"your grandmother is so young!"

My grandmother was quite surprised at her surprise 80th birthday party. As in, was so stunned she started to cry. Major kudos to David-the-uncle for planning and organizing the whole thing. He told her he was receiving a Boy Scout award (he's a troop leader). When she arrived at the dining hall, he was at the podium thanking everyone for being there. My grandmother walks in, David reproaches her for being late, she counters with "But you said 2:30!" And then all was revealed.

Good turnout of family and friends, and great food, especially the stuffed cabbage and chicken. Joe D-another-uncle had copied a bunch of my grandmother's old '78s to CDs, complete with scratchy, popping sounds, and played them all during dinner. I sat with two elderly women - one has known my grandmother since high school ("We used to run around together with two other girls, both named Margie."); the other met my grandmother through the Red Cross ("Ten years ago this week, your grandmother was driving us through Provence!")

I'd never seen my grandmother's baby pictures until this past weekend. Let alone a lot of the ones from her high school days. She could have been a model. She had it all - height, hair, clothes, and the "certain something." She looked fabulous with the short hair flipped out on the ends and the tea length skirt with blouse and wide belt and heels. She still looks good - still tall, skin as smooth as anything, hair sleekly coiffed. I noticed she looked better and moved more actively than other elderly people there who weren't even as old as she is. I hope I have those genes.