99 Years Young, Part 2

...Continued from yesterday:
      By the time my mother's first birthday party of Dunkin' Donuts and cake in the church hall was over (See yesterday's post) it was nearly lunch time. As soon as we arrived back home my mom, who is known far and wide for her prodigious sweet tooth, declared, probably for the first time in her 99 years, "Now I need something that isn't sweet."
       I - who also share my mother's  voracious love of sweets - seconded the motion, as did Tom. So I suggested we order a pizza from Pizza King, my mom's go-to spot for breakfast, and which appears to be renowned for just about every dish other than pizza.

    However a couple of nights previous when we went out to P.K.'s - as the place is locally known -  for dinner, I tried ordering a small cheese pizza.
     I swear, if it wasn't the best pizza I've ever had, it was tied for first place.

    Thus I suggested we order a take-out P.K.'s cheese pizza for lunch.
     Was it every bit as good as the pizza I'd had the other night? Oh yeah!

   When the time rolled around for my mom' second party of the day - a family dinner at the Stargate Diner - my mom was ready to go,

...as were the rest of us.
     When we arrived at the Stargate most of our attendant family members, who'd traveled from near and far, and a few friends were already there and catching up,

     My brothers and me,

...and our spouses,

...minus my brother's wife who took the photo, here with her grandson.

    My sister Romaine couldn't make it for the party as she had made plans months ago to fly out from Oregon to visit my mother a little later over the summer.
     And though my mother's 99th birthday celebration was conceived without much advance notice (see yesterday's post), still as many of my mother's five children, nineteen grandchildren (one of my brothers and his wife hold first place with their ten children), and twelve (I think) great-grandchildren came as were able.
         Before dinner my brother gave a funny but affectionate testimonial to  our mother,

...who followed with an emotional testimonial to the rest of us.

    After dinner we had a yummy carrot cake provided by the restaurant,

...and a beautiful buttercream cake that one of my sisters-in-law brought,

...a fitting end to a day celebrating a beautiful life.