70 Birthdays

Last weekend my neighbor, Claudia, the best in the world, had her 70th birthday. What an amazing feat and honestly she doesn't look a day over 50, she doesn't act a day over 20. She is always making something, either scrapbooking, baking cookies for anyone that happens to come by, to planning and cooking every meal (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) with the extras for her whole family on the 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. If the grandkids come to visit they will not be bored she has been known to go tubing on the river, take them to the water park, snow tubing or shopping at the mall, on top of feeding them 3 meals a day that she has planned and worked on for a week before their visit. Oh! Don’t forget the Baking anytime a family member comes to visit they get at least one of their favorites of hers.

Her family is not small either, the "VA kids" include (I might forget 1 or 2) Diane and her husband with their college age daughter (I'll talk about her more later) and teenage son. Then next is Chuck and his girlfriend plus he has at least 1 son (this is where I forget). Next are Kelly and her hubby the crazy sports fans. And last but not least the baby Kim with her husband and their 2 teenage daughters. Then there are the kids "Down South" that I can't even remember all of them, but I do know that there are 3 Sons and families that lives "Down South," so let’s add them into the mix, equals one big family.

Then she has her extended family, the college age Granddaughter, has caused Claudia’s family to grow to I don't know how many but I do know that she spends every Saturday baking cookies or making dinner for a dorm full of Grammie lovers. (Oh BTW Grammie is the name that all of her Grandchildren blood or not call her.) Then there are my 2 rug rats that think Claudia is the best thing next to cookies and juice boxes. They are over there at least every other day, every day if they sneak around mommy. She has never asked for them not to come over unless she has been sick or if she is working on something that they can't help with, like painting the living room. Even if she is in the middle of working on her scrapbooking she will find some time to let my girls do a page of their own. She also counts the two older children (my Husband and myself) as part of her extended family. She is also known around the neighborhood as the one that will have the most beautiful yard in the spring and summer and the friend that you can just talk to.

But back to my story, sorry I ramble but I wanted you to know what this lady is to my family.

So last weekend her VA children decided to throw her a Surprise Birthday Party, she has never in all her years had a birthday party so this was a big deal. Also her kids are not the greatest at keeping secrets so this was especially hard on them. But they had 11 family members there and had invited 1/2 the neighborhood (I think we numbered 11 too) we all hid in her kitchen waiting for her to come back from picking up the college granddaughter. As she they walk through the door and we all said Surprise she fell to the floor (something she always does when surprised) she was so "Floored" that we were not sure if she would get up but finally she recovered and couldn't believe what was going on. She thanked every one of us with a hug (that is all we needed) then we had food like you would not believe, all made by the kids. She received cards from everyone and a few small gifts from some but I think the best present of the night was seeing all those that she considers family in her home at the same time, we did miss the "Down South Kids" but everyone else was there. It was the best birthday party I have ever been to, the love that was felt there is the kind that you can only feel from a family and Claudia has the best family she could want. And I'm proud to call myself part of it.

Been there, Done that, and hope I live to 70!