Grandpa and Grandma: "Happiness is a state of activity"-Aristotle

“Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.”
Albert Schweitzer

Happiness is like jam, (or frosting)

you can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself.

As many of you know,

(thanks to your postcards, 130 and still counting) I turned 60 this year.

Now that could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the way you look at it.

After a very brief self evaluation (pity party) I suddenly realized that I was happy, truly happy, and that getting old wasn't such a bad thing after all. My being happy didn’t mean that everything was perfect. It meant that I had decided to look beyond the imperfections. The wrinkles, the bad eye sight and the inability to leap tall buildings.

My happiness didn’t come as a result of getting something I didn’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what I do have. Which is far more than I deserve!

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
George Bernard Shaw

For my milestone birthday I wanted to shake things up a bit so instead requesting my traditional German Chocolate birthday cake I wanted to celebrate "despicable me"
with minion cupcakes.

Thanks to the efforts of creative artists, Elder and Sister Gordon and my sweet companion, Elder Busath, the cupcakes turned out even better than I had imagined.

“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.

It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.”

When we arrived at the office bright and early the day of my birthday,

Sister Berry already had a minion decorated birthday cake

waiting for me as a surprise.

Success is not the key to happiness.

Happiness is the key to success.

If you love what you are doing, (and we do) you will be successful.

Monday night was our Senior District Meeting and it was my turn to be celebrated.

So after a slightly off key rendition of "Happy Birthday" by my favorite Senior Missionaries, a brief lesson from the General Conference May 2014 issue of the Ensign, and the sharing of missionary moments, we all enjoyed the minion cupcake of our choice accompanied by a big scoop of ice cream-priceless!

“Happiness is something that comes into our lives through doors

we don’t even remember leaving open.”

Words cannot begin to express my appreciation for the outpouring of love and support I received from so many of you on my birthday.

So please forgive me if I simply state;

"thank you" because I am truly speechless!

I guess pigs really can fly...in Florida

“Happiness is a how; not a what. A talent, not an object.”

How can you not be happy to escape from a torrential Florida rainstorm and enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner at a silly place like this?

“Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness.”
Just me and a friend showing off my new "birthday suit".

On Saturday the Orlando Florida Hunter's Creek Stake scheduled a

Back to School Day of Service Project. Our Branch was assigned to perform service at the Chestnut Elementary School where we hold our Sunday church meetings.

We scrubbed and cleaned, weeded and tilled the raised gardens and even made welcome back to school packets and creative door hangings for each of the teachers to show our appreciation.

“If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap.’
If you want happiness for a day — go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.”
Chinese Proverb

Truly a "good old boy" establishment!

This wooden table is out front for the "regulars" and the chairs are actually propped against the table to keep strangers from making a big mistake in thinking that they are welcome to take a seat.

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
Winnie the Pooh

Elder and Sister Gordon invited us to join them for lunch at friend's Carl and Lovannah Griffis' restaurant, Griffis Cafe in Kenanville, following our service projects and if you know us by now we are always up for a new adventure.

Griffis café is a true deep south restaurant with menu selections that include; catfish, gator bites, swamp cabbage, frog legs and turtle.

Although we opted to stay on the safe side and ordered cheese burgers, we did try the swamp cabbage and it was surprisingly tasty.

“Optimism is a happiness magnet.

If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.”
Mary Lou Retton

After lunch we hit the road and since we "just happened to be in the neighborhood" we decided to stop by and meet Brother and Sister Folsom,

also friends of the Gordon's from the St. Cloud Ward.

The Folsom's own hundreds of acres that deer, cattle and wild turkeys call home, and they were kind enough to take us on an awesome tour and show us around.