80

Today this very spunky lady, my Grandma, turns 80.

The only way we could possibly celebrate this milestone was with a surprise party. Boy, did we ever surprise her! The little BBQ she had expected to have with my Mom last Sunday turned out to be filled with her family and friends from far and wide, some not seen for years. She was filled with tears and momentarily speechless as she took it all in.

She had a lot to take in, too. First, there were the decorations. My mom, sister, and I had decorated each of the tables with flowers and an old photo of Grandma. Hanging above the tables were tissue paper pom-poms, a birthday banner, and some balloons. Then there was the lunch buffet that consisted of pulled pork, corn bread, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, corn on the cob, sweet & sour cucumbers, and watermelon.

Of course, there was birthday cake but we couldn’t just stop there. We added to that cheesecake tartlets, blueberry crumb bars, and turtle brownies.

I can’t begin to adequately express how much this woman means to me, to our entire family. I hope our surprise party said everything we wanted it to. She’s been so much to us. She’s our strength, the one to dish out love, the one to put you right back in your place when you need it. She encompasses everything that I’ve come to associate with one simple word: Grandma.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!