Marianne's 70th Birthday Party

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Marianne's 70th Birthday was celebrated at Home Run Inn Pizza with 26 family and friends. Our grands and her great-niece, Sophie, watch on as she thanks everyone for coming.

There were two very special guests, one of them was a complete surprise for Marianne. Her nephew, Ted Jr., had told her a few weeks earlier that he was coming this weekend.

Here is the surprise guest. We were all so excited that our sister-in-law, Helen, came with her son, Ted Jr.! It had been thirteen years since Rich and I had seen her. She was married to their brother, Ted Sr., who died in 1998.

Another reason for my excitement about this party was that our grands were here. They finally got to meet our great-nieces and great-nephews who live in this area. They all hit it off really well and were soon playing together after we all gathered at Marianne's house after lunch. Shelby's DS was of great interest for a few minutes.   l to r: Jackson, Zoe, Shelby, Nick, Sophie, & Oliver with Dylan in front.

Here are a few shots of the wrestling matches in which most of the kiddos joined the action. Nick, especially, had a blast wresting with the older boys.

There were desserts, of course. This was a pumpkin dessert that Rich and our grands had decorated; Marianne had just blown out her candles.

No gathering would be complete without some group photos...

Marianne with friends, both new and long-time.

Helen with her brother, Jimmy, and sister-in-law, Dorothy.

Joe's and Carol's sons: Dave, Rob, and Jonathan

Marianne with her brothers, Joe and Rich.

I think the best part of any gathering like this though, is the time spent visiting and catching up with everyone.

Lovin' Life ~~ And Special Celebrations