It’s hard to beat Dave’s Sushi in Bozeman, Montana for a great sushi meal. This platter was created for Bob & me and our grandson, Nick (and Celine) when they were here last Thanksgiving.
Knowing how much Bob & I relish sushi at Dave’s, our Daughter #2, Laina, sent us a gift certificate for a meal there to celebrate our 60th anniversary. What a thoughtful present! Bozeman is an hour’s drive from Ennis (where we live), so we don’t go there every day – not even every week. But, we had a dental and a doctor’s appointment there yesterday, so we went to Dave’s afterward.
If we look like we’re happy, it’s because we are!
You can count on their specials being wonderful!
Cheers!
Dave’s has a varied menu, a good wine list (that’s what I chose – a house white – while Bob had a cold and refreshing beer), great service, and a friendly, lively ambiance. We are blessed to have this restaurant in our part of the world. Laina told me she was hungry for sushi after she saw our photos, but she doesn’t have a sushi place in the Baltimore area that’s as good as this one in Bozeman!
We began with shrimp as our appetizer. It was delicious!
Our Alaskan King Crab sushi roll was wonderful!!
When my California grandkids were little, I used to take them to lunch every Wednesday while I gave their mom (who home-schooled all four of them) a break. Sushi was one of their favorite places to go… and they called those orange fish eggs “Poppies” because they popped in their mouths when they ate them. I always think of Sam, Hope, Jordan & Faith when I eat sushi rolls with “poppies” on them! This one was as yummy as it looks!
My sister, Sally, used to love to take my grandkids (her nieces & nephews) to lunch, too. It was Jordan’s choice to go to sushi. Sam always liked Burger King! (Don’t ask me why he’s looking so serious in this photo! He’s usually more like that picture upper left where he is smiling big with his sister, Hope)
Bob & I are both particularly fond of sushi. He was not a fan initially… and would order some kind of rice bowl instead (Dave’s does have other choices). However, as the years have gone by, he has become wiser! Ah yes, he loved our lunch at Dave’s yesterday as much as I did!
I had passion fruit sorbet for dessert. Bob chose the mango. He liked mine better! Hah! So did I.
Here we are with Laina.
Thank you, Laina, for your very tasty, and very thoughtful gift!
So, my WP friends, tell me, do you relish sushi?
Do you have a good restaurant in your area where you can go and celebrate a special occasion like we did?
What is your favorite choice of meal?
See ya tomorrow (God willing). Thanks for visiting JanBeek today.
As promised, here is the way our 60th anniversary day ended. We took three friends with us physically (and dozens with us in our hearts) to Pompey Grill in the Sacajawea Inn & Hotel in Three Forks to enjoy an evening of thanks and fellowship and good food.
It’s a beautiful hotel.
BW, Ed & Maria helped us celebrate our 60th. BW and Ed were both soooo helpful during this recent move in and out of our house while the floor was being done!
We had already enjoyed a shrimp hors d’oeuver and a glass of wine and we were digging in to our meals when I remembered – oh yes, DeAna wanted me to be sure and take photos of us at the restaurant and the food we ate… so here are a few of our plates:
For Christmas this year our son, Ty, and his wife, Monika, gave me this book.
The back cover has a an explanation of the author’s purpose.
Each day David Jeremiah, (the author of Turning Point another devotional I have been following for years), selects a scripture, and reflects on it.
Today’s reflection was especially meaningful to me:
It is trusting the Lord’s direction day by day in our lives together that has allowed Bob & me to remain ever faithful to one another for these 60 years!
This Friday we will celebrate our 60th anniversary.
This was last year on our 59th.
Here we are 60 years ago!
Yesterday we celebrated my granddaughter, Faith’s baby girl – due April 3rd – with a virtual baby shower. It was attended by about 20 friends from all over this part of our world – from Alaska and Hawaii to NY and across to CA – and states like ours (Montana) in between.
Our daughter-in-law, Monika (Faith’s mom) did a wonderful job researching ahead of time, planning, inviting, and coordinating the event. She linked in to an app that invited her to post a baby picture of the prospective mom as a baby and the prospective dad as a baby at the same age. Then the app blended the two parents and showed what the baby might look like if she favored the mom more. Another picture showed what she’ll look like if she favors dad’s side more.
