An 80th Birthday To Remember!

Birthday milestones are always a great thing to celebrate, but they are even better when it is to celebrate a great woman, a wife, a mom, a sister, an aunt, a grandma, and a friend. If you know my Aunt Sandy she is a no fuss and no need to make a big deal out of things kind of woman. Leading up to the celebration she knew there was going to be a gathering but figured she would be surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Little did she know that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE who loves her would be there. My Aunt Sandy has touched so many lives and has made literally life-long friends that it was a no brainer for some to travel hours just to celebrate with her.

After all the pleasantries and food, my cousin Jordan felt it was time to give her her gift. If you know my cousin Jordan then you know she is an incredible artist (as are many of my cousins) and often the gifts that she gives her family & friends are homemade and handpainted. She decided the gift that she wanted to share with her grandma (Magga is what all the grandchildren call her) was going to be a handpainted and handcarved piece of wood representing the DeStefano family tree. Jordan was able to represent all 6 children my Aunt Sandy and my Uncle Jack had, all the grandchildren plus the dogs! Since my Aunt Sandy continues to live in an very wooded area of New Jersey, Jordan thought it was best to represent each of the children and grandchildren as a bird and include some other woodlen creatures. Judging by my Aunt's reaction, I think she will cherish Jordan's gift representing the family she and my Uncle Jack started back in 1963.

Thoughout the evening so many pictures were taken with her children, grandchildren, sisters, family and dearest friends. This evening of celebrating was filled with love, laughter and reminicing on all the memories she holds dear.