The European Conspiracy

Okay, I have to finally get caught up on what has been going on around here. I have finally recovered from the shock of my life. You see, I have discovered that there has been a conspiracy going on under my own roof! My dear, sweet, loving wife has been harboring a secret for oh, I really don't know how long, but she was involved in a foreign conspiracy! She has been collaborating with a European couple in a plot to, well, I may as well tell you straight out, she and this European couple have been plotting to MESS WITH MY MIND!!!!

Well, you see, its like this; Anna and Doug, my sister and her husband who live in Germany, apparently collaborated with my wife, Anna, to surprise me for my birthday. The plot was perfectly executed on Saturday, October 25th. I had just gotten home from assisting at a funeral and I was pretty tired, so I lay down in the TV room to watch something mindless. As I was drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness, I was pretty sure Anna was on the sofa and I was laying on the floor, when I heard a strumming sound coming from my guitar in the dining room. I thought to myself, "That's strange, Jasper has never bothered my guitar before. I hope he stops because I don't feel like getting up to stop him." Just then, a figure strolled into the TV room, and once I realized it was my sister Anna from Germany, all I could blurt out was "WOW!!" I think I may have said, "What are you doing here?!" About the next forty minutes or so is just a blur, because I was recovering from shock and just said "wow" a lot. Anna and Doug confessed that they had been plotting this little side excursion for quite a while, with the full collaboration of my wife, and even my cousin in Eden Prairie was in on the plot. Yes, I am the victim of a full-blown European-American conspiracy. However, it is humbling to realize that people love you so much that they would go to this much trouble to show you. I am humbled and grateful.

This little plot meant that the celebration of my 50th birthday started a week earlier than I had anticipated, and Anna (my wife) went all out. She had ordered a cake, purchased decorations, and, while I was showing Anna and Doug around the area, (I don't exactly remember what we were doing, but I think it was while we were antique shopping in Fulda) Anna got the whole house decorated for a party. When we returned home there was a banner, the table was covered with a colorful tablecloth, balloons, a centerpiece, a cake, and a delicious roast dinner all prepared in my honor. I can only say now that I truly appreciate and I am deeply humbled and grateful for my wife, and my sister and her husband for all they have done for me. We partied all evening on Reformation Sunday, but I don't think we mentioned Martin Luther once. Of course, I had mentioned him quite a bit at church that morning, so he was well remembered.

Thanks to these lovely people, I now have a cuckoo clock hanging in the living room, and a little bit of Germany sings to me on the half hour. It is a beautiful clock, and every half hour I get a little reminder of how much my family loves me. I am truly blessed.

Now, one of the side benefits of having my sister and my wife in the same place is that they both like to take pictures. So now I have some fresh pictures I can share with you about things around here.


Along with antique shopping in Fulda, we showed Anna and Doug the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, about a 40 minute drive from here. In these pictures you can see that they have an interactive exhibit that includes dressing up in hats. You can also see that the conspirators are quite happy with themselves, and are even willing to get a nearby buffalo involved in their shenanigans! What fun! Blogged by Don