It Begins

One of the inevitable consequences of making airline reservations involving my Favorite Panamanian is our entry into what I call, “The Packing Zone”, even if the trip is still weeks away. My wife takes an almost surreal pleasure in the filling of suitcases. I made the reservations for our trip to Panama last Friday and by Saturday afternoon our bed was literally covered with just about every scrap of summer clothes currently residing under our roof. This is the first step as the unworthy are weaned from the pile until only the chosen few are allowed entry into luggage. Of course, this is only the first iteration of many to follow as the clothes that make the actual journey with us will change several times over the next few weeks. I have learned the hard lesson of never questioning the arcane method of her process. To do so would require more courage than I was born with.

Bonecrusher Makes the Cut

The upside to the start of this procedure means I become less of a target which is always welcome. That condition lasts as long as she focuses on only her bags. The next stage is discovering I haven’t even started packing (usually up to the day before the trip). This is certainly unacceptable and fraught with danger (mostly for myself). It is also a sad reflection of her winnowing process which leaves a number of items she wants to take that cannot fit into her bags. She greedily eyes my pristine luggage and calculates what I really “need” as well as how that priority stacks up against her requirements. Fortunately living on the beach doesn’t require an extensive wardrobe (at least for me). The next few weeks will be contentious as she bemoans my lack of focus on the importance of suitcase packing.

It Was So Good!

We had a fun, if subdued, anniversary weekend. I’d like to thank the surprising number of family and friends who sent their well wishes our way. Thank you for your thoughts, it made the day seem even more special. The cake my wife created tasted better than it looked which is remarkable. I was helpless after my first taste and by Sunday morning fully half of the cake was gone. My Favorite Panamanian saved my waistline from further incursions by freezing the remains in order to save some for the FBR. We snapped the picture above of Bonecrusher’s first cut after a brief lecture from our children on how to use the timer function on the iPhone.

An Excited FBR

The granddaughters were in high fettle this weekend. BR3 continues to expand her world due to her increased mobility. While we were talking with my son, he glanced down to see she had crossed the room and was about to place my son’s apparently very fascinating shoe into her mouth. The great bedroom shift happened this past weekend with the BRS moving into her newly very pink bedroom while BR3 finally has her own room. The BRS handled sleeping in a big girl bed for the first time like a champ while BR3 made her parents work a little harder while she adjusted to a full-sized crib and her very own room for the first time. The FBR is getting more and more excited about our impending visit, the week before we head to Panama. In a decision I’m sure to regret, I’ve already committed to watching all three High School Musical movies as well as something called, Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure. Life as a grandfather isn’t always easy, but always a lot of fun.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn