Birthdays Approaching!

Andrew and I have been devoting our energies to work this week. We have deliberately stayed away from Andrew’s parents’ house all week so that Andrew’s parents may enjoy a visit with Andrew’s older brother and his family with no interference from us.

Both Andrew and I worked late Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and last night we joined Andrew’s mother and sister-in-law in Saint Paul for a performance of Rossini’s “L’Italiana In Algeri”.

Tonight, after work, Andrew and I will pick up Andrew’s middle brother at the airport and take him to Andrew’s parents’ house, where he will remain until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Andrew and I will stay at his parents’ house this weekend, but on Monday we will go back to our apartment.

Tomorrow afternoon, Andrew, his father, his brothers and I will attend the Minnesota/Wisconsin game at the Metrodome. If Minnesota manages to pull out a win, we shall probably all expire from cardiac arrest.

On Sunday after church, we will all go to a function at Andrew’s mother’s relatives.

I have to work all next week. Because I have so little vacation time (which I am saving for Christmas, so that Andrew and I may spend a few days in Oklahoma with my family), I even have to work on Wednesday and Friday, the day before and the day after Thanksgiving. Very few persons will be in my office on those days. It may be lonely, but I will be able to get lots of work done.

Because of this, Andrew is going to work all next week, too. He and I will be able to go to work together, and have lunch together, and come home together, and this will make the week go faster. Next week, unlike this week, Andrew and I will also go over to his parents’ house for dinner every night. This will give us more time to spend with his brothers, and we will not have to worry about preparing our own dinner every night.

Furthermore, we have two birthdays to celebrate next week—and two birthday dinners.

Monday is my birthday, and on Monday night we will celebrate my birthday over at Andrew’s parents’ house. We will have a special birthday dinner that evening.

Andrew’s mother has been viciously harassing me for days, insisting that I tell her what I want for dinner on my birthday night! Just to get her off my back, I told her last night that I wanted steak and potatoes for my birthday. But this was not enough for her! At hearing that news, she simply switched gears and began viciously harassing me about choosing my cake!

I settled for chocolate, just to put an end to such an unpleasant series of provocations!

Andrew’s birthday falls on Thanksgiving Day this year, and we will celebrate his birthday the night before, on Wednesday night. Since we will all have lots of food the following day, Andrew told his mother to make something very simple and very light and very quick for his Wednesday night birthday dinner: Maryland blue crab. Andrew chose a carrot cake for his birthday cake.

In the matter of birthday gifts, it appears that, for both Andrew and me, books will be the order of the day. Andrew’s father has been serving as gift coordinator so as to make suggestions for everyone and so as to assure that everyone avoids duplications.

I guess that Jaguar I always wanted will have to wait for another year!