This koozie was sitting on our kitchen counter on Monday night. Kerri had used it. I see them often around the house as we have several. Although I see it often, that night I looked at it a bit more closely for some reason. I then realized that it has been exactly 10 years since we celebrated Teresa's 85th birthday.
Judy and I planned for it to be here in Gilbert. The first night would be at my house and the second would be at Judy's. Many of our family came from all over to celebrate her 85th. We got these as a memento for the family. Ours are used quite often and as I said, I see them all of the time. What struck me now was that it was July 20 and 21, 2007 which is exactly 10 years ago.
Gilbert isn't the best place to have a family gathering in July because of the heat. We were able to rent some outdoor coolers, which helped to a certain extent. Also, both of us have pools and that made it easier for the little kids (and some big ones, too).
The first night at my house I made red and green chili meat and beans. I had everything set up to serve in the garage. The afternoon before, I tried it out and it overloaded our circuits. I was so thankful that our cousin, Neil Feldman (Judy's husband) had flown in a few days earlier on his private plane and I had picked him up at the airport. Neil was one of those guys who could do anything. So he rigged up additional outlets and fixed it so we could use as many roasters as needed. I don't know what I would have done if it had happened. We still have Neil's handiwork if ever needed again.
Everything went fairly smoothly considering all of the people at the house. Of course, Teresa was thrilled that so many family and friends came to celebrate with her.
The next night was at Judy's. Her backyard is much bigger and we had more people that night. Everything was set up and we had it catered by a barbecue place. All turned out well. At that time, Judy lived about two blocks away from us.
Several of our San Francisco cousins couldn't come that weekend because of a previous commitment. So we did a "trial" run the week before here at my house. We had red and green chili and beans. Some of our family friends, the Donahues, came that night. Their dad and our Uncle Bill were great friends and it was nice to have a smaller group. And of course, Teresa loved that. She was always in the middle of everyone talking, laughing, having a vodka tonic, and finding a baby to hold.
Every time our family has a fun and positive event, so many try to be there. I sincerely hope that with Teresa now being gone, that all of us will continue to do our best to get together for the happy times. I think we will. We certainly had good role models in our "greatest generation!"
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