Mosaic Monday #67: Feelin' the Love

Hand-made card from Dear Neighbor Friend

I am not an attention seeker.  More often, I can be found in the background, working diligently.  Given a choice between entertaining a sizeable gathering or a cup of coffee with a close friend, the one-on-one chit-chat would win every time.  But everyone wants to feel special occasionally, particularly when that occasion is one's birthday!!!  This year, my birthday coincided with the last weekend of Whitefish Winter Carnival, and due to my responsibilities associated with the Carnival, I was not going to be home for much of the weekend.  With that in mind, my Dear Neighbor Friend (DNF) stopped by a couple of days earlier to drop off my birthday present.

In the days leading up to my birthday, she made a point of telling me that my presents would not be items to gather dust, so I alternated between laughing and crying when I removed the tissue paper from the bag and saw the pile of cinnamon buns, as well as the ingredients for sausage gravy and biscuits.  She sure knows the way to my heart (it's through my stomach)!

When I could finally tear my eyes from the delicious food, I quickly became overwhelmed by the hand-made card.  DNF drew her inspiration from flip books that she created with her students, but the rest of it reflects my life.  I was so touched.  

Each page of the card has a picture and a phrase that finishes the sentence.

And the sentences build upon one another.  The full card says:

This is the neighbor that skis and kayaks, emails and walks, hikes and visits

with the wife

that loves the husband

that feeds the kids

that adore the cat

that ignores the bird

that flits in the trees

behind the home

that Neal built.

Isn't it just incredibly clever and adorable?  DNF - thank you for the wondrous start to my birthday!

The next day, the Whitefish Winter Carnival weekend began in earnest.  The Carnival, now in its 61st year, has a storied tradition that includes royalty, Yetis, Viking Divas, penguins and much more.  (You can read more about the legend here.)  Each year, a button is designed to represent the chosen Carnival theme.  My role in the Carnival involved the design and sale of the buttons. With a theme of The Roaring 2020's, the button featured the classic gold-on-black, art deco, Gatsby-esque look.  

The Friday night Gala is a significant fund-raiser for the Carnival, and attendees come dressed in keeping with the Carnival theme.  A button is required for entry, so I manned the door to sell buttons to anyone that didn't already possess one.  It was the ideal spot to see everyone in their full 2020's regalia!  As most readers know, Spousal Unit and I never miss an opportunity to dress up, and this was no exception!

Carnival Weekend reaches its peak with the Grand Parade on Saturday afternoon.  Whitefish Mountain Resort sponsors a float, and since it is populated by Mountain Ambassadors, Spousal Unit and I were in the Parade!  

Spousal Unit (center) with two other Ambassadors, waiting for parade to

start.  Float - "Hellroaring Speakeasy"-  is on the left

For the record, I do not own any furs.  The fur and 

stole were loaned to me by the mother of one of

the Ambassadors

It has been at least 35 years since I was in a parade, and I forgot how much fun it is.  Hundreds of people throng the sidewalks.  The kids are poised to pounce on the candy that scatters along the pavement as if Johnny Appleseed was sowing it.  Parents keep one hand on the kids and one eye on the entertainment passing by - an almost impossible albeit admirable feat.  Everyone gets into the spirit, waving and shouting and pretending to be a gangster or a flapper.  For our efforts, some of us get our pictures in the paper!  Now, is that a birthday present or what?

In between all of this frivolity, I was fulfilling my normal duties as an Ambassador, including skiing tours on the mountain.  Suffice it to say that I was pretty exhausted by the time the end of the parade rolled around.

It was delightful to return home, shower and throw on my pajamas. In some cases, this was the first opportunity to read birthday texts and listen to phone greetings that had come in during the day. Several birthday cards also awaited me, adding to the warm, well-loved feeling.

I slept well.  I might have dreamed about Yetis breaking into the speakeasy and kidnapping us, but if I did, I don't remember it.  What I do recall is that Head Chef brought me breakfast in bed.  One of my favorite breakfast meals - smoked salmon with caper sauce - served on toast, it was accompanied by breakfast potatoes and steaming coffee.  Aaahhhh.  Now my birthday was complete.

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
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