Because Faith and Kyle actually resembled one another as babies, the two renditions were quite similar. That was fun!
Another activity had all the participants answering questions about the honored couple. The running scores were exhibited and the “winners” were awarded Amazon gift certificates. I didn’t participate in that… couldn’t figure out how to access the game screen! So much for technological prowess!! But folks who engaged had a lot of fun with it.
We were able see Faith & Kyle virtually unwrap each of their gifts, as each told us a little about the gift-giver… and because we were all on a ZOOM share screen, we could see each other. I was terribly impressed with Monika who was able to put all this together and move the activities along at a good pace.
My blog yesterday, “A Virtual Baby Shower,” showed you this expectant mom & dad. Here’s another photo of them:
Faith & Kyle McSparron
I know you join me in wishing them a happy, healthy pregnancy. Of course, I will share pictures of their baby girl with you when she is born in April.
Meantime, my prayer for them is that they remain “ever faithful” to one another – and are loving, devoted parents when their new little bundle arrives. God bless Faith & Kyle!!
Bee well my friends. Thanks for visiting JanBeek. I’ll see you tomorrow (God willing) What are your Tuesday plans?
Hugs to you!
Oh, before I say good-bye, Here’s a tribute to this age-old tradition: marriage!!
Have you had a worry today? Something you have no control over? I have!
My daughter, DeAna, in Switzerland had surgery this morning. When I went to bed last night, I prayed to God.
“Take care of my girl, God. Be with the surgeon. Guide the anesthesiologist. Make the results perfect. Keep the whole process in Your capable hands!”
I set aside worry. I slept soundly after giving it to God. This morning DeDe sent me a text. “It all came out ok. I am fine!”
Praise God for answered prayers!
Do you turn your worries over to God in prayer? Then, do you remember to thank our Heavenly Father when the things and people you pray for turn out OK?
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Every day I sit in my rocker up in my sanctuary and I pray for my family and friends. I pray for my neighbors and my church friends, I pray for my pastor, my cousins who live in other states, my son and daughter and their families, and I pray for you, my Word Press friends.
If I have know specific needs (like DeAna’s surgery this morning), I will make my requests specific. But most of the time I just ask God, “Please take care of these beloved people. You know their needs. Be with them, Lord.”
Like a river cutting through rock. my prayers are tenacious. I know God hears my prayers. I know the Holy Spirit speaks to me and reminds me of the people I need to remember. I know God expects me to be persistent in prayer. I am inspired by the way Jesus prayed.
This painting of Jesus praying sits in front of me in my sanctuary. So, as I pray, I know Jesus intercedes for me. I know He hears and He models prayer for me.
Luke 6:12
“It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.”
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Prayers for Yourself
Not all prayers are for others. Sometimes we need to pray for ourselves. We need to ask God to provide for our needs and we need to thank God for the way He provides.
Bob and I will celebrate our 60th anniversary next February. Every day I pray to God for Bob’s health and safety and I thank God for sending him into my life. Every day I spend with him as my partner is an answered prayer.
Every day our lives are blessed by the power of what love can do. Our love grows richer year after year. Are you so blessed, too?
We are grateful for the love we share and the way our friends and family love us in return.
Thank you, friends. Thank You, God… for answered prayer!!
We found a love only few ever find.
If life should end tomorrow, I’d leave this earth a millionaire – Because every day with you, my dear, Is a day of answered prayer.
I love you, BobbyBee.
What answered prayer is your “million dollar gift” my friends?
Happy 59th Anniversary today to my sweetheart, Bob, my life’s partner!!
February 11, 1962
Bob & his brother, Bill… The week when we first met… What a ham!!
While we were dating, and engaged, I was bridesmaid in Bob’s sister, Bonnie’s wedding.
Our engagement was “trying times”
Bob & I both have a deep faith. It was God who put us together. It was our faith and prayer that kept us together. During our engagement, he was in Germany, in the army. I was in college, wanting to enjoy college life. I broke up with him. But, God knew we belonged together. He made sure we got back together again! (Thank You, God!) And He helped us stick it out all these years through good times and bad. I’m so grateful!!
