Happy Birthday, Dear...

Last Thursday was a very special day for my mother-in-law... it was her 60th birthday. The day was filled with excitement and one could almost see an extra spring in her step the whole day. Usually the tradition in my husband's family is that the birthday child (this term is used even if one is 60 years old) stays in their room until the whole family gathers outside the door in the morning to sing a birthday "wake up" song. Everyone then piles in the room to greet and congratulate the birthday child. A special birthday table is set up with brightly decorated presents and cards from friends and family. Birthdays are really considered something special here, much more so that what is my experience from the States. Family and friends were of course invited for an afternoon "coffee and cake time" followed by the most beautiful spread of food that I have seen in a long time... I just couldn't resist sharing.

With such a momentous occasion, my mother-in-law decided to have the event catered by "The Landfrauen Service" (Country lady service), which is basically combining the down-to-earth, hands-on-experience of a trained farming home manager with high quality catering... surprisingly such caterers are found in small, rural towns, but are in this case much better than most big city caterers. My mom always says that pretty food just tastes better, and in this case she was spot on.

The next day was a lazy day just relaxing with the family... playing with my two nieces, recapping the conversations and events from the day before, and just being. I think my brother-in-law and my niece enjoyed relaxing the most... what a sweet bonding time.