A few months ago, we celebrated my grandparents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. Here’s a photo of them when they were my age. How amazing is my grandmother’s blue dress?! She has always had flawless style.

They arrived at my parents’ house for what they thought would be an intimate lunch with their two daughters and their families. And that is how the day began…

My mom made a spectacular caesar salad and a veggie lasagna. Of course, we had red wine and champagne like we always do when we get together with my grandparents. Dash slept in a sunbeam on the floor while we ate.

After lunch – right on time – one of their closest friends rang the doorbell. As they were distracted in the foyer, my mom and my cousins quickly cleared our lunch dishes from the table and set up appetizers and decorations for a surprise party.

As more guests arrived, my grandparents realized what was happening. Instead of my grandparents arriving at a surprise party, the surprise party came to them!

As usual, Dash got passed around to all of the ladies. I barely saw him all afternoon.

After the requisite greetings, all of the kids (do I still count as a kid?) slipped outside to play. My dad pushed the girls on our swing.

My sister, Elaine, and her friend, Emily, and I took some silly pictures. I love these girls.

It’s not hard for me to imagine my fiftieth wedding anniversary with Eric. We’ve only been married for four years, but we’ve known each other for over ten years. On our fiftieth anniversary, Dash will be 46. We will probably have grandchildren, and maybe even great grandchildren. This makes me happy.

Anyway, back to the party…

We made punch with orange sherbet and fresh lemons. This is one of my favorite drinks.

My mouth is watering just looking at these pictures.

My grandparents cut the cake and fed a bite to each other just like the wedding tradition.

Then we gathered in the brown room for a family photo. However, everybody was so busy talking with the other guests that we couldn’t get the whole family to stand still for a photo at the same time! We even forgot to include Dash in any of the photos. He must have been napping.

The calm after a party – right after the last guest has left, but before you start cleaning up – is always satisfying. We sat in the brown room, and Eric introduced Dash to my sister’s old drum set.

This was about a month before we went to Boston and Dash played the pots and pans at John’s apartment. Is it too soon to predict his predilection for percussion?

Here’s a short video that I recorded of Dash doing a drum roll!

I think everybody would agree that the party was a huge success. For me, the best part was seeing four generations of our family together (Dash is the first great grandchild!) and dreaming about the day that we’ll be celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary.

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