A Day for Birthdays

Today is Sunday, October 4 and the time is 11:45 in the morning. It has been lightly raining all morning and everyone is out in jackets indulging in the soft rain and cool weather we have been deprived of. I have just gotten out of church and am making my way over to the famous seafood restraint, the Blue Crab for my Grandmas birthday lunch. I walk in, greet my family members that have gathered for this joyous celebration of the birth of my grandma and sit down. Being that I showed up late, the only seat left was at the end of the table, with my little cousins. This meant that I couldn't really take part in conversation at the table so I decided to do my field work study and observe the family sitting across from us.
Its a family of four, one man around the age of 45, named Bill. An older woman next to him probably in her 60s, named Martha. Across from Martha sat another woman probably in her late 20s named Stephanie. And finally, next to Stephanie was Brittany who was probably 10 years old. They all walked in and sat down. The waiter came and took their drink orders. Bill had an iced tea, Martha had a glass of white wine, Stephanie had water and Brittany had a coke. The waiter swiftly brought them their drinks, and went to put in the order for their shrimp appetizer. As the family awaited their food they began conversing. Although it was hard to hear them over the noise of the restaurant, I was able to discover that Bill and Stephanie were married, Brittany was their daughter, and Martha was Bills mother. The four had gathered for Bills birthday as well. They all seemed very happy, with the exception of the young girl Brittany. The family wasn't even 5 minutes into sitting down and she was sitting under the table with her head on the seat and her jacket over her. If I hadn't known she was there I wouldn't have seen her. She was obviously tired and because she was tired, this caused her to be grumpy. The family just ignored her and let her do her thing. When their food came she put her pride on the shelf and came back up to eat because she couldn't deny her hunger. Bill ordered the seaside trio. Martha had the admirals feast. Stephanie had crab legs and Brittany ordered the macaroni and cheese. The family laughed and had a great time together enjoying each others company.
Its been about an hour and a half and its time for us to leave. The family has finished their meal and are awaiting the check. As we stand up and leave the restaurant, I leave with the sound of the family singing happy birthday to Bill as he appetizingly looked at his complimentary slice of cake the restaurant gave him for his birthday.