In the car – after the wedding – headed for the reception
We were married nearly three years before I became pregnant
There’s DeDe and Ty with Bob – -blowing out his birthday candles
Our children, Ty & DeAna, have been such a blessing in our lives. Thank You, God, for the gift of these children!! During our early married years (after the first 8 months in Germany), we lived in Turlock (for a year) and then San Francisco and San Mateo. Bob worked for Shell Oil and then went back to college (San Francisco State). He earned his teaching credential and then coached wrestling and taught Driver’s Ed at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, CA.
Bob curled his hair when he became a beekeeper in the 70’s. We had lots of fun on weekends in the winter going skiing together.
We moved from the Bay Area back to the San Joaquin Valley in CA. Bob took over his Dad’s beekeeping business when his father retired. Did you know that beekeepers with hair that is close their head (hair that gets greasy or sweaty) are targets for bee stings? With a perm, the bees couldn’t get to the scalp.
You ask why he didn’t just wear a hat like most beekeepers do? Bob hates wearing a hat! He didn’t wear protective gloves either. Those are topics for another day!
I was teaching in Hughson, Ceres, and Modesto, CA in those days.
Then I moved into administration for a dozen years. Principal and Curriculum Coordinator
Time passed. Gray hair started to change our appearance!
We both claim we were the one who loved the most!!
After retirement, we were able to travel. I dyed my hair for awhile before I learned to embrace the gray. (That’s a good topic for another day)
Our Daughter, De
In 1987, our daughter, DeAna, married Andre’, a Swiss (the first cousin of our AFS exchange student).
She wore my wedding dress 25 years after I did!
I have written about De & Andre’s fairy tale story in the past. She moved to Switzerland when our first grandchild was “in the hopper.” That was nearly 30 years ago! Every other year we would go to visit them (so, no, we didn’t really wait ’til retirement to travel … we just got to do more of it after Bob left beekeeping and we moved here to Montana).
Thank you, Diana Housel, for this gorgeous photo of our dear Montana!!
This is the village of Vissoie, Switzerland where DeDe and Andre’ live now. Andre’ and De have three boys. Our Swiss grandsons are Mike, Nick & Chris. We hope to travel there this October to spend time with them. Virus, be gone!!!
You will recall, they have a restaurant there! We NEED to go and see it in person!!
Our Son, Ty
Our son, Ty, blessed our family in 1989 by marrying his sweetheart, Monika. The two of them adopted four children. Sam, Hope, Jordan & Faith are young adults now. I’ve written about them here on my blog. Our lives are so enriched by this extended family. Ty & Moni live in CA, near Lake Tahoe. This picture of them was taken of them at our youngest granddaughter, Faith’s wedding. We hope to travel to CA to be with them this year in June. Virus be gone!!
Pleeeease God, help us be able to travel to CA in June! I need to see my darling great-granddaughter, Cosette!
Life is Full
Life is full of love and joy and promises for a bright tomorrow. We have so much for which to be grateful. We know we are blessed to have one another and to have lived into our 80s and remained married to that same partner for nearly 60 years.
Embrace Marriage, my friends! And EMBRACE YOUR LIFE’S PARTNER if you are fortunate as I am to have one!
Today, February 11, 2021, our 59th anniversary, starts our 60th year of marriage, doesn’t it? When a baby turns one, they are starting their 2nd year on earth. Yes, that’s the way it works! Sixty years with one life partner!! I am extremely blessed!
With God every day is full of simple delights and unexpected joys.
Couples that pray together, stay together. And it helps to do other things together, too!
On Super Bowl Sunday, we had a Pizza Party. We made our pizza together. Turned out pretty well! We plan to keep on doing things together as long as the Good Lord allows…
The road is long… and We’ve come a long way together.
With God’s grace and blessings, we will continue to travel this road of life together for many more years to come. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future… and we let Him lead us.
Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart Bob. I love you! Wherever you lead me, I will follow… I’ll go with you, with you, all the way!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. Have a blessed February 11th. See ya tomorrow.
