Fifty-Two

I can't think of a better way to celebrate a birthday, than to be off for a week afterwards! Actually, this year, my big day coincided with the start of our Thanksgiving Break--something looked forward to by both students and teachers! I had so many nice birthday wishes from friends and family and even received a few goodies in the mail--such a nice surprise! Last night, however, I also had the privilege of helping at the annual Thanksgiving banquet for the Community Renewal International Friendship House near my church. This was the first time that I've ever been able to help because I usually have other commitment, so it was interesting to see how everything worked. Well over 200 people gathered in our Fellowship Hall for a meal with all the trimmings. It was nice to greet people as they arrived and to visit with them as we served their meal. (sorry for the grainy pics--I borrowed these)

Immediately following the meal, a couple of my workout buddies (Veda and her daughter, Robin) talked me into joining them downtown at the El Dorado to watch our instructor and his dancers perform with a popular local band. I had only enough time to trade my tennis shoes for a pair of boots and we headed out, hoping that we would get there in time to see the show. We shouldn't have worried, though, because upon arriving, we ran into one of the dancers in the elevator, who assured us that things were going to be a little later than Patrick had told everyone.
Since we had a little extra time, we slipped into the casino itself to let Robin have her first experience on a slot machine. Veda and I pooled our money and came up with a couple of dollars and watched as she took her chances on the 25 cent slot. Lo and behold, she won!!!

Huge win---25 quarters! Well, at least she won back what we'd spent--we divided the quarters and moved on to join some other friends for the show.

After a birthday beverage (compliments of Veda) and several hours of standing room only, I was wishing I'd just left my tennis shoes on.

The band Windstorm was good, but being 52 means you only know about half of the songs played.

I guess it's a good idea to go out every few years, just so you know more of the music! Patrick and his dancers finally took the stage and were really great. (Here he is as "Billie Jean").