Celebration

My maternal grandfather will be turning 80 in March. On March 21st my family and I will be traveling to Owensboro for my grandfather's 80th birthday party. There will be great food, alcohol, good music, (and knowing my family) lots of dancing. My grandfather isn't your typical eighty-year-old...he and his girlfriend Jean regularly go out dancing (he was a "swing dancing king" back in his youth), he exercises daily (riding his bike up to five miles a day), and travels around the world (he and Jean traveled to South America last summer). Though my maternal grandparents divorced when I was a toddler, they remain best friends to this day. During his earlier years, my grandfather worked for the postal service and was able to retire at a fairly young age. Following his retirement, he proceeded to travel across the United States (he's been to each state at least once-Alaska remains his favorite). During the summer months of my childhood, my grandfather would set up house in his mobile home between my and my cousin Brandy's houses. Upon arriving, Brandy and I would pounce upon the situation and play "Hangman" with our granddaddy (using ridiculously hard words in order to beat him and win the prize of a "forbidden" Diet Coke). Brandy and I would also record "stop smoking" jingles on cassettes for him to listen to (perhaps those silly recordings paid off as he hasn't smoked in years). I miss those carefree days of playing in the woods with my siblings and cousins and harrassing our grandfather with regularity. Happy 80th "grandduty".