Tea for the Duchess

My Grandma turned 90 this past week. In a collaborative effort, we threw her a tea party fit for a Queen, er, Duchess. I still need to get the full story here, but it was a pet name my Grandpa called my Grandma, and also ended up being the name my Grandpa gave his fighter plane during WWII. My Aunt Bev coordinated travel for herself and her husband to fly out from Atlanta, my cousin Mariah to fly here from Costa Rica, and my cousin Windy, who lives on a sailboat with her husband and daughters, to fly from Mexico with one of her daughters, Francis. Mariah and her husband make beautiful baked goods, and she brought an amazing cake in her carry-on bag from Costa Rica to Atlanta and then to California. Windy also brought an amazing cake from her hometown bakery, which happened to be one of my favorite cakes, a Saint Honore. My mother packed up her fine china tea set for the occassion, and my sister in-law Dione busted out her collection of antique hats and also her mother's tea set, in addition to presenting Grandma with a lovely corsage. There was a lot of history and meaning weaved in through our day.
This event was also a big surprise for my grandma. And while we wanted it to be a surprise all in one, it was a good thing we spread out the surprises throughout a few days, ending with the grand finale surprise party and Windy and Francis joining the grand affair.
Because quite honestly, we didn't want our dear Grandma to die of a heart attack or shock. Our hearts were all full of love and fond memories that day. We drank our beverages out of tea cups. We wore our finest dresses and posed with the hats. I think Grandma was proud. She said little that day, taking it all in.
My Grandma is the classiest lady I know. She Miss Manner-ed all of her grandchildren. It was a rite of passage to fly out to the East Coast on our own when we turned 10-ish, to stay at their high rise condo. "Don't throw anything off the balcony!" was the first warning we were given upon entering their home and running out to the balcony to see the ant size people below. Our grandparents took us shopping for patent leather shoes and plaid skirts (a suit for my brother), cardigan sweaters and hair ties. My Grandma set up her dinning room table with her fine china and instructed the proper etiquette of dining. We went to Windows of the World (top of the World Trade Center) for dinner, complete with a sorbet palate cleanser (the only thing I actually remember having there). We visited museums and art galleries, saw a play on Broadway, and did a road trip to DC.
My Grandma played tennis weekly and had her bridge groups. She has always been a Lady. She also has a heart of gold. She absolutely lets you know how much it means to her for the littlest of things you do. Just the presence of her family pleases her to no end.I have never heard her say an unkind word about anyone. I love my Grandma so dearly, and I hope that everything was perfect for her Tea Party. I am so grateful for every etiquette she taught me. It came in handy during business dinners, first dates, dinner parties, and now raising little ladies too. Tea for the Duchess indeed.