Happy 80th Birthday, Papa !

Such a milestone today in that Papa is 80 years old! He was so happy and kept saying, "I didn't think I'd ever make it to 80!"  And I got him the most amazing birthday present ever, his very favorite barbecue from Shorty's in Florida! When I went down earlier in the year, I bought a huge amount of Shorty special sauce and the ribs that dad likes and I froze everything to be able to give it to him today! He was so excited! Little did we know that this would be the last birthday we would get to spend with Papa.

Happy 17th Birthday Annie : A Very Pikmin Birthday

 There is definitely a Pikmin theme to the birthday this year! Everyone, Brian included, are really excited about this game. So I decided to make A Pikmin character for each cake. Annie's birthday is first and she got the red Pikmin.

 Below is a perfect example of a nice letter that Grandpa would write to the girls. He often chooses this way to give advice, Wisdom… and money. The girls are truly blessed to have a wonderful Grandpa like him!

 Finally I had to include the cake server that I have used for every single birthday cake for both girls since birth, it happens to be the cake server that is engraved with our wedding date and was also used for our wedding cake. Such a special possession!

Shana's Birthday 2023

 Fun Shana's most precious shelf, is now a little tortoise that Annie got from the galapagos. Made from resin, it represents Annie's love of Shana, her first preschool teacher, knowing that Shana loves Tortoises and wants a tortoise of her own.  My birthday gift for Shaner every year is always a short trip, and this year it was to Wiki Watchie.

Florida 2023 : Self Portrait of Mom-Mom , The Girls' Paternal Great Grandmother

Florida 2023 : Self Portrait of Mom-Mom , The Girls' Paternal Great Grandmother

 I was really excited to see that Perri found a self-portrait done by Mom-Mom , the girls' paternal great grandmother. She was not only a sketch artist but a seamstress enclosed designer in the 1920s and 30s. In fact, I am blessed to have 2 of her original sketches hanging downstairs! Certainly a family heirloom!

Florida 2023 : Visiting Perri

This is Perri, my cousin and the girls' first cousin one generation removed (I think?).  I spent my entire youth, every holiday with Perri.  The whole compare family would gather at my uncle Paul's house.  Paul is the girls great uncle. She is the one who gave me the little cat Qui  When I was about 3 years old. That little stuffed animal now belongs to Leia and is one of her most beloved toys.

 Similar to how I always felt at uncle Paul's house, I was struck withe beautiful wealth that Perry had acquired through her determination and hard work over the years. Uncle Paul was a contractor and Perry and her husband Colin own design service in a very affluent part of Jupiter Florida.  She even had one of those huge indoor aquariums  With all of the finding Nemo fish inside. 

 The home itself was remodeled by my uncle Paul and showed the expert craftsmanship. It has an outdoor pool that looks out over the Florida intercoastal waterway. Upon driving up to the house it looks like a fairly modest ranch Florida home and the mediocrity of it surprised me, until I walked inside!

 They also have a set of his and hers boats! And Perri took me on a ride on the intercoastal waterway.

 This is a picture very indicative of my spunky cousin's sweet personality.

Florida 2023 : The Lucie in Jensen Beach , Florida

 The rest of the trip has to do with visiting old friends and family, so after Shana left I checked in to this resort in Jensen beach Florida.  This goes down in history as the first time that I've stayed in a hotel on my own. And in a big success for my mental health, I  really enjoyed it!  I had a beach front room And I slept with the windows open all night!  This was probably the most beautiful resort I ever stayed in ... With the exception of the wakaloa resort in Hawaii.

Florida 2023 : Shorty's Barbecue

 And finally was the main reason why I came down to Fort Lauderdale in the first place, Shorty's barbecue! This is their secondary location, the original one is in Miami which was the 1 my dad went to in the 1940s with his parents and had the same waitress, Wilma, until I was in grade school. The reason why I wanted to go here is I wanted to get a huge amount of barbecue and freeze it for my dad. I wanted to make his 80th birthday the best birthday ever by bringing him his favorite barbecue! Yes, I would have to freeze it until October, but it is worth it! I have memories of going here as a young teen and to the one in Miami as a young child. Very good memories with all of the Compare family.