Happy Birthday is a very familiar song for Violet Cave. 

The Manhattan woman heard it again on Wednesday. She turned 109. 

Family and friends gathered at her nursing home, the Terrance Cardinal Cook Health Care Center, to celebrate.

    Reporter: "You're going to have a big party today?" 

    Violet: "Everyone is coming from upstairs, downstairs, I hope so." 

    Reporter: "Are you happy to have your friends and family with you today?" 

    Violet: "Yes, yes, oh yes." 

Violet was born in Barbados in 1909, grew up in Panama, and eventually moved to New York with her son Norman Cave. He now visits her every day.

"I am happy to have her around this length of time. The special thing about it is, it's special to wake up and see another day," he said. 

Her son says he believes his mother's key to living a long life is traveling.

"She was traveling the entire world. She has been all over the world." 

Nearly a dozen members of Violet's family joined her for the celebration. All saying the now 109 year-old woman simply loves to have fun.

Nursing home staffers say she's involved with the center's regular activities, attending Mass daily and taking part in the spiritual singer's group. 

"It's amazing that she is 109 because she participates in so many of our activities with our volunteers, um, so many young people come in to work with her and do arts and crafts. They, um, they're always surprised she's 109 because she's amazing," said Thomas McDonald, Director of Therapeutic Recreation and Volunteer Services.

"Whatever she is taking I'd like to have some because that's amazing," said, Daniel McClean, Cave's Great-Nephew.

Her family hopes that whatever has helped her live this long, gets passed down through the generations.