David's hands were backwards for the camera but we had a pic to document the big day. And how did this wonderful man and father want to celebrate this momentous occasion? A favorite dinner? A baseball game? Time alone? No - he wanted his boys to have fun. He is such a gem.
We went to the Mine Shaft and had a huge pizza - Paul, Richie, Ben (nephew), David, Gage and yours truly. The boys had a blast. The "birthday" special included 25 tokens for each of them. Then we went to Cabellas to look around. David and I had never been there so it was fun. Each boy got 4 tokens upon arrival which they immediately deposited into the rifle range. David actually hit a few targets ;). 
I love this man. He is so patient, loving and dedicated to this family. He always thinks of all of us before himself. Such a treasure. I love that he takes his role as spiritual leader in our home seriously. We are so blessed.
And how did his birthday begin? Waking up to the phone at 2:30 a.m. It was Mike - he was in severe pain. After spending a few hours in the ER in Fondy on Monday, Mike was still in pain and it was getting worse. Did Paul say, "No, wait it is my birthday?" or "Oh, no not again?" Absolutely not. He completely understood when I got in the car and headed directly to Madison.
After more testing it was determined that Mike had pleurisy. Some major pain medicine helped him hold up. CF and pleurisy - not a good combination. Thankfully the pain meds helped him endure the vest in hopes that his lungs will not get worse. Thank God that there are pain medicines now that are safe for CF patients to use.
All in all a memorable day! We ended the night with a little trip to Culver's for some birthday ice cream - Paul with his birthday coupon ready, of course!
Happy 50th Paul!! April 6, 1960
