My Girls

So Xmas Eve I pulled a Seinfeldian great airport pickup.  Wifey and Bo, the special needs Spaniel, were flying home from ATL, and D2 and Jonathan from Newark.  Their flights ended up arriving minutes apart, and both Wifey and D2 had checked a bag.

I patiently waited in the parking lot of 94th Aerosquadron, where a huge Cuban American Nochebuena party was in full swing.  I texted both parties that Dadber Pool was ready.  D2 fetched her bag, and I pulled into the AA area and got her and the dog.  But wait -- D2's carousel had stopped!

Typically, MIA police shoo you away, but it being Xmas, I guess, security was off.  So I pulled an old school move: stayed standing in one spot a good 20 minutes.  I kept checking my mirrors, awaiting the dreaded officer, and ready with a spiel about how thankful I was he was working Christmas, and all that crap.  Plus, I have an old friend who is a MIA based cop.  No need -- I was left unmolested, and soon enough I got the call that D2 and Jonathan were waiting outside UA's baggage.  It was a pickup of beauty...

We dropped Wifey and the dog home, and headed out to the Grove to meet D1 and Joey at my crazy friend Joel's house.  It was festive -- children running around, their beautiful Springer Spaniel Bella greeting everyone, and Joel's wife Courtney in full Leslie Mann hilarious, eye rolling form. Courtney has become a favorite WOF (wife of friend) to me -- she's really, really cool, and keeps a hectic life together with great humor and grace.

D1 and Joey left with Jonathan -- the latter J was headed to his parents' house in Aventura, and Ubered there from Midtown.  D2 and I drove home down quiet Old Cutler, catching up on life in NYC and life in the 305.

The 25th dawned, which is, of course, the day that people the world over gather to share warmth and gifts of love: Wifey's birthday.  She has reached a grand age which I am sworn to keep secret, but is only 4 years away from blessed Medicare...

D1 arrived, and I made Daddy Eggs for everyone, which are my secret scrambled eggs recipe consisting of no ingredients but the eggs, and the fact that I whip them into a state of fluffiness.

We debated the movie choice, which we always do on the one family movie day of the year, and settled on the Churchill bio "Darkest Hour."  We drove to Merrick Park, which was delightfully sparsely populated, and went to the luxe theater.  We settled into the seats, and the movie began.  The Ds and I liked it, as did Wifey, though she slept through at least 60% of it.

Afterwards we decamped to the Brasserie, a French place, and I had quick thoughts about the lack of servers.  But a nice gay black fellow came, brought us our soft drinks and took our order, and complained of the rudeness of fellow diners "even on Christmas."  I told him "Well, you won't get that from us!" and we sat.  And sat. And sat.

It occurred to us that we had been waiting over an hour. The waiter came by, harried, and said he'd check on our salad orders.  Another 20 minutes.  Finally he came, looking proud, and said "I figured out what happened!  The kitchen lost your ticket!"  We smirked at him, got up, and left.  I took it that the Brasserie bought us an iced coffee and two Diet Cokes.  D1 will deal with them on Yelp...

We walked across the mall and sat at Villagio, which was crowded but competent.  We had the opposite experience -- out lentil soups came out quickly, and we enjoyed a lovely late lunch.  An old office mate, Diana, was at the next table with her sister and ancient mother, and we caught up with her.  She watched the Ds grow from little girls to women, and enjoyed the catching up.

We lamented the loss of the old days. Her new job has, it seems, zero good spirit, and we longed for the days when Paul and I ran a competent and fun operation.

We headed home, and the Ds did a Zumba session in front of the TV.  It was delightful -- having them both home, being together and joking with each other.  They didn't see it, but I teared up a bit as I sat at my computer, and listened to their giggles...

D1 left for a dessert party, and D2 hosted her friend Catherine and boyfriend Jacob.  They live in Atlanta, and Jake and I caught up on sports.  He's an Emory and UF guy, but loves the Georgia Bulldogs.  He's also a Mark Richt fan, so we were pretty much on the same page when it came to this critical point: college football alliances.

I went up to sleep, a very happy Daddy in the USA.  2017 draws to a close.  As usual, I'm taking stock.  Will there be big changes this year?  Maybe.

I'll begin to learn in less than a week.