Birthday Girl Operations

Birthday Girl and Wingman Heading out on their Date

Another September weekend spent traveling to one of my kid’s homes to inflict our presence on a granddaughter. The recipient this time out was the FBR but the real event was the birthday of my firstborn, my luminous daughter. Birthdays are important in our family so there was no doubt my Favorite Panamanian and I would journey to New Jersey to help celebrate the anniversary of that day when everything changed in our world – our first day as parents. She’s redeemed the effort a thousandfold since her arrival and I looked forward to letting her know how proud we were to claim her as our own. The Wingman had planned a night out at a fancy restaurant since we would be in residence as babysitters.

Abuela and FBR Waiting FBR's Turn with Presents

We had to leave Worcester at oh dark thirty because we wanted to take in the FBR’s gymnastics class. The benefit for leaving so early meant we pulled into New Jersey just after 9am and in plenty of time to distribute birthday and European gifts before gymnastics. Birthdays take precedence and the FBR exhibited a fair amount of patience as our daughter opened her gifts before the FBR was allowed to delve into her haul. Near the end you could tell she was really struggling in containing her levels of serenity, knowing there was a big bag of gifts for her as well.

FBR Demonstrating Rhythmic Gymnastics

FBR and her Talking Lamb

The big surprise was the mermaid dress. When we asked the FBR what she wanted us to buy her while we were in Europe she said all she wanted was “a mermaid dress”. Although we kept our eye out we didn’t run across a single mermaid dress while in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, go figure. Earlier this week my wife was conducting her requisite pass through the local TJ Maxx when she ran across – you guessed it – a mermaid dress. This allowed us to become instant heroes when the FBR unveiled it. She wanted to don it immediately but we felt it probably wouldn’t serve her well in gymnastics class. She also loved the talking lamb which we gave to each granddaughter. It repeats back anything that is said to it. The FBR was thrilled but Wingman less so. I’ll be surprised if the lamb doesn’t end up in a watery grave at some point.

After Gymnastics

Waiting for our Lunch Table

A Perfect Day

Gymnastics class was a lot of fun although my wife and I were kept on our toes by the FBR. We were sitting in a glass booth watching the class as the FBR made her way between different activities. She was constantly checking to see if we were paying attention and would wave to insure we were fully engaged. We celebrated with brunch at a new place Wingman had located. It was a lot of fun as occurs whenever we’re hanging out with this bunch.

Wingman in Front of His Front Yard Project

We returned to the house in time for the FBR’s nap which wasn’t at the top of her list of priorities but which she begrudgingly consented to. While she was out of the picture we helped Wingman with a landscaping project. He took advantage of the having the greenest thumb within the family, my Favorite Panamanian, present to advise him on the purchase of some front yard shrubbery (and without any Knights of Ni menacing). While we were making our way through the selections she found an immense, towering tree-like flowering shrub that she said she’d been searching for. I laughed and told her there was no way we could fit it into the car for the ride back home. Undeterred she kept at it while Wingman bemusedly made his purchases. We had to return to buy two more shrubs and while there, you guessed it, I now had to figure out how to get this monstrosity back to Massachusetts, more on that later.

Birthday Cake!

After the planting was done Wingman had to get cleaned up for his dinner date but we had a birthday cake to knock out after the FBR awoke from her enforced slumbers. Since the work was over for the day I engaged in my “food of the gods” selection of Coors Lite and cake – all was exceedingly right with the world. The birthday girl and her date cleaned up exceptionally well and looked like the New Jersey power couple that they are. My wife and I had a lot of fun with the FBR even though we were up against her bedtime. That turned into a forty minute exercise that her abuela did not mind, even a little bit. The FBR made only one serious attempt at escape and the busy day caught up with her resulting in deep slumber. Her grandparents were not in any better shape as we dozed off on the couch trying to watch a movie. My wife finally gave up and retired to our basement room while I was left on watch.

Abuela - FBR Cake Silliness

They have one of those internet based TVs which means you have to go through a bunch of different menus to find something to watch. I find it confusing at times but somehow stumbled onto a favorite old John Wayne movie, Eldorado, which I used to stay awake until the return of the birthday girl from their date. My wife heard the early morning calls emanating from the FBR’s bedroom summoning her grandparents. By the time I arose after hearing the frantic footsteps on the floor above my wife and the FBR, wearing her mermaid dress don’t ya know, had invented a new hide and seek game using the talking lamb toy. One would hide the toy while the other had to find it using the voice activated responses. Her parents’ reaction to the repetitious squeaky lamb voice only cemented my belief that the lamb will soon be encased in cement at the bottom of a New Jersey lake.

The Little Mermaid

After breakfast the FBR sat us down in the living room for what she’d been promising us would be a life changing event. During a recent mother-daughter evening they had watched the Pixar movie, Inside Out, which they both loved and declared they had to show to us. We settled in on the couch together with some popcorn and truly enjoyed this very funny and engaging movie. The FBR gave me some dirty looks when she realized my popcorn consumption rate was something she hadn’t had to deal with heretofore. I realized staying for the movie would mean we’d miss part of the Patriots’ game but I would trade any mere football game to spend time on that couch with those gals.

With her Mom the Birthday Girl!

Duty with Friend Calls

After the movie was over one of the FBR’s friends wandered up the street in his wagon with an invitation to the playground. We quickly assumed secondary status but still received some very heartfelt goodbye hugs from our gal. I had wrestled my wife’s new tree into the car and we’d gone about fifty meters when she started criticizing how I had done it. I mean I could kind of see the passenger side mirror between the branches. I pulled over immediately and informed her that 1 - I didn’t want to buy the damned thing in the first place. 2 - I told her it was too big for the car. She started talking to me again about a half hour into Connecticut. The tree and I both survived the trip home where we caught the second half of a lackluster Patriots win. We discovered a new neighborhood restaurant later in the day. The only drawback to our move to Worcester has been finding a replacement for Zorba’s, our beloved Friday night dinner spot back in Charlton. Table Twelve, a newly opened place just might fit that bill. We were very impressed with our first trip and plan on testing its viability again soon. Now I’m just left to contemplate the huge ass hole I’m going to have to dig this afternoon for that friggin tree – still even that arboreal contraption can’t dim the time I got to spend with the beloved New Jersey bunch.

Wife and her Newest Plant

FBR with Purple Bath salts - Explains A Lot

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; PanaGals – female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Deckzilla Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with demeanor issues