If only life were like "Arrival"

In the Oscar-nominated movie Arrival, time is not chronological. Events are not experienced one after another, but rather synthesized and often simultaneous. I hope that's how Heaven is. Then I'll never have to miss anything.

But here on earth, the well-known statement "I can't be two places at the same time" couldn't be more true, a dilemma I faced this past weekend.

My brother was throwing an 80th birthday celebration for my mom, and of course, it was also the weekend of the long-awaited total solar eclipse. I didn't think much about that three months ago when I booked my flight to Portland to attend my mom's party, but as the date grew closer, I thought, "Dang, it would have been fun to go with Gerald up to Rexburg to view the eclipse." But more than that, we all wondered what travel might be like, as residents of Portland were warned to basically stay home, because going anywhere would be a challenge. The eclipse would be 99% in Portland, so while not quite totality, about as near as you could get without driving 45 minutes south to Salem.

Would traffic to and from the airport be miserable? Would my flights be on time? Most importantly, would we have to cancel our beach trip Sunday, as a result? I only get home to Portland about once a year, so when I do, I really, really want to see the ocean! I miss it. Almost as much as I miss the rain. I did not get even one drop of rain this time, but I did get to go to the ocean. Ahhhh. Here is a picture of my mom and my brother and me right out on the beach to prove it:

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The surprises began Friday night, when my brother picked me up at the airport, and we drove to my mom's house. That's right; she had no idea I was coming. Tom texted her to ask if he could stop by, and we just showed up at her door. I think she was pretty surprised. "How did this happen!? How did you do this!?"

Haha, on an airplane.

Saturday was the big bash as she became an octogenarian. Can you even believe that? Because I can't. My mom is young. How the heck can she be 80? When I told Isaiah I was going to Portland for her 80th birthday, he expressed my thoughts perfectly: "No! Grandma is not 80. That's ridiculous. She is a normal person that you can have a normal conversation with." Right Isaiah.

The party was a huge success. Tom decorated with balloons and banners and invited all her friends from her work, along with our family. His oldest daughter put together a video with each of his kids and each of my kids wishing her "Happy Birthday" and sharing their memories of Nanny/Grandma. (Tom's kids call her "Nanny" and mine call her "Grandma.") My personal favorite of all the messages was Eli singing "Happy Birthday" in Italian, but I may or may not be biased.

And of course if you're a Webster, the single most important element of any event is the food. So just look at these delicious pies made by my sister-in-law, Jacqueline.

Yep, chocolate cream and banana cream and both crazy delicious. It was such a treat to visit and catch up with Jacqueline after way too long, and she tells me the banana cream is "so easy." Indeed, I've heard that line many times, and it's rarely true, but I think I will at least try to make this because banana cream is Mathew's favorite pie, and Shulamith wouldn't get near a banana.

Sunday was beach day. We loaded into two cars and caravaned to Seaside for a day filled with fun, food, and fire. Highlights included riding the Tilt-A-Whirl (I LOVE that ride!) and eating an elephant ear. Dinner was yummy, and would have been delightful, except for a game my brother plays where he takes random, candid pictures of everyone and then sends them out on a group text thread. Ugh! Those who know me, know how I feel about candid photos. No way! If you want to take my picture, you give me fair warning so I can fix my hair and makeup, and then you count, "1-2-3." Duh. Taking frivolous, unplanned pictures and then sending them out to people is just wrong on so many levels.

The best part of the evening was the bonfire on the beach. These people are expert fire builders! Here are my cute nieces, Leslie, Katie, and Carley, getting started:

And just look at the result:

It was a cool evening, and the fire was warm and inviting. So much so that a passing mother with her six-year-old daughter (whose birthday it was) wandered over and asked to "borrow" some warmth against the cool ocean air. All I could think of was "My glowing fire, my loaf of bread, my roof's safe shelter overhead," as we gladly shared this lovely fire and made the little girl a birthday S'more.

It ended as quickly as it began. Before I knew it, Tom was driving me back to the airport early this morning. It's hard to say goodbye. So much of me would love to move back home. To my family. To the beautiful rain. To my many friends, all of whom I missed seeing this weekend because the visit was so brief.

Meanwhile, in Rexburg:

Gerald waited 38 years since the last total eclipse to see this one. And see it he did, up in Rexburg with Eli and Amanda. Was the whole thing as amazing as he thought it would be, I wanted to know:

"Awesome, with the stress on the 'awe.'"

As for me, I didn't really notice it. I think I was either riding Trax from the airport or walking home from the Trax station at its peak here. Maybe 93% just isn't that cool? It's an A-, so that seems good, but I didn't even notice a change in brightness. When I got home, I put on glasses and looked at it, just as the moon was at the very end of its pass with the sun. So I saw that. It was fine.

I guess we have to wait seven years to see the next one, and we'll have to travel south. Pretty far. Maybe we'll plan a trip down to Eli's mission to see it.

And so ends an eventful weekend. One day we will live in Heaven. And it will be like Arrival. And we won't miss anything. We will be able to attend birthday parties and total solar eclipses, in two different locations, at the same time.

And that will be truly awesome. For now, we'll settle for pictures. Here are some more: