30 Day Tumblr Challenge - DAY NINE
Something you’re proud of in the past few days.
Hmm. Good question.
I think one thing I’m proud of, even though its kind of silly, is the surprise birthday gift my brother and I pulled off for my Dad’s 60th Birthday.
He’d planned this whole weekend with close friends and family months ago—pizza dinner Friday night, Saturday trip in a limo out east to the wineries for tastings, Sunday lazy day in the sun or on the boat—and then later lost his job. When he lost his job suddenly in June, and my parents tightened up on their finances, he decided it was best to just cancel the Saturday trip to the wineries. That way no one had to sacrifice their good time to be a DD or spend any money on tastings, we could just do something at the house or go out on the boat. After all, he said, his birthday celebration was about being with the people who mean the most to him, nothing more.
Still. I thought it was kind of lamesauce and depressing to cancel your favorite part of your 60th birthday celebration because of the economy. I mean, I understood why he felt he had to do it. But shit, you only turn 60 once.
So my little brother and I stepped in and decided to get the limo for him. Inspired by us, my Mom booked a special private tasting at a winery and planned a picnic we could have at the tables there. My brother and his wife and I told my Dad it was no problem for us to be DDs and he bought it hook, line, and sinker.
Saturday morning my dad was SO surprised. He couldn’t even believe anyone had gotten the limo for him. And every penny was worth it. It totally made his day, and maybe even his weekend. And I really hope the memories from that day will stick with him for the next few months as he searches for a new job and deals with his prostate cancer diagnosis and soldiers on like the champ I know him to be. A little bright spot in his memory.
I’m also proud of myself, not only for coming up with a really great, appropriate gift and making my Dad’s birthday brighter and surprising him and all that but because I managed to come up with all the money we needed for 5 hours of limo rental and a nice tip without giving in to the temptation of taking money from my emergency savings fund. I made some sacrifices in terms of buying clothes and going out drinking over the last couple months and made up the rest by taking money from my vacation savings account—which is way less sacred than the emergency fund. So I gave my Dad a great gift without messing myself up financially, and that feels really good too.
