I love surprises!
Well, the good ones, at least. And last weekend was one of the best surprises I have ever been given. My sweet husband, knowing how much I wanted to attend the annual Fritchen Family Reunion (of which I am a 'card carrying member' ha ha), surprised me with tickets to attend! So we spent 4 days in the land of 'Cheese, Kringle and Green Bay Packers' and soaked up as much family time as we possibly could!
If you are my friend on Facebook you've no doubt already seen the following photo's, and more, because I already posted them in an album. But these few that I am posting here deserve a bit of explanation, so without further adieu, here we go...
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This is my Daddy.
He was born in 1935 in Whitewater, Wisconsin.
He was the best father in the world to me. Once he drove from Denver to Pueblo, Colorado, just to bring me a little black kitten for my birthday. Although it may not seem like much, it meant the world to me!
Daddy loved fishing and camping, working on cars (he was a mechanic), and spoiling us kids (my siblings and I) with love and ice cream.
We lost him in 1991, and he's been sorely missed. I was blessed to be able to visit his final resting place in the Waldo Cemetery.
I don't have many pictures of him, and in fact, I have none of him and I together, so I asked my husband to take a picture of me and Daddy together. This is it. Love you Daddy!
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I'd like to introduce you to 'Scary Doll'!
No, I'm not kidding. This is the name the doll was given by my cousins, I was informed, due to the fact that her little wooden eyes move and often roll back in her head. In fact, when I mentioned that I saw Scary Doll to them at the Reunion they all shuddered and couldn't believe I even wanted a picture of her! ha ha. In fact, I had to convince my Aunt Mary to hold the doll close in the picture, she wanted me to take a picture of it at arm's length!
In reality she was the doll of my Great-Aunt Kathryne Eugenie Casson. Here's a picture of the two of them. We think the date this photo was taken was in 1908 or 1909, since she was born in 1906. The doll was made in 1899 and my Aunt thinks it was a Floradora Doll, which I am researching at the moment.
At any rate, 'Scary Doll' is now, officially, 117 years old! She's in amazing condition, with a wooden body and a bisque head. I was so happy to actually get to see her!
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We were so blessed to have spent time with some family members besides the Fritchens. Here's just a few pictures I wanted to highlight...
These lovely people are my husband's sister and her family! They live in the area and we were able to spend an evening with them catching up!
This is my Uncle Marshall, Aunt Joan, and cousin Pauline. He's my Daddy's brother. I was incredibly blessed to have been able to visit with them!
This is my Uncle Gil & Aunt Mary, and Aunt Ellen. Like me, Aunt Ellen traveled in for the Reunion. I also managed to see my cousins, Cindy and Tony, and his better half, Elsa.
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Finally, I'd like to introduce you to a few people who are no longer with us, but are still very much loved and missed!
My Grandparents...Clarence and Marjorie. Unfortunately, I didn't know my Grandpa, he passed when I was just a baby, in 1971, but my Grandmother was a permanent, much loved fixture in my life! In fact, my Daddy's parents both died before I was born, so my sweet Olama was my only grandparent, and she spoiled me!
I wish I had more room to write about her, but it would take volumes to express all that she meant to me. She passed in 2009, and I was blessed to have spent some time with her in 2008, just months before she went on home. She now resides in West Lawn Cemetery, with my Grandpa.
This is my beloved Uncle Clarence and his wife, Aunt Sue. They found love late in life, but what they had was amazing! I didn't know my Aunt Sue as well as I wanted to, they lived too far away, but from all that I've been told she was a wonderfully sweet companion to a man who was an important part of my life.
Uncle Clarence was my Godfather, and the life of the party! When he came to visit he brought laughter and fun and wacky gifts. 
Here's my favorite picture of him...it was at a Fritchen Family Reunion, one of the few I remember from my childhood. Love you Uncle!
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Just a quick mention...this is the chair that my Grandmother had when she was a little girl! My Aunt Mary had it tucked away. It's hard to imagine my Grandma actually sitting on this, but what a treasure!
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In closing, I'd like to leave you with one more highlight. My hubby not only surprised me with tickets to Wisconsin, but for the first time we flew 1st Class! What a treat! For breakfast we were given Greek Yogurt with Granola and a Blueberry Muffin, other meals included a Cheese and Cracker Plate, and warm, gooey, chocolate chip cookies! They gave us non-stop drinks and warm towels to wash our hands, and along with the leg room it was awesome! If you've never flown 1st Class you should at least once in your life, it's a great way to fly!
So in closing, I'm going to leave you with one last picture. My hubby and I on the plane getting ready to come home. Be blessed my friends!
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