Ben felt so great in the red jacket he purchased for special prom, that he insisted on wearing it for his birthday. He kept referring to it as his birthday suit, and disregarded all our attempts to reeducate him on this term.
Nobody loves his birthday more than Ben, and he squeezes out every last drop of birthday joy. How can we fete him? Let us count the ways. To date, we have enjoyed these moments honoring his birthday this year:
Friday: home birthday eve dinner of pork steak and various other things we can’t remember because there was pork steak.
Saturday Morning… Very Early (his actual birthday): Five waffles and six pieces of bacon. Strawberries with whupped cream. Presents.
Saturday Mid-morning: Convertible ride in the Triumph because when the weather is right, you ride.
Saturday Noon: Lunch at Santino’s Pine Creek Inn. You are out there already, and you gotta eat!
Saturday Afternoon: Watch Black Beauty while Mom makes the most disastrous birthday cake in the history of time. “Geez, Mom, you’re a hot mess.”
Saturday Evening: Dinner at DiSalvos with the Millers. Time to don the “Birthday Suit.” Roughly a bajillion people complimented him on his red jacket. “Not everyone can pull it off, but you can!” “Keep dressin’ fresh, Dude!” “Lookin’ dapper, Ben!” “Go big or go home!”
Sunday through Thursday desserts: Catastrophic birthday cake, which, despite its looks, is tasty.
Friday Noon (upcoming): Lunch in the park with all his pals and their DSPs. The menu is still an ongoing discussion. Sometimes my first idea is not my best one. When Ben latches on, however, it is all over. The current plan is for sloppy joes (which are called BBQ in this neck of the woods), baked Mac and cheese, chips, a fruit or veggie component TBD, and cake, or maybe cupcakes. We’ll see. He has been telling me for at least 4 months that his birthday must include a “bender.” As you can imagine, I had to do some investigative work. Luckily, Ben is nothing if not persistent in his desire to communicate. “It’s big and spread out, like on the porch, and it says ‘Happy Birthday’.” Ahhh! A banner!!!! “Yes, a bender, like I said.”
Stick with Ben, and maybe you, too, can experience the miracle of the birthday candles burning brightly for eight days! If that doesn’t work, at least you can rake in the compliments while wearing your birthday suit!
WE LOVE IT!!!!