Last night was my Aunt Shug's 80th birthday party. The whole family had been looking forward to the celebration for monthes. Shug is our oldest living aunt. Actually, she's our oldest living relative.

Initially they were going to have the party at Uncle David's hall. Despite the fact that it's in Detroit, it's a great place. It's big and clean, and there are plush couches, big screen tv's, as well as the usual tables and chairs you find at halls. I think what mad them change their mind was they'd have had to hire their own caterer.

The party was at a hall in Redford. Redford is a small suburb on the outskirts of Detroit. The hall was big. I think in a previous incarnation the building was a chain grocery store, that's how big it was. And it had it's own food service staff---cooks, waiters, etc.

My cousin Gloria, Aunt Shug's second youngest child, and Bob (Gloria's husband) hosted the party.

They had the hall all done up in pink and white. Flowers everywhere. It was pretty. And the birthday cake--it was in three seperate layers, coverred with flowers, pink + white, like a wedding cake, sort of. My Uncle Junior didn't believe the cake was real, he said it was too pretty to be real!

The party was billed as an after 5 event (said so right on the invitations) so many of the attendees were dressed formally. One of my cousins, Lonnita, her husband wore a tuxedo. The other men had on suits. Most of my girl cousins and aunts wore long dresses. Everyone looked really pretty.

Prettiest of all was Aunt Shug. She had on a fancy evening gown and a tiara in her hair. As lovely as she is now at 80, she was even prettier in her younger days.

Uncle Junior sang a song, and some of the others made speeches and toasts to Aunt Shug. One of the nicest was from Bob. He said how when he and Gloria got together, Aunt Shug never noticed their differences. And, as Bob said it, they had many--Gloria is tall and thin, young and beautiful, and he's short and pudgy and old. Aunt Shug just saw their love and accepted him as family. And Bob said how one day Aunt Shug asked him---Bob, do you have any family? And he said yes, Ma, I do now. Okay, I know it sounds sappy, and I guess it is kind of, but it was so sweet. Bob loves Gloria so much and he is so thankful for her.

They had a disc jockey who kept the music playing, and of course people were out on the dance floor. My cousins and some of my aunts know every variation of the Hustle there is. It was kind of like watching Soul Train.

It was a really nice party. Everyone had a good time. Even Aunt Sister who had come in on the train from Michigan City just that morning.

After the party, sometime after midnight, most of my aunts went to Detroit to the casinos. There are three of them in the city--Motor City, MGM, and Greektown. Rumor has it that they didn't make it back till the wee hours.
I don't know how they do it. I came straight home from the party and went right to bed, I was exhausted.

Everyone was talking like they always do whenever we all get together about the next get together. Seems that Aunt Pigeon is having a 4th of July picnic in Chicago. I'm going to pass on that one, I think. A couple of years ago when it was Chicago's turn to host the family reunion, the information packets they sent out with the planned events and what it would cost each attendee, well, the prices were so high I swear they were looking to make a profit on it. I don't think anyone went. Price gouging, especially by family members, isn't cool.

If you have older relatives, cherish them. They're special people.



hugs,
Tawny tawnyford@webtv.ne