HAPPY 80TH MOM

My mom won’t see this post because she doesn’t have that new fangled thing we call the internet. She won’t see it on her phone, because she has a flip phone. In other words, she’s old. Lot’s of old and young people at her surprise party today. She thought she was going to my house for a cookout. Instead I took her to Chap’s Taproom where 40 family and friends were waiting for her.

She was completely taken by surprise. She cried when she saw everyone there to celebrate her 80th birthday. Next Saturday my cousins are throwing her sister a 90th birthday party.

She grew up on 19th and Porter in South Philly. Her true love in life, besides my Dad, was the Mummers. If you aren’t from Philly, you probably have no idea what the mummers means. Every New Years day a bunch of crazy drunks would march down Broad Street in South Philly dressed in crazy outfits while playing string band music. My parents would drag us down every year so we could freeze our asses off standing in frigid cold weather.

As a double surprise, my sister arranged for a four piece mummers group to perform at the party today. I think they were older than her and wondered if they would make it through the performance without keeling over. That’s my mother in green doing the mummers strut.

The Early Years – who is that cute as a button kid with a sailor hat?

Our wedding day – 25 years ago.

Holding little Kevin

The later years – devoted until the end

Happy birthday mom. I love you.