Part 3: The Party (“Afterglow”)

Hello and welcome to today’s Wannaskan Almanac. Today is June 21st and this is part 3 of a trilogy titled: “50 laps around the Sun”.  

This is Paul’s wife, Carol. I’ve had to step in because, after two blogs, Paul and Antonin are done, spent, and empty; there’s no more juice to be squeezed from that lemon.

UGH!  There’s the next blog to write.  Again…UGH! The guys have left me with the proverbial “sink full of dishes to clean up” and 3 days to the deadline.

What am I going to do?

I know…I’ll call Kim!

(Carol Calling):  Ring….

(Carol Calling):  Ring….

(Answering): “Hello…”

(Carol):  Kim…I need your help!  Another blog has to be written in order to finish the trilogy.  How do you do this every week?  Again…UGH!

(Kim):  “Sure…I can help!

And with that we bring you the next installment of Kim’s BIG Birthday Bash: “50 Lap Around the Sun: Afterglow”  

The parties and celebrations have continued!  On the drive home, Kim got a FREE birthday coffee that was extra tall from Caribou. Then, the Hrubi family got TWO pizzas from Domino's to eat while driving and splurged on cinnamon twists for dessert!

On Monday, Kim went to Winnipeg for a few days for work. While there, Kim met a friend for dinner wearing a party dress (the same one worn when Kim, Lucie, and I went for birthday-day pedicures), high heels, and big earrings. She enjoyed a delicious meal of steak and shrimp, followed by red velvet cheesecake for dessert.

On Thursday, Kim was back home in Warroad, and the plan was to meet friends Catherine and Kathy at the Hampton Inn rooftop. When Kim showed up wearing her “Queen for a Day” dress from the parade: SURPRISE!  A group of loving friends from Toastmasters, the Wannaskan Almanac, and the community were there to celebrate Kim!  And eat MORE CAKE! (Cupcakes this time.) Kim loves surprises and loves being in community with others, so was grateful for the celebration.  The only regret is that she didn’t have the tiara and sash from the bike parade to wear at the celebration.

On Friday, it was time to visit the local grocery store and cash in on the free birthday popcorn coupon.  Kim decided on puppy chow popcorn. YUM!

On Saturday, Kim celebrated American democracy by attending the “No Kings March” in Thief River Falls.

On Sunday, even though it was Father’s Day and full attention was not on Kim, the celebration continued and there was MORE CAKE!  Kim’s daughter Lucie made a beautiful vanilla cake with strawberry filling and white frosting from scratch. YUM!

On the following Tuesday, Kim was spending time with others, and someone made the comment that one can feel a bit out of sorts 10 days after a big event.  That is when Kim realized that it had been 10 days since she turned 50, and she was feeling a bit out of sorts.  Maybe it was time to put the cake and ice cream down and get back to a normal routine of eating and sleeping?

Kim told me that she genuinely felt DELIGHT, LOVE, and CELEBRATION in the afterglow of turning 50. All her wishes came true and she is ready for the next decade.  Kim went on to say that she plans to embrace the next decade and wants to wear a dress, high heels, and BIG earrings everyday and make this the best decade yet!!  Kim loves her life and with the love and support of all of you in her community, there is no stopping her!

On a personal note, while writing this, I reflected back on the ‘Why’ mentioned back in part 1 of this trilogy.  As Paul said, we love Kim and her family, and we are grateful for their friendship and being a part of the extended Hrubi family.  Kim exudes such positivity into the world and values community.  Who wouldn’t want to celebrate that!  

Hug your peeps and make it a great Saturday!