Today I’m joining my boyfriend’s family in celebrating his mom’s “Freedom 55” birthday.

Deb is a mother of three and grandmother of two, who has embraced her daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and me as part of her family. In some ways, I’m a lot like her: we love to hear people’s stories,  we love Grey’s Anatomy, we take on creative projects that are sometimes bigger in scope than we realize, we love to make dinner for our families, we love giving gifts, we are sentimental (Johnathan would call it “mushy”), we have faith, and we are often (usually?) the ones to step forward when someone needs help or something needs to get done.

Deb was born to be an EA (Educational Assistant), and it’s no surprise that kids (and their parents) love her: she has the rare ability to get down to their level and explain things to them in a way they can understand.

She and her husband Rick were gracious (or foolish?) enough to let me host my 30th birthday party at their house and in their yard. It was a roaring success, thanks to their hours of work, and patience with me taking over their space.

Here’s a shot of the two of us that night, in our 70’s-inspired outfits:

Happy birthday, Deb! Love, your “dater-in-law” (that one’s all hers).