02-07-25

Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - February 7, 2025

No-surprise surprise party!

When I turned 70 in 2023, husband Art and some others had arranged a surprise party for me in Topeka. The germ of the plan had come from my sister Gaila. Then, in an unhappy turn of events, she was exposed to Covid and so, was unable to attend.

Last month, my little sister hit the big 7-0! Arranging a surprise party for her wouldn't be in the cards as she lives in Bolivia and the logistics would have been a nightmare. But then, she and hubby Humberto decided to come to the States. Her two girls wanted to throw her a surprise party, but they knew trying to keep it a secret would be impossible.

Well, there are no-bake cookies, so I guess one can have a no-surprise surprise party!

Her January 11 celebration was at her daughter Larisa and son-in-law Keenan's home in Kansas City - less than a week after a winter storm dropped 16 inches of snow across a wide swath of Kansas, Missouri, and other states in the mid-section of the country.

Gaila, Humberto, their other daughter Gabriela, and Gabriela's daughter Emilia flew in from Washington, D.C. Brother Dave and his companion Marilyn drove from Salina to Manhattan and then joined us for the remainder of the trip.

The D.C. travelers were concerned their flight would be affected by the thousands of cancellations, but it wasn't. We were afraid roads and streets might still be treacherous, but crews had cleared most major routes and had done the best they could to make city streets passable. Parking along the snow-filled edges was a bit challenging, but doable.

We arrived at the same time as daughter Mariya, her wife Miriam, and their almost-6-months-old daughter Diana. Art’s daughter Karen came soon after. We had to navigate the mounds of piled-up snow along the curbs and icy patches on the street and sidewalks, before making it safely inside.

Larisa, Keenan, Gaila, Humberto, and Gabriela greeted us warmly. At age 2, Emilia wasn't quite sure what to think of all the strangers. Gaila's college roommate Stacey and her husband Jim arrived a short time later.

Diana's lip quivered at the sight of so many unfamiliar faces, but she settled down quickly after eating and resting in a carrier on her mom's chest.

It was the first time we three siblings had been together for more than a year. It's always fun to spend time with the two people who have known me longer than anyone else in the world. And having our extended families and friends there, too, was just icing on the proverbial cake.

Larisa and Gabriela had prepared platters of cheese and crackers, deviled eggs, fruit salad, sandwiches, and other goodies, including Gaila's favorite desserts - DoubleStuf Oreos and Girl Scout "Thin Mints." The girls had a friendly competition going as to which sandwich people liked better - the turkey and Swiss or the ham and cheddar - both topped with a butter-garlic-parsley mix. I thought they were both delicious!

After we ate, Gabriela began a trivia game to see which one of us knew the most about Gaila.

I won the game, with Dave coming in a close second. Gaila told me later she would have been disappointed had I not won! We were born only 16 months apart and have always been each other's confidante and best friend.

Everyone then settled in for reminiscing and catching up. Gaila shared that she had brought boxes of chocolates, but while in D.C., Gabriela didn't have room in her refrigerator for them. So they put them in the cool garage. While the candy had been intended as belated Christmas presents, it seems much of it proved to be a gift to a local squirrel that made its way into the garage.

Latecomers to the party were Tom, Nedy and Christopher from our hometown of Burns. They had been delayed because Christopher, their pilot son, was giving a lesson at Jabara Airport in Wichita. We have known Tom and his family since we were little. His older brother Charlie and Dave were best friends and classmates.

As we chatted, Emilia moved from person to person, handing out felt pieces of "food" from a book her great-aunt Hilda gave her. She must have understood Art's taste as she gave him all the French fries! At times, she seemed curious about her second-cousin Diana, getting close, only to turn away and direct her attention to harassing one of Larisa and Keenan's cats.

We all sang "Happy Birthday" when Larisa brought in the angel-food cake - Gaila's favorite - with lit "7" and "0" candles. Topping options were ice cream or whipped cream.

We later gathered for photos of every imaginable grouping of those assembled.

There was the possibility of freezing rain and no one wanted to deal with that, so all too soon, it was over. I rode back to Manhattan with Mariya and Miriam, allowing this grandma some additional time with Diana. Gaila joined Dave, Marilyn and Art on the ride back to Manhattan, where the Salina pair picked up their car to head home. Humberto, Gabriela and Emilia returned to D.C. the next day.

Gaila has been with Art and me ever since. While we all enjoyed her birthday, I think the extended time with my little sister was a great gift to me - and that is really no surprise either!