Faithful is a Yellowstone moose. He’s 14 years old! When our granddaughter, Faith, was about 10 years old, she visited us here in Montana. As a family, we visited Yellowstone Park. She and her three siblings each were given a little money to select a souvenir from the gift shop. As kids typically do, they chose something for themselves. But, Faith was not typical. She selected this moose – and gave it to me as a present … a thank you for their visit.
Today is Faith and her husband, Kyle’s wedding anniversary. They were married a year ago. Faith is as thoughtful a young lady as she was as a little ten-year-old. Every morning I say a special prayer for Faith and Kyle as I make my bed, and put “Faithful” back in his central place of honor in front of the pillows.
Fourteen years has taken its toll on Old Faithful. His hat is torn – and it was chewed a little by TazE when she was a puppy. But still, I cherish this little stuffed moose.
I tuck the torn hat in under his antler and ask the Lord,
“Please watch over Faith and Kyle. Tuck them under Your wings, O Lord, just as I tuck Faithful’s hat under his ear. Give them health and happiness, love and longevity. Keep them safe. And help them lean on Your love and their Faithfulness this day and every day. Amen.”
Happy 1st Anniversary, Faith and Kyle.
May they love with a universal love – always generous, compassionate, grateful and hopeful, brave and forgiving, proud and yet humble.
Here is Faith – on her wedding day – dancing with her dad, our son, Ty.
Do you have children? Or grandchildren? How about great-grandchildren? The most important gift you can give them is the gift of daily prayer.
God bless you, Faith and Kyle. And both our children and their families. Yes, we are so blessed. Thank You, God, for You are always FAITHFUL!
According to that post by Ann Kaplow,
learning how to be brave includes:
following good role models,
feeling the fear and doing it anyway,
letting go of harsh judgments,
having faith in your process,
accepting all your feelings,
being kind to yourself and others,
carrying supportive people in your heart and mind,
committing to the here and now,
learning from everything, and
telling your story authentically.
Looking to the Son for Bravery
For me,
learning to be brave also includes daily asking God to free me from:
cowardice in the face of danger
weakness, knowing His power is at hand
anxiety about tomorrow,
bitterness toward anyone,
laziness from work,
failure before opportunity, and
doubt, when His assurances are mine.
For you,
looking within for the courage that’s there,
looking up for the support that’s yours, and
stepping out in faith … will start you on the path
To the Success You Seek
Step out in faith today. Accomplish more than you dreamed possible. What’s one of those goals you intend to bravely tackle?
I sent a Happy 30th Anniversary card
off to our son and daughter-in-law today.
Some goals don’t take courage at all;
they just take getting off your butt and doing ’em.
Happy Anniversary, Ty & Monika. I know you are bravely tackling several tasks today. Just putting one foot in front of the other takes courage some days.
And Happy 57th Anniversary (58 in February) to Bob & me – as we enjoy this 80th year of our lives – and celebrate our togetherness – and thank God for our health
Jan & Bob – How’d ya do it?
How do couple stay together so long?
That’s a question Bill & Marge were asked at our granddaughter, Faith’s wedding when the 4 Beekman couples were the last ones left on the dance floor after the disk jockey (DJ) said, “All couples married less than 55 years sit down.”
Wow! Here we were… eight old farts still standing, still dancing, still together.
Marge Beekman’s answer was, “Never go to bed mad at each other.”
Bill Beekman was asked for his answer. He said, “I agree with Marge.“
The DJ said, “Did you see that? Did you hear that? He let her answer first and then he just agreed with her. There’s the secret to a long married life!”
Are There Other Secrets?
Well, if he had asked me, “How have you stayed together for 57 years?” I would have answered with not just one, but TEN ideas! (He would have had to cut me off!)
These ideas have worked for us in our long marriage – and have contributed to my ability to tell you, “We’re not just still together, but I love him more today than I did the day we married.”
What Are the Tips for Longevity in Relationships?
Pray together – make the Lord central in your relationship – ask Him to guide your days and help you with every decision. Listen for His Holy Spirit to speak to you and help you as you walk daily in His Will to the best of your abilities.
Give each other space – you are a couple, but you are also people with your own ideas, your own needs, and your own agendas. Allow each other the right to make individual decisions and keep your own identities bright and alive. We even have separate checking accounts. As long as the household needs are met, I don’t have to account to him for every penny of my retirement money that I spend… and likewise, his retirement play money is his to play with as he chooses. Give each other individual freedoms!!
