Wednesday, June 15, 2011

After 80+ Birthdays, You'd Think Getting Presents Would Get Old

My mom is nothing but theatrical; it's one of her best characteristics. She's got more enthusiasm than a five-year-old at a birthday party bounce house. Watching her open presents is a gift in itself, and she did not disappoint, recently, when some of my siblings and I presented her with a special, pre-82nd birthday surprise.

I have to interject that if you ever need to plan a very special party or gift, my sister Mary is your go-to planner. She's very creative!  We all pitched in, but Mary did the real work of planning Mom's gift--A "Dakotas Survival Kit" to help make an upcoming road-trip to the Dakotas extra special. Mary wrote a memorable poem and selected each part of the gift with great care. A video of Mom reading the poem is below, but you'll need a little background first:

***Mom's originally from Murdo, South Dakota. The gift is for a road trip that my brother Jim and his wife were taking her on, out west, for a big, distant-family reunion.
***My mom has a cat that she bought right after Dad passed away. His name is Jimmy-Cat.
***Life-long songbirds, Mom and her sister, Charlotte sing together regularly for nursing homes, women's groups, etc.  Their stage name is "The Golden Girls of the Midwest."


Full video of Mom opening the rest of the gifts is available on my Youtube channel page
but I made the following clip of two of my favorite highlights.
The first is Mom opening the "Buffa-no!" that grandsons Caden and Logan made especially for the occasion.
The second highlight is Mom's response to the surprise cash in her "new" wallet.


We should all receive gifts with such enthusiasm, no?


P.S. I apologize for the OBNOXIOUS cackling! I only laugh like that when I'm at Mom's--It's her fault!


For more posts about my mom, click on the More About Mom tab at the top of this page.
Posted by at 12:00 AM

17 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 15, 2011 at 1:10 AM

    Very sweet!

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  2. SurprisedMomJune 15, 2011 at 1:22 AM

    Your Mom opened her gifts with such enthusiasm, it was a joy to watch her! I hope she enjoys her trip immensely! I also hope to be that enthused about life and adventures when I'm over 80.

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  3. mubJune 15, 2011 at 1:59 AM

    Haha this made my morning. I loved the ingredients for the buffalo repellant *L*

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  4. MattyJune 15, 2011 at 2:06 AM

    I just hope that I'm that cheerful, spry and active at that age. She's a gem.

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  5. Karen and GerardJune 15, 2011 at 5:38 AM

    Your mom rocks! She is so fun!

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  6. AnonymousJune 15, 2011 at 6:10 AM

    Thanks so much for sharing. The whole thing put a smile on my face this morning.

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  7. Formerly known as FrauJune 15, 2011 at 6:15 AM

    We can all learn a thing or two from your Mom's energy, smile, laughter and zest for life. I imagine you need to empty your bladder and wear loose clothing when your at your Mom's...why it makes rolling on the floor laughing easier. She is too cute! I hope she has a wonderful trip out west!

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  8. MelaniJune 15, 2011 at 9:03 AM

    Your mom is Awesome! I love her accent, cuz my mom is from North Dakota doncha know!

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  9. 42NJune 15, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    I wish I had one tenth of the energy that your mom has. Happy birthday grandma!

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  10. Bill LislemanJune 15, 2011 at 11:13 AM

    She surprised me with tossing the cash all around. There are some families where that might not work too well. Very fun clips thanks for sharing.

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  11. Ann in the UPJune 15, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    What a creative bunch of people, and as always, Elsie is a treat. Give her a hug for me.

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  12. The CreatoryJune 15, 2011 at 3:34 PM

    Watching this was such a treat! It brought all kinds laughter and happy tears. :o) I imagine that if I were there with you all I mighta' even peed myself. LOL Thank you so very much for sharing this!

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  13. HyacynthJune 15, 2011 at 8:46 PM

    Your mom is so cool! Love watching those videos!

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  14. JeniJune 16, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    I truly love reading any posts involving your Mom (and her sisters too) and viewing any videos/still pictures of her/them! She has such vibrancy, such flair and what a fantastic sense of humor! I look forward to seeing many, many more episodes from her life coming our way via your blog or on FB too! People should see these things and try to find ways to emulate her style, incorporate even just a tiny bit of it, into our lives and maybe make society a whole lot less on the curmudgeon side as we age!

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  15. Lex the momJune 16, 2011 at 2:28 PM

    Your mom is amazing & so is the family she raised! The "Buffa-NO!" is so creative! Kudos to the grandsons for that one!

    Reading your posts about family always warm my heart - even if I don't always post a comment.

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  16. Eternal InstantsJune 23, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    I'm from the south... And you know, besides your Mom having an infectious and beautiful laugh, I love her accent! The kind of gal I could sit and listen to for hours. I do hope she enjoys (enjoyed?) the trip :)

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  17. Eternal InstantsJune 23, 2011 at 5:19 PM

    Good grief, I caught myself laughing and clapping when she started tossing that cash "gold"... How awesome! :)

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