Your Old Man is Older

Hi Totling,

You might not know it yet, but your mom can be quite sneaky when she wants to be. On Friday we drove to Connecticut, supposedly for Passover weekend. However, we seemed to take a rather strange route to get there. Your dad innocently accepted some flimsy reasons, and before he knew it we arrived at the New haven train station. Your mom had planned a whole secret trip to New York City for your dad's 30th birthday!

We rode the train into Grand Central, and then walked around Broadway and Times Square for an hour until we met Ellen for dinner in the 'garden' of a great Italian restaurant. Then, before your dad knew what was happened, we strolled around the corner to the Town Hall Theater, where your mom produced two tickets to a show!

We saw a rehearsal performance of A Prairie Home Companion, which we listen to almost every Saturday night. It might make us seem dated, but your folks love a relaxing night cooking a nice dinner and listening to the music and stories on the show. Anyway, the performance was really great, with wonderful music, comedy, stories, and the funniest sound effects man in the world! It was the perfect birthday present for your dad, who grew up listening to the show with your grandparents on the farm.

Anyhow, the surprises did not end- after spending the night at Ellen's apartment and getting bagels the next morning, we hopped a train back to CT. Your dad was absorbed in reading a newspaper when he heard the announcer call for a stop in Cos Cob.

'That's interesting,' your dad said, his nose still in the news. 'Cos Cob is where Jen and Jon live.'

'I know,' your mom said, with bag in hand, 'Get up!'

Jen and Jon Erensen are good friends of your dad's from Trinity College, and they and their little son Teddy took us for a great picnic lunch by the shore. It was a perfect spring day and we had a great time, and the whole visit was yet another birthday present for your future father.

So, your mom treated your dad to a really special birthday trip. You'll be lucky to have her as a mother. Just don't believe everything she tells you.