before you get too far into the gutter with my title, let me clarify. my dad turned fifty last week and my mother, known far and wide for her great gift sense, rented my dad a chauffered, stretch-limo hummer.
a yellow one at that.
the monstronsity was there to surprise him after church and we all piled in for champagne toasts to the old man. with dinner reservations at 5:30, off we rolled. there were way too many “this is how i roll” xhibit references, but it was too much fun not to.
of course, dinner was lovely, but there were several bars and many drinks to be had, so off we went. and when i talk about shots and drinks, i most certainly don’t mean me, unfortunately. it seems my pregnancy has landed smack dab in the middle of all noteworthy celebrations. nothing like watching every other person around you drink and get silly. yup, nothing like it.
so the yellow hummer was soon taking us to several fine drinking establishments before we arrived at our final destination. first, o’connel’s pub. famous for its slow-poured guinness, but we were there for shots. red-headed sluts to be exact. why they let my sister choose the shot is beyond me. at least she didn’t order a mind-eraser. poor dad.
one shot down, back into the hummer. did i mention that the hummer is not a vehicle you can stand in, much less lean over when your nine months pregnant. i did a lot of cruising on my knees. and why did i keep sitting in the back? duh.
o’connel’s to harry’s downtown. nice place. at harry’s it was lemon drops. once again, stacy and jeanne were calling the shots. pun absolutely intended. i used the facilities and looked longingly at their wine cooler. definitely a place to come back to without 11 other randy revelers.
from harry’s to cafe eau at the uber-fabulous chase park plaza. the yellow hummer was semi-out of place with all the jags, benzs, and whatnots, but we were on a mission. someone finally took over the shots and ordered a round of tequila for everyone, except yours truly. then they also got macintoshes. it smelled and tasted like an apple, so i’m told. i was busy trying to look the inconspicuous, enormously pregnant woman role. i’m not sure how that was going. dad, by this time, seemed quite at ease and jovial. the fact he was still standing was a minor miracle. he’s such a trooper. and at fifty, no less.
then it was back into the hummer and stan drove us to our final stop, pin up bowl. mom, pops, and several guests stumbled in and promptly went to the bar. ed ordered dad a goldschlager martini concoction and i think he nursed it a bit until he could get something else that wouldn’t leave him utterly defenseless.
chris, jim, and laura were there to round off the celebration. hi, chris.
after much more drinking, talking, laughing, and watching my sweet, inebriated brother-in-law talk to anyone near the jukebox, we headed to the delmar lounge. by now it was waaaaay past my bedtime and i was nowhere near my car.
i think most were drinking water, like me, and were ready to call it a night. dad hung in there and managed to stay out until elevenish. go dad! kind jeanne and john-stephen took tony and i home before i climbed under the table for a nap.
all in all, a very successful evening and a lot of fun. happy birthday dad. i hope you always remember the hummer you got for your fiftieth. if not, we got pictures.