Listen to one another – really hear! Care about what the other thinks and find out why he/she really believes that. Never stop learning from one another.
Go to church together – find a worship community and cultivate their friendships. We are Christians – and we want you to be able to see that in our love for one another and our love for YOU. “They will know we are Christians by our love ❤ ” is not just a song we love to sing, but a life we strive to live. Our Christian friends are our support system, our help in time of need, our prayer partners. There is no friend like the long-term friends you make under the cross of Jesus!
Play together – you may each have your own idea of what “fun” is (He fishes, I don’t. I love movies & popcorn, he doesn’t. He skis, I don’t. I go to Writer’s Group each Friday, he doesn’t. He loves yard work … or at least does it masterfully, I don’t. I love to volunteer at the Sr. Center, the Medical Center, help seniors in need, he doesn’t.) You get the idea. But we love to go riding on the Montana mountain trails with friends in our ATV – and we love entertaining friends in our home, hosting over-nighters for a week or a month or even a year in our home. We love going out to Dave’s Sushi or enjoying a BBQed dinner with fine wine at home. The idea is, find your areas of commonality and play happily together!
Treasure and Appreciate One Another – Bob’s nickname for me (he has many, but my favorite ) is “Precious.” I appreciate his expressions of love and affection and his readiness to show appreciation. He often comments on things like, “My, you look pretty today!” or “I like the way you added that spice to the ______ (fill in the blank) for dinner tonight.” In return I try not to take for granted his beautiful yard work or the delicious waffles he makes for breakfast or his warm and plentiful hugs. Thank you is such an important word in any relationship!
Love One Another – even when you don’t Like each other! None of us is perfect. We often do things to “piss each other off!” It could be something as simple as leaving the toilet seat up or not putting the lid back on the toothpaste. Or it could be a major thing like staying out late without saying you were going to do so – and not calling to say where you are. Showing LOVE for one another is treating your partner the way you want to be treated and expressing yourself clearly without anger (if possible) when your expectations are not met. Loving is compromising and not always expecting things to go your way. Love is forgiving and trying NOT to be the annoying one in the relationship!
Be Kind and Compassionate – Yes, we all make mistakes. We do stupid things. We say things we wish we could take back. When we are at our worst, that’s when we need kindness most. It’s when our partner is at his/her worst that we find it most difficult to be kind in return. But harshness begets hatred and ugliness begets violence. Our response is crucial. Of course, there are caustic relationships that are unhealthy and are not meant to be sustained. No one is called to be a doormat. My heart goes out to those who are in relationships with those who inflict mental or physical abuse. Especially when help is offered, but refused. Sometimes leaving is the most loving option. Kindness/Compassion is a two-way street!
Trust! – Without mutual trust, the relationship is doomed! My husband, Bob’s ski buddy is Nancy. She is a 50-something dynamo who is a ball of energy and fun. She’s a fantastic skier and loves to do those double diamond runs – just like Bob does. If I didn’t trust Bob, I could be jealous of the time they spend together on the slopes and I could conjure up all sorts of images of what I think might or might not be happening. But, Bob & I always have lived with mutual trust – and so instead of worrying, I treasure Nancy’s friendship, too. I love getting together whenever we can with her and her fun-loving husband, Dan. In fact, she’s the one I told you about a few days ago when I said I wanted to adopt a Daughter #4. You gotta trust – and in that confidence enjoy a multitude of friendships and a plethora of opportunities you might miss otherwise!
Respect! – It’s the bottom line. Without mutual respect, you may as well call it a day NOW. I have been around couples where one of them is so disrespectful to his/her partner that it smells up the room. The air is so caustic, you don’t want to be within ten miles of ’em. You want to shake ’em and wake ’em up to what they are doing to one another – or what one is doing to the other. But, rarely does intervention help. You sigh, shake your head, and vow not to ever do that to YOUR loved one. That’s a vow worth keeping if your relationship is worth having! ALWAYS show respect to your partner… and while you’re at it, respect yourself. God don’t make no junk … you’re a treasure!
JanBeek 