Celebrating!

It's been a beautiful day to be in Big Spring, Texas!

Louis Dean and I spent a leisurely morning in the hotel and then ventured out to hit up a few thrift stores! This magnificent display of cacti is behind one of the thrift stores on Lamesa Highway.

It covers an entire block! 

It was beautiful!!!

This may be routine in West Texas but it was a special sight for me to see. 

Louis Dean wondered why I was wandering down an alley......and he was up by the door to the thrift store!

We did not buy much but a few odd and end things.

Like a cool pull down screen that we think is used to provide extra shelter when you open up a van's back door. I thought Summer could use this one. We bought two and they were each a little bit different.

Louis Dean wants to use one as a shade for when he works on his truck.

In the early afternoon we drove the short 2 miles from our hotel to Chandy's house.

We are envious of where her home is located - just a couple blocks from HEB!

This is the sign on their front door.......

and this is Chandy's granddad all happy and anticipating being a part of the birthday celebration today.

Meet Zeus! 

This is Chris's dog and he is beautiful and well mannered!

Louis Dean met his great grandson for the very first time.

This is Peirceyn and he is 6 years old and can charm the socks off of any and every one!

Kaitlyn is just about grown now and is such a classy young lady.

We spent the afternoon with the family as they prepared for the party.

It was a lot of fun blowing up the helium balloons.

Chandy ordered these and they came with circles of reflective colors already inside.

Granddad tuned up Chandy's auto harp while the family swirled around him - everyone busy and happy.

Peirceyn and his cousin Emma had built a cardboard Lemonade stand and I was their first and only customer. When I placed my order - they ran to the kitchen and found a lemon!

I helped them make lemonade - enough for all three of us - and then I put the cups and pitcher on a platter and carried it to the stand where we each poured our own cups. I poured mine first so the pitcher would be lighter and then they poured theirs.

Chandy and Chris have a huge family of his, hers, and ours and they have blended to perfection.

They have a two story home and a backyard full of awesome things......

Chris recently came by this huge smoker/grill and it is going to be a masterpiece when he gets finished with it!

They have a boat, ATV, trucks and trailers and lots of play equipment for the kids.

This was the grill Chris used today to cook enough food for a small army!

He is a grill master and takes his BBQ very seriously!

He is creative, too! 

 I wish I could show you how he jump started the wood he used!

My phone was charging when he did it, though!

Several had already been served before I got this photo.

The food was delicious!

Lots of funny stories were told and retold as we met the rest of the family.

I heard Louis Dean tell lots of people, "I'm Chandy's granddad!"

And I heard Chandy introduce him to just as many - "THIS is my GRANDDAD!"

Bella had a ton of birthday presents!

This was such a cute cake!

Chandy ordered it special and it is a pinata cake....the center is filled with colored sprinkles and they spill out with every slice that's cut.

The Birthday Baby!!!

She LOVED that cake!!!

It was a great party full of family and friends.

Couples and their children. Teenagers and young adults. And a couple of old people.

A huge gathering of people of all ages.

The happiness was not only something you could feel but you could see it as we looked around at all the faces - young and older.

This is a family that loves each other.

It was a beautiful thing to be a part of today.