She’d been giving us hints for years. Wanting to have her daughters in law and all her granddaughters out for an afternoon at the Tea Room in town.
Last Saturday, she thought it was only Dee Dee and Anna Grace, taking her out for a birthday lunch.
She was so wrong. Dee Dee called us last week to see if we could make a last-minute trip to Raleigh. We pulled it together and hit the road.
Soon, all us girls were on our way to pick Ann up at her house. If only I’d gotten a picture of her face when she glanced in the back seat and saw all of us smiling back.
Next stop, the Tea Room in downtown Wake Forest.
Once we arrived, some of us enjoyed trying on all the interesting hats. Some of us look horrid in hats, and skipped that part. Ahem.
Abbey called this one her lemon-head hat
We talked, we ate yummy food, and drank lots of tea. Croissants, scones, salads, soups…Lainey had chocolate raspberry tea and strawberry soup! She was in heaven.
We also spent a good amount of time posing for pictures. In our hats…or no hats. The waitress graciously took shots of all of us.
Love that hat on her!
Ann wasn’t the only one in for a surprise. Dee Dee and I fully intended to pay for our own kids and Ann, but she wouldn’t hear of it. With tears in her eyes, she insisted that her birthday was complete…we had given her the one, best thing she’d ever asked for and wanted to treat us all. To see her that happy was such a blessing for all of us. Family truly is the best gift of all.
Happy Birthday, Ann. We love you!
April 24th, 2012 at 12:44 am
I’m not sure I can comment as I am sitting here crying again. Pure happiness just does that to me, I guess.
I love all the pictures (just wish I was more photogenic), loved trying on the hats with the girls, loved the food (and my special piece of butterscotch pound cake from “The Tea Room”…. but loved the thought and love that all of you put behind this wonderful surprise for me. Yes I wish you had taken a picture of me when I first realized all of you were in the van. I also wish we had taken a picture of me with each of my granddaughters.
Anna Grace loved trying on all the hats and actually looked good in most of them. Abbey looks great in the straw hat and Marley in the fedora. Lainey just looks cute in all of them.
I know that you and Dee Dee had planned on paying for everything, but my heart showed me that my day was already made perfect by all of you. For you all to have paid couldn’t have made what was “perfect” already any better. So it made sense to me that I wanted to treat all of you. Even when you and Dee Dee were protesting, I think I told you that I was too old for you all to argue with me. It wasn’t that I was too old, but that I was just “loved.”
Over the years I feel I have failed on so many levels at being the best grandmother ever, but no grandmother could ever love her grandkids, her daughters-in-law or her sons any more than I do.
April 24th, 2012 at 9:50 am
I have been waiting for you to post pictures about the Tea Room trip because Ann had already written to me about it. You all couldn’t have given her anything she would have appreciated more. I don’t agree with Ann’s comment that she has “failed” on many levels at being the best grandmother. She has the main ingredients for being a great mother, mother-in-law and grandmother – a heart full of love for all of her family and pride in all of you.
Abbey needs to get a straw hat like the one in the fourth picture from the bottom. That hat was made for her. And Lainey needs her own pink hat and beads.
April 24th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Oh, my goodness…that was soooo heart-warming, I was almost in tears myself!!! Donna, Ronnie Currin’s sister used to own a tea room in Fuquay and Gail helped her out years ago ocassionally. Love, LOVE these “girly” pictures of you all in hats, pearls, and in such “Victorian” style! I’ve ALWAYS known that Abbey is definitely a “hat” person….sure wish I was! This was indeed a big surprise and a long wish come true for Ann…she must have felt like she was dreaming…and I’m glad you & our girls surprised her by attending…I can just see her face now…probably with her mouth wide open!! HA!!
Can’t wait to celebrate your dad’s big birthday on May 5th, but I doubt we’ll be wearing fancy hats & sipping tea…HA!!! (Although, he might wear his hat that he’s sooo proud of!) Thanks for sharing this fun, warm and happy celebration for Ann’s birthday….we enjoyed it!!!
April 25th, 2012 at 10:55 pm
Happy Birthday Ann,what a beautiful day you had being with your family.