Oh Dad -- You Make Everything Sound So FUN!

One of our favorite pieces of family lore started when D1 was probably 7, and her sister a bit younger than 4. I would routinely have man-type errands to do on weekends, and I enjoyed having them accompany me.

But by that age, staying home and staging dress up, and Broadway type musicals where D1 was the director and star and D2 the various props, outweighed their desire to go with me to the likes of Home Depot.

So one day I came in and invited them, and said "Girls -- come with me to Home Depot, and then we'll go to the McDonalds with the big play area, and maybe stop off at Dairy Queen on the way home."  D2 immediately looked up to her big sister, who scrunched her face, initially not wanting to go, but realizing maybe it was ok.

She said, exasperatedly, "Oh Dad -- why do you always have to make things SO FUN???!!!!"

So that stuck, and now years later, Wifey tends to be the reluctant participant to my constant efforts to inject a bit of romance and excitement into our quotidian lives...

I want to see a band from my youth,  Hot Tuna, in Key West in January. Wifey doesn't really dig them, but I told her we'd stay at the Pier House, eat at Bagatelle on Duval Street, and breakfast at My Blue Heaven...She agreed, recapitulating the "Oh Dad!" refrain.

Same thing about New Year's Eve. I always have and continue to like to do something special on that night. Starting in college, my friends and I would celebrate, although a week after January 1, when we returned from vacation. Someone learned that in Serbia, they celebrated NYE late, and so we adopted Serbian New Year's, which was a huge, blow out party. The Ds would have called it lit.

When Wifey and I moved in together, we would always host as well -- first in our apartment near Dadeland, which is now a high rise, and then our succession of houses. For NYE '87-88, we probably packed 75 people into our 1400 square foot house, and overnight guests included friends Elizabeth and Pat. Pat was a well known rock and roller, with three gold records, and to our astonishment, took out his pink Stratocaster and a small amp and played for all of us, inviting me to do a speaking duet of "Rocky Raccoon." It was quite a night.

For the turn of the century, we hosted a huge party at our last house. This was the Y2K fearful year, when everyone worried what would happen to all the computers, since they were designed to date only in the 20th century. When midnight came, I sneaked to the garage and shut off the breakers, so guests would think that in fact bad stuff was upon us. But I snapped them back, and the 60 guests or so laughed, and then D2 and others joined me in jumping in the pool.

Last year we hosted a nice, sedate event -- Norman and Deb and Mike and Loni came over for stone crabs. I listened to Captain's Tavern and was a bit light on the crabs, but Wifey and I practiced FHB (family hold back) and there was plenty to eat.

Anyway, this year Mike and I are awaiting the news of the Canes bowl selection. One of the possibilities in the Gator Bowl, in JVille. It's played on NYE, at 7:30.

Last night, I broached the possibility with Wifey. Her expression said she was underwhelmed about a football game, along with a 5 hour car ride. So I sprung into Dad-action, telling her we would have a blast with Loni and Mike, and stay the night in a luxury place in St. Augustine, and the Ds were doing their own thing NYE anyway...

She smiled, and said those words of yore: "Oh Dad -- you always make things sound so FUN!"

So we'll learn later today if indeed the Canes play there. If not, I'll be taking a Pasadena on bowl games -- the others would all cut into D2 visit time, and places like Shreveport and Detroit and Annapolis in December hold no attraction.

If there's no Gator Bowl, we'll probably host another small gathering, of fellow empty nesters, like last year.

Regardless, I full intend to make it sound, and be, so much fun.