Our family loves surprises…especially when it comes to significant birthdays and anniversaries.
This year, our Aunt Reggie is turning 80. Wow! 80! This calls for a party!
We got the invitation for the surprise birthday party about six weeks before the event. My cousins were doing a great job of pulling this off. Tell their mother there is a Vegas Night at the local Catholic School and the kids were taking her.
When we got there the parking lot was full, there were Vegas signs up on the lawn and decorations in the windows. I had to do a double take to make sure that there really wasn’t a Vegas night going on.
At 6:30 we got the word that Beti and Aunt Reggie had pulled up into the parking lot. Everyone got quiet. “No!” someone called out. This is a Vegas Night, we need to keep making noise!
Her other daughter, Kathy, greeted her as she came in, then we all yelled, “Surprise, Happy Birthday!” And broke out singing Happy Birthday and Sto Lat!
Was not what she was expecting at all!
It was great that so many relatives could come together that night, considering it was the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Many of the cousins hadn’t seen each other is years. It was good to come together for a festive occassion.
Several family members came in from Buffalo.
Here is cousin Jimmy, Aunt Ann, cousin Diane, cousin Roger and cousin Rosalie in the back looing over Diane’s shoulder.
We were served a great Polish dinner, followed by a trip down memory lane.
Cousin Beti and Jerry (cousin Kathy’s husband), entertained us with their rendition of memories from 32nd Street (done to the tune of Thank God I’m a CountryBoy).
One of the sons and grandkids put together a great slide show of the family as they were growing up and growing their own families.
If I heard correctly, Aunt Reggie has 10 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
On stage for all of this was (from right to left), Aunt Reggie, the guest of honor, her sister Ann, and her friend from forever (and I do mean forever), Virginia.
Of course, what would a Polish party be without music!
A wonderful duo entertained us with Polkas most of the night. It set everyone’s feet to dancing.
Especially my husband’s! Here he is dancing a Polka with Virginia.
Happy Birthday Aunt Reggie! Sto lat!
