Holy Birthday, Batman!

Did I have a 60th birthday or what? All you loyal readers are lucky I'm still here; I almost succumbed to heart failure last Saturday. But I didn't. I DID find out how sneaky my relatives are ... all of them, apparently!

It all started innocently. (I promise not to drop into purple prose here. Really.) Daughter Elise invited me to Florida to grandbabysit Kyrin while Elise & Pedro went to two weddings in two weeks. I leapt at the chance: a chunk of time with Kyrin? What's not to want? So I booked my flights and then Stan said he wanted to come down and fish for grass carp in warm weather since he hadn't known what fish to be prepared for when we went in January. He flew down on the same day but returned a week later, while I stayed a few more days. And you realize that I threw all my previous good-teacher-ethics to the winds and missed the first class of the semester, leaving my two sections in Grad. Assistant's hands. (Ask me how guilty I am. Go ahead, ask.)

The first weekend wedding was actually on my birthday, so no celebrating, no drinking, no whoopdidoo at all. Bummer. But I WAS looking after my favorite, okay, okay, my only grandchild so all was not bad. And all my sibs called, which was very sweet. Elise remembered the occasion after I mentioned the phone calls and her sister Jane didn't call till Monday. I was wounded, deeply wounded. But Pedro & Elise gave Stan & me a gift certificate to a terrific restaurant and I decided to use that as my birthday gift from them (they said it was a thank-you for babysitting). Meanwhile, Stan really wanted to go to a less fancy restaurant and he grumbled about that so I answered that "No one made any big deal about my birthday and this was a big one, so I'm HAPPY to go to a fancy restaurant!" And it was fancy and it was good and I, for one, thought it was fun. The next day Stan went home.

So Friday Elise said that before they went to the wedding on Saturday she wanted to go out for lunch with me & Kyrin, spend some mommy- and daughter-time. Fine with me. On Saturday Pedro decided to join us. But I'm watching the clock, wondering if they aren't cutting it damned close for making it to the afternoon wedding. I AM a good mother and M.I.L., however, so I didn't say anything. So we all trouped off to Ruby Tuesday (BTW, this is probably where Stan wanted to go).

We're at our table, drinking our just delivered raspberry lemonades and looking at the menu when I looked towards the entrance and saw a woman who looked so much like my sister Alicia. I looked away and was just starting to tell this to Elise when I looked back and in the same space stood daughter Jane. I was dumbfounded. Really. I could NOT process the idea that Jane was there in FL saying "Surprise!" And then the woman who looked like Alicia appeared and good lord, it WAS Alicia! From Milwaukee. And then sister Amber from Seattle. And then niece Julianne from Florida. And then Elise was saying, "Oh, BTW, Mom, there is no wedding today." Which I also couldn't process.

I was laughing and crying and I said to Elise, "I feel like such a whiner." And now that's the code for the whole weekend. I guess EVERYone, including Stan, felt like telling me to stuff a sock in it about no fuss, but I truly did not have ONE clue that anything was going to happen.

Then, on top of everything, I got gifts! A beautiful jade necklace from China and a sweater set that is just gorgeous, a bouquet, balloon and great birthday cards. I don't have pictures from the restaurant but I have a few from Elise's house, to which we all repaired after lunch and where Pedro made a great holiday BBQ dinner on the grill. Cake and everything. I'm still reeling in amazement.

Three of 10 cousins ... plus one

Oldest sister in her own portrait

Twins separated by 17 months of our mother's hard labor!

Last but not least, an idea of the level of conversation I was capable of all afternoon. But of course, this is daughter Jane discussing politics ... or Pooh Bear ... with Kyrin.

I cannot say enough about Elise's planning skills. How she pulled this together is a mystery and I prefer it to remain so! But I think she should start thinking about being a wedding planner. If she can herd Kleibers, she can herd anyone!

So do they love me? I guess so! And do I love them, even the ones who couldn't come? YOU BET I DO.