Happy Birthday

Yesterday was Edward's 25th birthday. He's still living in New York so we couldn't celebrate with him this year. But our family got together anyway and had some birthday cake without him.

Of course, the cake wasn't for him...
April 27 (?) would have been my Grandma Halliday's 100th birthday (she was my mom's mom). My Uncle Bill decided that we should have a small celebration to commemorate the special day. So on Sunday my parents, my aunt and uncle, Dave, and I went out to Little Prague for an early dinner and then came back to our house for some cake.

Knowing his mother despised cakes with blue flowers on them, my Uncle Bill bought just such a cake. That is such a "Bill" thing to do. I'm sure she's up in heaven rolling her eyes and saying "tisk." I never really knew her since she passed away when I was so young but I have a feeling that since she and my mom had such similar personalities I bet I know how she'd react to such a cake.

We dined on some of her fancy tea party plates and cups, used her gorgeous rose silver cutlery, and passed around a collection of pictures, jewelry, and her academic diplomas.
To some people, celebrating a dead person's birthday might seem morbid but I think it is nice. I recall that my ex-boyfriend's family regularly celebrates the death-anniversary of their grandparents with a huge feast and party. I guess I just savor any celebration that brings family and good food together.

This is a picture of my Grandma, Thelma Rena Halliday, taken in about 1936 when she took a leave of absence from her teaching credential program at San Jose Teacher's College (now San Jose State University) so she could buy a car, a black dress, and a fur coat, which she's wearing in the picture. She finished her program a year later and was an elementary school teacher for a looooooooooong time in Roseville.