90 Years Young

This past May, my dear maternal grandmother turned 90 years young. To celebrate this milestone, my family gathered in Brainard, Nebraska for a party over Memorial Day weekend. I know my mom was stressed about the details, but we pulled off the surprise, and the guest of honor was visibly moved. In fact, when she saw her children, grandchildren, and (most of) her great-grandchildren all gathered in one place, Grandma said that if felt like she'd "died and gone to heaven."

I only have seven first cousins. However, since my dad was an only child and my mom only has one brother, that means that all seven are siblings. I have so many fond memories of playing with "the cousins" on holidays and in the summer. Even though we didn't get to see each other often, when we did get together, it was as if no time had passed.

The same is true today. Everyone has grown up and scattered a bit (me most of all, I suppose), meaning that it is rare that we are all in the same place at the same time. In fact, I can't remember the last time all ten of us were together. So, it was very special that we all were able to be present to celebrate Grandma.

Jon, the girls, and I arrived in Nebraska the night before. We told Grandma we were coming to town because Jon had an Army course in the Midwest. This was true, but we didn't tell her that the real reason we were there was her party. It only required a small amount of sneaking around to get the cake and roses to the cafe the following day and a bit more coaxing to get Grandma there for lunch. But we did, and what a special moment it was to join the chorus of "Happy Birthday!"

It was a relatively laid-back affair, but prior to our buffet of broasted chicken (still not totally sure what that means), all of the great-grandchildren in attendance presented the Birthday Girl with a rose. The result was a beautiful bouquet...and admittedly a few tears.

When you're 90, you get two cakes

The rest of the afternoon was spent eating, drinking, playing (lots of shuffleboard), and catching up. Probably my favorite moment was when the cousins skipped out to re-create the infamous "stair photo" that hangs, appropriately enough, above the stairs in Grandma's house. The last time we took one of these pictures featuring the ten of us lined up according to age was 1995, so needless to say, some things had changed.   

Obviously that was not the only photo taken throughout the day. Jon was the unofficial group photographer and snapped lots of great shots. We even managed to get a giant group photo, which was no small feat. As we were organizing this photo, someone made the comment to Grandma that she was responsible for every person surrounding her: kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. What a legacy. Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma! We love you!