Socially Distanced Birthday Party

My cousin Jackie came to town for a visit. As it happens, it was during her BIRTHDAY WEEK. So there was a lot of cupcake-eating happening...

On her ACTUAL BIRTHDAY, we went to lunch at Applebee's (where we got to SIT INSIDE THE RESTAURANT).  Afterwards, I gave her a special cousins-only-ragged-edge-t-shirt quilt.

Every single t-shirt square had some kind of "Jackie" significance.

The black square says, "Common Sense Tends to be Uncommon. Let's not have that problem." Soooo Jackie...

The zebra square is a recycle from a hassock that used to live on my porch.  She's been to MANY PORCH PARTIES over the years...

There were MANY New York City squares.  We've loved every trip we ever took to that fabulous city...last year, with Amy and Nicole, was one of the BEST TIMES of my life...

We asked a random woman in the parking lot to take our picture.

Then -- we went on to her ACTUAL BIRTHDAY PARTY -- at Sue's house.

Long-time friends...Sue, me, Jackie and Barb. Class of 1967....wow. 

Sue's house sits on 5 acres of BEAUTIFUL PARK property...

So, except for the photo op -- there was plenty of space for a small, socially-distanced birthday party...

Anyway -- Jackie WOULD have come back to Iowa in March, for MY birthday party. Which was, of course, cancelled due to the pandemic. We certainly had no idea in March how this was all going to play out.  But I don't think we had any idea that even in JUNE -- it wouldn't feel safe to have a birthday party.  Unless it was small.  And you were able to be outside...socially distanced...

At this point, I am grateful.  In so many ways, our lives have become smaller...