As I was welcomed into a home in the northwest part of High River, in the corner of the living room sat a beautiful older lady, with vibrant white hair and rosy cheeks.

If I didn't know any better, I would have guessed she was around 80 years old.

As she stood up with the help of a cane to greet me, Bruce Grant, said from the kitchen, "You don't have to get up, Grandma."

But she stood up anyway and with a smile, she shook my hand, and I knew at that moment I already liked this lady very much.

"I'm not used to this," she said before the interview began. "This is the first time I've ever done anything like this."

Dorothy C Cascadden was born on July 22, 1915 and celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday.

Cascadden lives in Windsor, Ontario, but at 100 years of age, she hopped on a plane to come be with her family in High River for her birthday.

Her second husband, who passed away several years ago, Tom Cascadden, is quite well known in High River, as his family had a lot of history in the town.

A quick call to Museum of the Highwood Director, Irene Kerr, found that the Cascadden home is the first home on the Historic Homes Tour, located at 7th Street and Macleod Trail SW.

"Actually Tom was part of working at the golf course when it started," Dorothy said. "I did play on the sand greens, but I don't remember when because it was so long ago."

I asked Dorothy to tell me something interesting about her life so far and she laughed, "Well as you know I'm 100 today and that to me is about all I know."

But then she opened up more and said she was born and raised in Winnipeg where she went to a little school with four rooms, and stayed in school until Grade 12.

"I had planned on being a nurse (after high school), but my mother became sick in 1932 and I helped nurse her for a week and she died and I said 'that's it, I'll never be a nurse,"' she said. "But it's very unfortunate because I would have been a good one. I love people and I love looking after them."

Dorothy said she's lived a simple life and said, without hesitation, her biggest accomplishment to date was raising her two children, Gail and Mike Donally.

She's had a very active life, with a lot of her days spent golfing, and she said she attributes a lot of her longevity to exercise.

"Even now, before I get up, I do stretching in my legs and kicking and stuff, and then when I come out of the bathroom from (brushing) my teeth, etc. I do sit ups on my bed. It kills me, but I keep doing them," she laughed.

Dorothy, now lives in Ontario with her son, where she says he and his wife take very good care of her. But before she moved in with them, she lived without the assistance of family or caregivers until she was 95 years old.

After she turned, 95, she said she hasn't been able to keep as active as she once was because she has arthritis, and said she's now "living through her past."

"My knees are very bad right now but you know when you get to my age, you have to have something wrong with you," she said. "I go into the doctor's office and she says 'how many aches and pains do you have now?' And I said, 'well at my age I've got a few." But what are you to do with them? You're always going to get something. A little ache here and a little ache there, but they come and go."

Dorothy said even though she's reached this milestone, she still can't believe she's really 100 years old.

"I hear people say that building is 100 years old and I think 'oh my, I'm 100.' It makes me shudderI'm an old building!" she laughs.

A lot can happen in 100 years, and Dorothy has plenty of wisdom she's learned over time.

She said the biggest change she's noticed is how much technology has advanced, but said she doesn't necessarily know if it's for the better.

Dorothy said she never thought she would live to be 100 years old, and jokes about how she could possibly live forever.

"You can come talk to me again on my 200th birthday," she said with a grin.