so we were able to get into the house and wait for her return. Oh, how I wish we’d remembered the camera! When she entered the kitchen to discover James calmly sitting at the table, her reaction was Oscar-worthy! Alan was golfing until late afternoon, giving Susan and James the opportunity to set up a surprise for him. What fun!
Alan very astutely realized that James was in town for his 70th birthday. Little did he know it was just the beginning…
Phase Two: Friday, July 29th
Paul and I offered to have a “little” cookout at our house, supposedly to celebrate James’ arrival. The real plan was for James to borrow a car, zip down to Greenville, SC, and pick up David and Brian, who were flying in from San Francisco and Phoenix. We knew this was going to be HUGE!
Brian and David
The day was spent crossing our fingers that their flights would be on time. Amazingly, they were right on schedule, and James delivered them to our house with an hour to spare before dinner. When Alan and Susan arrived, I greeted them at the door and urged them to join the party out back.
Don’t miss the look on Susan’s face!
We spent the rest of the evening grilling out steaks and relaxing on the porch. I loved hearing the brothers share memories of their summers spent together.
Phase Three: Saturday, July 30th
The guys started the day with bowling. While there were a few scaredy-cats in the group (who shall remain unnamed), I was told everyone had a great time.
James, modeling perfect form
Jonathan, David, Brian, and Alan
After bowling, Alan and Susan had been told that we wanted to meet at the club for pre-dinner drinks and hors d’oeuvres. This was by far the most complex surprise of the weekend because weeks earlier, over 50 people had received this in the mail:
Apparently, everybody read the invitation carefully. Their closest friends and his golfing buddies never said a word, despite numerous opportunities to slip up. I think they really enjoyed being in on the surprise
Paul met his parents in the parking lot of the club and handed them the invitation in an envelope. It gave them a few minutes to process what they were about to walk in to!
We saw that look a lot over the course of the weekend!
After the party, everybody returned to our house for pictures and then more conversation.
Alan with his sons: Paul, David, Brian, and James
The men of the family:
James, Jonathan, Alan, Miles, David, Brian, Paul, and Ryan
The Family
Phase Four: Sunday, July 31st
The partying wasn’t over yet, because the 31st is Alan’s actual birthday! Everybody reconvened at our house for a light lunch, cake, candles, and the birthday song.
Happy 70th!
David and Brian had to return to the airport mid-afternoon, marking the end of the official festivities.
Wrap-up
We were able to meet up with James one last time before he flew home Tuesday morning. He hadn’t seen Ryan in three years and obviously had never met Miles!
Hawaiian beach bums
There were so many joys over the course of the weekend. As someone who values family second only to God, the opportunity to meet and get to know David and Brian was the highlight of the weekend. I soaked up the details about their children, jobs, pastimes, and politics. I am very thankful they stayed with us, even though we were baited into staying up until 3 a.m. for lively debate. Thanks for coming so far, guys! We love you!
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