Reflecting on the Ds

D1 and D2 are VERY different when it comes to publicity -- the older girl loves it, and her younger sister seems happier out of the spotlight.  But this week both have given me so much reason to be prideful -- it's here that only a Yiddish word will do: kvell.  To kvell means to literally swell up, with pride, in the way one only does when a child soars.

I'll start with D2...after earning both a Bachelors AND Masters degree from UF in a total of 5 years, and being elected to Phi Beta Kappa, she started with Macy's Company, as an executive trainee.  She put in very long hours, and often found the analytical nature of her job confounding, but she stuck with it, and received excellent reviews.  It would have been easy for her to stay there, and sort of float down the corporate river, but instead D2 struck out on a new adventure, and interviewed with a company called Jet, which was bought by WalMart in order to compete with the mighty giant Amazon.

The Jet position is a newly created one -- D2 will coordinate the recruitment of new hires, and puts her in the area of Human Resources, something my generation called Personnel, an area she really wants to work in, given her psychology background.  Many young people would have just stayed put, content to have a job with a major, albeit struggling company, and I admire D2's courage in taking control of her career and striking out.

She now has to commute a bit, to Hoboken, NJ, where the company is, but I LOVE that the young CEO, an Italian from Jersey, has a huge Sinatra poster in the office.  I figure anything with the Chairman of the Board's spirit is destined for big things.

As I write, D2 is off having a blast -- what I call her adult Spring break.  She's with her three closest friends in Austin, Texas.  She and Ali, who is a child life specialist in the City, flew in from JFK.  Catherine is graduating Emory Law soon, and she came from Atlanta, and Ashley is coming from SF, where she works for one of those companies no one over 40 can even have a hope of understanding...  Two more friends already live in Austin -- Monica, who graduated UF and is a nurse there, and Lauren, who attended Texas and never left.  These impressive young women will, I am sure, have a sisterly blast together.

And Wifey and I are going to NYC in two weeks -- for St. Patrick's Day, to see D2.  Maybe she'll even give us a tour of Hoboken...

Meanwhile, D1 continues to kick butt in her own business -- she was a finalist at the Miami Chamber of Commerce Hype Awards, and she recently posted an interview a young business site did of her in December.

She somehow finds time for awesome charity work, on top of running her flourishing business, and spending time with her fiance Joey, all while planning the Big, Fat, Colombian wedding now 6 months away.

To that end, yesterday I met with my old haberdasher man Steve, and treated myself to a custom fit tuxedo for the event.  I have two tuxes, one will likely NEVER fit again, and the other I can squeeze into, but it's over 16 years old.  I told D1 I would honor her big night by not dressing like the schlep I typically dress like.

I thought of having the tux made out of actual penguin, or actual nun, but decided that wouldn't be proper.  A light wool will have to do...

So Wifey and I have a couple of stars on our hands, and we truly kvell about them.  I'd give anything to have had my Dad know them, and my Mom to see how young adulthood is working out for them, but, as Tony Soprano said, what are ya gonna do?

We'll celebrate them, and love them, and, at least in my case, give continual thanks to the Big Man (no, not the other giant from Jersey's sax player Clemmons, the REAL BIG MAN...

But to refer to the Boss, I am one lucky and proud Daddy in the USA.