Today we celebrated Grandpa’s 90th Birthday with – what else? – a family barbecue at the park.
When I was growing up family get-together’s were a monthly thing. Now that I’m an adult (as are pretty much all of the cousins, except for the few stragglers), they’re limited to more like twice a year.
But Herzog family parties have that way of enveloping me in that hazy security of childhood. Tonight was no different.
Of course, the best part of any family party is arguably the food: Uncle Bob’s baked beans, Aunt Linda’s potato salad, and Aunt Sandra’s Barf Salad (which, after 8 years I still can’t convince Wyatt to try. SO YUMMY!)
Tonight was a *special* treat. As it was Grandpa’s 90th birthday, he felt inspired to gather his family. I commented afterward that it reminded me of Lehi gathering his posterity. Wyatt said “I thought it was more like King Mosiah – I’ve taught you, I’ve given you an example, it ain’t comin’ back on me! My hands are clean of you!”
It was that too.
The best part was when, after 15 minutes of rambling (if you live to be 90, you’re entitled to a captive audience for at least 15 minutes), he finally SEEMED to be closing up his remarks, and said: I’ve been most grateful in my life for (grandpa chokes up, words become indiscernible for half a second) my horse Chino. Another five minutes of tearful rambling about Chino. At that point I had to bury my head in my hands and laugh. Chino is the stuff of legends in the Herzog family . . . as you can see. Just don’t ask my mom about him.
Love Herzog family parties.
