The Big Party Day!!!

Slept great for a change! I woke up at 6:30 and grabbed a cup of coffee and planned my day. I'm guessing I have about three hours to finish cleaning the house before I have to put on my party clothes.

So, back to the main bathroom. Scrubbed the bath tub and sink with Soft Scrub. Then I washed the walls and toilet (outside) with Pine-Sol and finished by washing the floor (this is my version of "deep cleaning"). Leaving that to dry, I moved to the living room. I did my normal weekly cleaning in here and the bedrooms: I dusted, vacuumed and then cleaned all the glass surfaces. Finally, I mopped the floor with my dust mop, spraying it with End Dust.

After dusting each kitchen chair and the butcher block rolling table, I put them all (and the wastepaper basket) in the living room so I can sweep and wash the kitchen floor. But, first, back to the office and bedroom. I continued the process established in the living room (dust, vacuum, clean glass surfaces and then mopping with a dust mop sprayed with End Dust.

Somewhere in there, my daughter Melissa called. They did in fact close on the house Friday! Congrats!!! They put a deposit on that townhouse Dustin and Linnea looked at and have a moving truck scheduled for October 11. So, they are North Carolina bound! I will miss them, of course, but will try to work in a visit when I go down to Goat World in Virginia.

So, it's getting late and I am running the electric sweeper in the kitchen. I shaved and showered, then got dressed. I filled the bucket up with water and Pine-Sol and washed the kitchen floor behind me as I walked out the door.

The trip on the expressway way was uneventful (even though it was down to just two lanes for 10 or 15 miles due to construction) and I got to New Baltimore around 12:30 PM (Party starts at 1:00 PM). Since I was that early, I stopped at the cemetery and visited my dad, my brother Pete, my sister Anne, Carl's wife, Betty and B___'s mom and dad's graves. My brother George is buried in a different cemetery and I really wish I knew where his grave was but, sadly, I don't.

Then, we party! Well, as much partying as you can do in a church hall with just coffee and soda served, lol! Seriously, it was a really nice party. The tables were decorated with gourds and mums in small pumpkins, they had a table with a photo album (I never got to look at it) and letters of congratulations from the US Congress, the President and (what probably meant the most to my Mother) a Papal Blessing from the Pope. During the party, the mayor of New Baltimore read a proclamation the city had passed, recognizing her 100th birthday and proclaiming October 1, 2007 as Helen Goerlich Day in New Baltimore.

People came from everywhere to be there. I saw Kathy Deenbach (sp), my sister's friend when we were little, for the first time in probably 50 years, for example. She flew in from Phoenix, Arizona. I was pleased my first wife, Fran and her husband Jim decided to come. And, as you know, my second wife, Lu was staying at Mom's to help her get ready for, then recover from, the party. With Carl's ex-wife Diane there, we actually had more ex-wives that we did Goerlich wives at the party!

I can't begin to tell you who all the people were. My friend B___ and his wife J___ stopped in for a bit. His brother Bob and his friend Linda came, too. I know members of the Meade Extension Club were there, the two bachelors who still live across the road from our family home, Jake and Jeremy's Grandma Belle (Lu's mother), Helen Schuenaman (again sp) who used to china paint with my Mom and a whole bunch of other people, along with a ton of grandchildren and great-grandchildren (my brother Jim estimated at least 178 people were there). It was especially nice to see my Terry (my sister Anne's husband).

As far as my kids go, neither of my daughters were coming (long time readers may remember they opted, instead, to make it more one-on-one by going out to the cottage in August and having a birthday celebration there). Jake and Carla came and we were waiting only for Jeremy's family, who finally showed up, with Jyl and Riese both in their party dresses and Jeremy and Joe both styling!

I had been socializing and never sat down at a table, but my brother Jim grabbed me, Jake and Carla and said, "Sit here!" so we sat at the first table by the door. They wheeled Mom over and next to me were the parish priest and his administrative assistant (I didn't get her name, but he introduced himself as Father Nick). Now, why did my brother think I needed to sit next to a priest? Hmmm...

Anyway, the Mayor read his proclamation, the priest gave a blessing and then we ate. Buffet consisted of rolls, salad with two kinds of dressing, a cold pasta dish, a warm pasta dish, mashed potatoes, fried chicken and pork tenderloin in gravy. I had a little of everything, except for the cold pasta dish. It was all very good, but I liked the warm pasta and the fried chicken the best, I think.

After eating, my Mom cut the cake (a three tiered cake my niece Laura (Anne's daughter) made. I didn't have any of course, but it looked good!

I checked with my brother's to see what, if any, further assistance was required of me. Jim said the caterer would strip the tables and the parish personnel would sweep the hall, so I wasn't needed at all. So, I made the rounds telling people good by and left about 4:30 - 5:00 PM.

I got home around 6:15 and changed clothes. I decided I was still plenty full and dinner wasn't necessary. So, I put the kitchen furniture back in the kitchen, did a load of clothes and then watched my usual Sunday night programs, munching on hunter sausages.

And that's how us Goerlich's celebrate 100 year birthdays!