It’s more than just a fantasy

Zippy and Daddy’s 50^th anniversary is next year, and since I won’t be around, I tried to line up a gift in advance. (It always comes to me.)

Of course, Zippy is of no help when it comes to big gifts. Daddy doesn’t care, either.

When I suggested a cruise, Zippy’s only response was, “But who would go with me?” So that was out.

When I posed the question to Mary Lynn, she suggested Yankee Fantasy Camp. After all, Zippy loved it when Charles went a couple of years ago. She crashed the final day’s events and even got to see Richard Gere.

But when I asked Z about it, she kind of made it sound like she wasn’t interested. Between that and it being a really hard sell to Barry, I kind of left it. At least until I went to Charlotte and Charles showed Z his custom Yankee uniform and she looked pretty envious.

I decided to do it, but being an AC volunteer at $200 a week doesn’t really make that a smart purchase, so I pursued the siblings. Laurie was an easier sell. Wendy was pretty easy, but since she never has any money she couldn’t go even.

Barry thought it was a stupid idea, but he finally gave us the go-ahead. Of course, I had already decided to do it so that worked out well.

Even though it was supposed to be an anniversary present, since that falls in June we decided to give it to her on her birthday.

Well, that was fine except she was born about a month too late. All the medical paperwork is due on Nov. 1, which, last I checked, falls before Nov. 9.

So Laurie and I decided to give it to her when I came down for Mackenzie’s birthday.

Originally, I’d figured on being in North Dakota and had made plans to come down on Thursday, but after taking the new job that went out the window with the “no leave during training” rule.

So instead I did a quick up and down over the weekend. Mackenzie and Cracker Barrel. That was it. No friends, no malls. There was no time.

But it was fantastic. Mackenzie didn't have a family birthday party (Barry didn’t have her that weekend) but she invited me to the Japanese steakhouse with her friends. She'd invited four and her mom took them to dinner.

I'd cleared it in advance that Nic and Zac could come (this was my last chance to see her before I leave for post) and Laurie came along, too. It worked out well because we sat at one side of the table and they sat at the other -- no boy cousins embarrassing her or anything.

I gave her a little silver jewelry box with a silver cross necklace. She squealed when she opened it and so did her friends. Score! I really had agonized over the purchase so it worked out well.

Sunday morning we met Barry at Cracker Barrel. Zippy, true to form, didn’t want to get up and go in the morning. I wound up sending Daddy, Laurie and the boys in one car to force her to go with me in another. It would have NOT been cool had she not attended!

Laurie had wrapped the folder with the Yankee camp information in anniversary wrapping and put it in a box with Christmas gift wrap. That was in a box with birthday gift wrap.

Zippy was totally confused but I just said I wasn't going to be there for those holidays and that was why.

She got to the inside and of course had the wrong side of the folder facing her but when she opened it her jaw totally dropped. She just kept saying “I can’t believe I’m going to Yankee Fantasy Camp.”

So that gift was a definite home run.