Today is my father-in-law's 70th birthday. We were supposed to go out to dinner tonight, but with my mother-in-law's hospitalization, we rescheduled. Our dinner reservations were for 5:30, but the discharge from the hospital did not happen until after 3pm. So, we are going out tomorrow night.
Either way, I had planned on going over to my in-laws house to enjoy a few beers with the birthday boy. He's the type of guy who doesn't like a big fuss. He didn't want to do anything to begin with, so when I told him I was coming over at 3pm to see him, he said it wasn't necessary.
I've always gotten along with my father-in-law. He's a great guy. Cyndi takes after him in many ways. She has many of his features: her hearing is horrible like his; her eyes are bad like his; but their nature is another issue. They are two of the nicest people you could ever know. Neither one is a big fan of attention, but I insisted on coming over today anyway.
He was really concerned about me leaving work early. Even though I work from home, I follow the rules. I'm in my office by 7am (8am EST) and keep myself busy until 4pm (5pm EST) and beyond. I've been traveling quite a bit, so I knew my boss would have no issues with me taking off an hour early today. And he didn't.
About a year ago, we went to Denmark and Italy for three weeks. It was a trip we planned for five years, and something we all looked forward to. Cyndi's mom is from Denmark, and we really wanted her to show us her country. We wanted to accomplish this when the kids were old enough to appreciate a trip like this, while my mother-in-law was still young enough to show us the sights.
A little less than a year before the trip, my father-in-law considered not coming. He was experiencing major back issues and had trouble walking. This was just after my dad passed away. I really wanted my father-in-law to join us. It would not have been the same trip without him. As we made the travel arrangements, I promised him that I would be his "driver" and push him everywhere in a wheelchair. He agreed to come, thankfully.
Being his chauffeur, allowed me the opportunity to connect with him on a different level. We spent time walking around the sites, talking to one another, and bonding as in-laws and friends. While we were in Denmark, we made the decision to break away from the pack and head over to the Carlsberg brewery together. We had to get on the right train, figure out how to get into the brewery (it wasn't easy), take the tour, drink our two complimentary beers, and get back to the train station to meet everyone else. We did a fine job at everything. In fact, it may top one of the highlights of the trip. We got to the train station about an hour before everyone else, and we continued to fill ourselves with quality Danish brew.
Italy was the same thing. Together with everyone, we saw the Sistine Chapel, sat in the front row for Sunday mass at the Vatican, ate pasta, pizza, and Gelati every day, and enjoyed each other's company. My father-in-law and I took a few moments to share several Peroni Nastro Azzurro's together. We talked over many beers, and he filled the empty shoes my father left behind.
Today, I wanted to make sure that "Dad's" birthday did not go unnoticed. Everyone did, really. I stopped at Binny's yesterday, picked up a six pack of Natstro Azzuro's. iced them up at 1pm, and got permission to call it a day early. My father-in-law was waiting for me when I arrived, curious about my plans. When we popped the first bottle, I saw a look of happiness I wished I would see. About 10 minutes later, my mother- and sister-in-law arrived from the hospital. One beer became two, two became three. The six pack was finished. Eventually, my brother-in-law, Joe, showed up, so we called Cyndi and the kids to join us.
Jokingly, my mother-in-law asked the birthday boy what she could make him for dinner, and he said, "Crepes." She can't even drive, let alone fry up a batch of crepes, so the idea was quickly laughed away.
As the one on one gathering became a full-blown party, we talked about dinner. We contemplated pizza, but I insisted on taking over the kitchen and making the dinner my father-in-law requested. I've never made crepes, but once you get the hang of it, they are not that hard to create.
Jams, Nutella, cream cheese, and sour cream were all bought and laid on the table. Beers became vodka/Diet 7-up (not bad); a celebration was in full swing.
My father-in-law looked happy tonight. He hugged me when he heard I was making his special request dinner. We'll celebrate again tomorrow and have just as much fun. Birthdays shouldn't be overlooked and ignored, no matter what the celebrant says.
The smile I saw today on the face of a 70 year-old man proves my point.
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