Busy Wednesday
Jul. 21st, 2005 09:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sharelleI had a really hectic day yesterday, but it was a good one.
Firstly, it was my Granny's birthday. (She turned 81.) So everyone was together for that celebration. I'm happy to say, she had a wonderful day.
In the meantime, my brother and I had been making evil plans. (From a few thousand miles apart.)
My folks had always wanted to go to Hawaii. When they were planning their wedding, they discovered that they wouldn't be able to afford a trip like that for their honeymoon, so they'd always planned to do so on their 25th wedding anniversary. That, unfortunately, came and went about 6 years ago. No Hawaii.
Now, my father is retired -- early retirement, and couldn't be happier, but still retired. So, even though Mom and Dad now have all the time together they could ever want, I know they would never spend the money on themselves to do something extravagant. So my dear brother and I took matters into our own hands.
When I visited Australia and New Zealand several years ago, I went with a couple from my church who run trips like that on a regular basis. They'd been placing ads in the bulletin announcing a 10-day Hawaii trip for several weeks now. I called the man up (his name is Joe), and told him I was interested in seeing the information.
Timing was everything, and it seemed to be very poor in my case for a while. I got the info on the Hawaii trip, but then came the tricky phone calling period. Whenever I called Joe about the trip, I would be very careful to do so when I was alone. Unfortunately, I'd usually get his machine, and whenever he called back, someone else was around to pick up the phone. Or check the caller ID. Joe is a teacher at that ritzy school I interviewed at a while back, so I had an okay excuse to talk to him, but not one that would last for very long.
And my mother is the nosiest woman on the planet.
Mom: "Did Joe _______ call?"
Me: "Huh?"
Mom: "Why is his name on the caller ID?"
Me: "Oh, he wanted to talk to me about my AH interview. He said he heard my name mentioned by their principal." (Which was actually true.)
That satisfied her, until a few days later . . .
Dad: "Amy, Joe _______ is on the phone for you."
Mom: "Why is he calling again?"
Me: "He wanted to know if he could put a word in for me at the AH school." (Which was actually partially true.)
Mom: "He must really want you to get that job."
Dad: "He calls at weird hours."
The next time Joe called, I was alone, but still grilled about it again because I'd forgotten (again!) to erase his number from the caller ID. (#@*%! Caller ID!) The last time, yesterday, I was very careful to get rid of the evidence.
I'd decided that it was just getting too hard to keep this a secret from the Clueless!Nosy!Parental Units, so when I learned that Tom would be calling yesterday for Granny's birthday, we decided to make the presentation then.
I put a lei and a card in a Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince box (that I'd gotten from Borders on the night I bought my book), and gave it to my parents while they were on the phone with my brother.
I think they were thrilled. :)
I only wish that my brother could have been home when we executed our evil plan, but he probably won't even be back in the States before the Hawaii trip is over. But still, we collaborate evil pretty well from thousands of miles apart. *G*
(Here's what the card I gave them looked like: On the front, and on the inside.)
It always feels great, doing nice things for other people.
Firstly, it was my Granny's birthday. (She turned 81.) So everyone was together for that celebration. I'm happy to say, she had a wonderful day.
In the meantime, my brother and I had been making evil plans. (From a few thousand miles apart.)
My folks had always wanted to go to Hawaii. When they were planning their wedding, they discovered that they wouldn't be able to afford a trip like that for their honeymoon, so they'd always planned to do so on their 25th wedding anniversary. That, unfortunately, came and went about 6 years ago. No Hawaii.
Now, my father is retired -- early retirement, and couldn't be happier, but still retired. So, even though Mom and Dad now have all the time together they could ever want, I know they would never spend the money on themselves to do something extravagant. So my dear brother and I took matters into our own hands.
When I visited Australia and New Zealand several years ago, I went with a couple from my church who run trips like that on a regular basis. They'd been placing ads in the bulletin announcing a 10-day Hawaii trip for several weeks now. I called the man up (his name is Joe), and told him I was interested in seeing the information.
Timing was everything, and it seemed to be very poor in my case for a while. I got the info on the Hawaii trip, but then came the tricky phone calling period. Whenever I called Joe about the trip, I would be very careful to do so when I was alone. Unfortunately, I'd usually get his machine, and whenever he called back, someone else was around to pick up the phone. Or check the caller ID. Joe is a teacher at that ritzy school I interviewed at a while back, so I had an okay excuse to talk to him, but not one that would last for very long.
And my mother is the nosiest woman on the planet.
Mom: "Did Joe _______ call?"
Me: "Huh?"
Mom: "Why is his name on the caller ID?"
Me: "Oh, he wanted to talk to me about my AH interview. He said he heard my name mentioned by their principal." (Which was actually true.)
That satisfied her, until a few days later . . .
Dad: "Amy, Joe _______ is on the phone for you."
Mom: "Why is he calling again?"
Me: "He wanted to know if he could put a word in for me at the AH school." (Which was actually partially true.)
Mom: "He must really want you to get that job."
Dad: "He calls at weird hours."
The next time Joe called, I was alone, but still grilled about it again because I'd forgotten (again!) to erase his number from the caller ID. (#@*%! Caller ID!) The last time, yesterday, I was very careful to get rid of the evidence.
I'd decided that it was just getting too hard to keep this a secret from the Clueless!Nosy!Parental Units, so when I learned that Tom would be calling yesterday for Granny's birthday, we decided to make the presentation then.
I put a lei and a card in a Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince box (that I'd gotten from Borders on the night I bought my book), and gave it to my parents while they were on the phone with my brother.
I think they were thrilled. :)
I only wish that my brother could have been home when we executed our evil plan, but he probably won't even be back in the States before the Hawaii trip is over. But still, we collaborate evil pretty well from thousands of miles apart. *G*
(Here's what the card I gave them looked like: On the front, and on the inside.)
It always feels great, doing nice things for other people.
