Sara's Shenanigans: 88th Birthday Extravaganza

How amazing it must feel to live through radio transmission in many states, the start of construction on Yankee stadium in 1922, live through World War II and the Great Depression, know what it was like to be segregated into whites and "coloreds", be granted the right to vote as a woman and give birth to six kids all during this economic recession! This is what the world looked like through the eyes of my Grandma Sally. This heroic woman just turned 88 years old on September 3rd, 2010 and I was one of her privileged grandchildren to celebrate it with her. As some of you don't know this is the last grandmother of both the Riding's (my dads side) and Doak (my moms side) family. She lived through many amazing and hard times and it only made her the strong woman she is today. Grandma Sally or "Gram" as we call her is probably my favorite person I have ever had the chance to meet and know. Not only is she kind hearted, smart, comical and witty, she has touched many lives and I am one of the lucky ones to call her my Grandma.

My Gram and I have a very special relationship. She is getting a bit older and needs more help with the house, but she is no dummy! She offered her house to my husband and I to start off our own lives until we can find a place of our own. Gram had the misfortune of loosing her husband to cancer a few years back so she moved to Spokane to be closer to us during her time of loss. It has been many years now since she has lived here and I am so glad she is in our lives. Gram and I have many fond memories from going to all of the Ridings kids sporting events, letting us doll her up with makeup and new haristyles, and best of all having sleepovers with my younger sister Holly and I on New Years eve and staying up all night playing cards and Tripoley just so that we could run down the street banging pots and pans yelling, "Happy New Year!" I am very fortunate to have such a loving grandmother, not to mention she has claimed our pug Duke as her own, ha! Those two have fell in love with each other and it makes her young at heart.

Her birthday celebrations went all week long. Starting on Wednesday she had a day full of gambling and winning with my mom at the casino. They left at 9:30am and I didn't see her eyes until 8:45pm....she must have felt lucky! They had a great time though. Thursday I invited over all that could make it including my sister Amy and her husband Ryan and their beloved son Carter whom gram just adores. Of course Phil and I were there and my mom and dad. I cooked a special birthday thanksgiving dinner and baked her a yummy rainbow chip cake...which was the best part. She was in hog heaven! Seeing the joy on her face just from being around her family was a treat!

Friday which was her actual birthday, she heard from her six kids, most of her 14 grandchildren, received cards and pictures in the mail which she enjoyed looking through and to top it off she got serenaded at the local Mexican restaurant with a sombrero on her head! Our family spent the evening with gram by taking her out to dinner. The whole time she was nervous because she knew that the waitstaff was going to sing to her. If you know my gram she gets embarrassed pretty easily! It was priceless and the picture of her in her sombrero is now displayed in the entry way of her house on the sofa table! If this wasn't a great birthday week I don't know what is!