The 7-5 Celebration

It was exactly a week ago when I turned 75 and celebrated the milestone with 4 of our dearest friends outside of the senior community here where we live in the Netherlands.

It was a "surprise" celebration, which I put in quotes because Astrid needed to talk to me about some of it, saying she's "not good at planning such things."  I gladly helped her, assuring her that we could keep our own secret.  It also enabled me to cook up some of my own surprises, which I'll get to in a minute.

With social distancing in mind, and wanting to stay outside, rain or shine, we chose to have a BBQ at Harry and Liesbeth's (5 km from us) because they not only had the social-distancing space but an outdoor shelter in case of rain.  It was perfect.  Mutual friends, Femke and Jeannette, would also join us.

The party started at 2 p.m., in time for a Dutch koffie break...

and my birthday cake, which meant eating dessert first!

Hoera = Hurray!

Femke designed the marzipan "frosting" and the 3-layered cake, done by a nearby bakery.

And because I had the honor of cutting it, I chose my eyes for me, myself and I.

During that koffie-cake break, gifts were given to me to open...

 and then from me to them to open!

Because I knew ahead of time about the "surprise," I made sure I had my 4 pairs of socks for them

finished in time to give them a thank-you for their friendship over the years.

They all knew I was making socks for them...just not when.

From left to right:  Harry, Femke, Liesbeth and Jeannette.
They had all chosen their own yarn previously, with all their measurements.

You know what they say:  it's more blessed to give than to receive!
[All socks with yarn info are now added to my SOCKS post here.]

 From the koffie patio we segued to the covered BBQ area till we left at 8 p.m..

Harry was our Dutch BBQ grill master for the afternoon and evening.

But first, PROOST = CHEERS!

What makes a Dutch BBQ different from what I'm used to in America 

is the length of time it lasts while each meat is grilled, one at a time, until all courses are done:

in this case it was hamburgers, Irish and Dutch sausages, chicken and speklap = Dutch bacon. 

Don't forget the grilled corn-on-the-cob, of course, which was my true dessert!

Did I mention that Harry is Irish?  

So when Liesbeth offered us an Irish koffie (with Jameson whiskey), she didn't have to ask me twice.

How do you drink an Irish koffie on your 75th birthday?  Any way you want!  :)

Happy Birthday to moi!

And a big THANK YOU to the hosts-with-the-most, Harry and Liesbeth.

A final THANK YOU to Astrid, the love of my life, who helped make it all happen,

decorating up a storm and making me feel like the Queen for a Day.

The day happened this way because of the COVID-19 restrictions, but to be honest,

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday celebration. Seriously!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

As if all of that were not enough, the very next day we visited with Jeroen and Eva, with granddaughter Hailey, at their house, our first time since March.  

Their gift to me was something I've wanted for a long time (thanks to Astrid's bug in their ear):

Obama:  an Intimate Portrait, by Pete Souza, White House photographer.

O M G

Enough said, other than this particular number, 75, has given me pause.

We all know we're mortal, of course, but now I feel it more than ever.

It's not negative, stressful, heavy or scary.  Maybe a bit...sobering?

But trust me, I'll do my best to wear it as a badge of honor.  

It's my gift to myself to do so.

The Last Single Digit

Last Friday we celebrated grandson Nicholas' 9th birthday! First he wanted to celebrate it at the Aquatic Center...then at Monkey Joe's (indoor inflatable playground)...but when the two friends he wanted to invite couldn't come, Amy suggested the bowling alley. And that's where we went! Amy, Dennis, Noelle and Brooke (Dennis' 2 girls who are here for 6 weeks this summer from LA), Uncle Mark and G'ma (moi!).

You can imagine how proud I was when Nicholas told me he wanted me to be on HIS team! OMG! How to make friends and influence people. He's no dummie. So on adjoining alleys, we were 2 teams: Nicholas, Noelle, Amy and G'ma against Brooke, Dennis and Mark.





Noelle (15) and Brooke (11) are buddy-buddy and held their own, often with each other on the same alley...in spite of playing on opposite teams across the ball return.





Amy and Dennis often bowled side by side, which was also fun to watch, especially when they snuck in their sweet, tender kisses.





And Mark showed us how to do it, wiping off the oil with my towel from all those years ago when I was on a bowling team and was a serious player!



In between our 2nd and 3rd games, we celebrated with the birthday cake:

And then when we were done, the BB (Big Boy) opened his presents.

I told Amy I can't remember when I had so much fun as a family. We all were in our zone and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was a total blast.

And just think...next year and going forward, Nicholas will be in double-digit numbers! He is no longer the BLB (Big Little Boy). He is growing up before our very eyes!

Oh, and here's the complete Birthday Album. Just what the doctor ordered while I still wait and wait....with NO ONE coming by to look at the house this past weekend! Not even that man from Iowa with his wife. What a bummer.