Tuesday, October 24, 2006

The First Party Photos

Here are just a few of the photos from my incredible surprise party last Saturday. Vance Kitaoka was a picture taking machine, and I'm sure he has more to share with us, but here are a few that were on my camera.

Everyone wants to know if I was surprised. The answer is yes! There were no cars outside, no slippahs by the door, everyone was quiet inside and when I walked in there was a big shout of "Surprise!" and folks tell me 10 different emotions crossed my face in an instant! I knew Em was up to something but I didn't know what or when or why.

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. The gift of love you gave me that day has made a huge impression on me and I only hope that every day I can make you feel as special as you made me feel that day. You guys are the "Best-est"!

Peace, Love and Good Times,

Rich

2 comments:

Barbara said...

Hey Rich,
We were glad to be a part of your celebration all the way from Japan (Emily did get Mark's greeting on time, right?)
Nice to see ALL the Mannings - if only I could remember their names!

Rich said...

Hi Barbara, Yes I read the wonderful letter from Mark and was chuckling at all the inside jokes. How strange it would sound to someone else, but it all made perfect sense to me and brought an ear-to-ear smile to my face. Thank you all for your encouragement!

I'm not sure if even Gary can keep them all straight, so here is a handy reference guide: Gary, Barbie, Josiah, Nathan, Daniel, Ian, Caleb, Andrew, Teri (bird), Pua (dog), Dumbo (rat), an a couple unnamed goldfish.

(Don't tell Gary, but sometimes we just swing by and add one of our own kids to their "herd" unnoticed, and pick them up in a couple of hours washed, fed and ready for bed. So far they are none the wiser!)