Papa's 70th birthday began with a mini-surprise party at Gigi's where friends gather for coffee every Saturday morning. I had made cupcakes the day before while Dad was on a walk. I was rushing around the kitchen to get them in the oven, then trying to erase signs of baking before he came home. Glad no one saw me. It wasn't a pretty sight. I had asked Jan Spano if I could bring the cupcakes to her, so she could bring them to Gigi's along with paper plates and napkins in the morning. In the meantime, I hid the cupcakes in the car so they could cool. Dad arrived without suspecting a thing. (Remember his 40th birthday surprise when he walked in early while I was decorating the house? I told him it was a party for Mia, and he bought it. He's so gullible sometimes.) But I still had to bring the cupcakes to Jan. So I dialed our number from the cellphone and pretended to be talking to Celeste who "needed me to come over for a minute." As I was walking out the door, the phone rang. You guessed it. It was Celeste. She was on her way to our house and would be there in a minute. I couldn't think of any more excuses, so I just left, laughing on my way to Jan's house. When I returned, Dad was very confused. "Where were you? Celeste was here, and I told her you were at HER house." Trying to stifle my laughter, I just mumbled something and left the room. Dad still had no idea what was going on.
Nancy and Jack, Jim and Jan, Margie and Eric, Lill, Ann, Wayne and Jo, Brother David (Newman Center Chaplain)
ENJOYING DINNER, GRANDKIDS AND LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL CARDS!
Here's Papa renewing his Baptismal vows at the Easter Vigil Mass, followed by Nick who was a lector at the Mass, and the rest of the family. Ten catechumens were baptized and four candidates confirmed, so it was a three-hour Mass. The kids were very patient, understanding that they were there for Papa as well as Mass. (Only one or two children and one adult fell asleep---I'm not telling). Mariana helped turn on the water for the baptismal font during the blessing -- a very important job. Here's a photo of the "other" reason for celebration on Dad's 70th Birthday. We all sang the "Hallelujah" Chorus from Handel's MESSIAH at the end of Mass to voice our joy and gratitude for all of these angels in our lives.
