Last weekend Gina, the kids, and I along with seventeen other west coast Michells traveled to Fort Wayne Indiana to celebrate my Grandma Michell's 100th birthday. What an adventure. First of all traveling with twenty-one Michells on one plane was quite an experience! I'll let your mind wander with that one.
We had a great time. All of my aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts & uncles and second cousins were there for the celebration. It started Saturday afternoon in the basement of Forest Park Methodist Church for refreshments and cake. This is the same church that all three of her children got baptized and married in. The same church that most all of my cousins and I were baptized in. The same church that she work at as the church secretary. The same church that most of my cousins were married in. The same church where my dad would sneek in the the boiler room and smoke cigarettes on the nights that grandma would drop him off for youth group. And the same church that we held funeral services for Grandpa Michell in, several years ago.
After that grandmas immediate family (her three children and their descendants) had a big dinner in a banquet room at the hotel where all of the west coast crew was staying. A lot of speeches, wine and tears made for a wonderful night!
...Ford launched his Model T...
...Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts...
...England hosted the IV (that's fourth!) Olympiad...
...and it was the first Mother's Day!
Here are some pictures of all the festivities...
This is Grandma with a beautiful bouquet of 101 red roses. One rose for each of her birthdays and one for next year.
My sister had all of Grandma's twenty great-grandchildren make a square for this quilt by tracing their hand and coloring it. Then she pieced them all together. (That's not a really big quilt, that's a really short woman, under five foot!)
My Aunt Sharon read a proclamation from Indiana Governor, Mitchell Daniels, recognizing Grandma as a distinguished Hoosier. (It's pretty cool when your cousin is the special assistant to the Governor of Indiana!)
We also got to visit with my mom's mom who is a spring chicken at 94.
Dude...Grandma is a BABE! Can't believe she is 100... and cool pics too! :o)
Seriously...I wanna look like that when I'm 100. You must have good genes in your family!
Great post and pictures. I agree, there is no way she looks 100. It's so great you all were able to celebrate her life with her like that.
Great pictures!
Such a great post - and I can't believe she's 100. She looks amazing!
The family pics of all of you are great too.
Have to add to the shock of "wow, she looks awesome for 100"...if I could only look half as good. That is great that you can all get together for such an occasion.