My mother-in-law, Mary Dubin, about to blow out the big 9-0 candles. Photograph by Jen Dubin.
This is my mother-in-law at 90, about to blow out her birthday candles, Saturday night (her real birthday is the 27th)!
When we told people we were throwing her a surprise party, they said, “Are you sure you should do that? She’s 90 years old.” By this they meant she might suffer a heart attack from all the excitement. But we know her, and she’s pretty unflappable. So she had her surprise and got to eat her cake, too.
Mary Dubin and her three grandchildren, Minna, Shawn and Alex (Alex and Minna are my children, Shawn is my nephew); photograph by Shawn’s wife, Jen.
All the relatives who we usually only see at weddings and funerals came. And the mood was totally celebratory.
We decorated the house, painting 90 candles on the windows in the dining room (Minna and me), and hanging streamers and balloons (done by Alex and his girlfriend, Lindsey). The menu hit turned out to be my lowly pasta salad. I can’t even share the recipe because I use the tried and true method of adding what feels like the right amount. Like everything else, it turned out just right.
