HEY YOU GUYS!!!

It’s my mom’s birthday today!

Let’s all raise a glass (of seltzer because my mom doesn’t really drink) and say HUZZAH RITA!

In 1957, Rita Marie graced the world with her presence. My grandmother confirms that Rita was the happiest, most energetic loveliest child ever from the get go. One of my favorite stories from Rita’s childhood concerns a bunch of company coming over and milling about in the house and little Rita barreling down the stairs determined to make an entrance. She basically struck a pose (with what I imagine to be fierce jazz hands) and screamed, HERE ME AM, FOLKS!!!

In case there was any doubt.

(And no, since you asked, I still have no idea where my flair for the dramatic came from. Ahem.)

One of my more recent favorite Rita stories occurred why, just last week!

We had been throwing the idea around of throwing my father a big surprise party in March. My mom wanted to be able to thank all the people who had been so helpful and generous when my father was sick and in the hospital and then home and unable to walk, etc. so she thought it would be great fun to THROW! A! HUGE! PARTY! And invite the world!

We can just pause right here and observe that just the idea of doing this is what makes my mother incredible. She is so full of gratitude and energy and excitement that she can’t just say HEY THANKS FOR GETTING OUR MAIL! VISITING MY HUSBAND! SENDING A CARD! She freaking decides to throw a party for everybody. HERE YOU AM, FOLKS!!!

Anyway, she finally chose a date and last week she sent out a mass e-mail to me and my siblings with some ideas and questions in a lovely bulleted list.

It’s a surprise!

We rented out the Polish Hall!

How should we decorate it?

Here’s what I’m thinking about the food!

Whose phone # should I put for the RSVP so dad won’t get suspicious of mom fielding a lot of phone calls?

Etc. Etc.

Apparently, after she sent this e-mail, she dashed out to the laundromat. (This is the piece of the puzzle I still don’t understand. I assume the washer and/or dryer broke? Last I checked, my mom never ever ‘ran out to the laundromat’. Maybe she was already performing secret undercover surprise party duties!?)

She returned shortly and my father met her at the door with a sheepish smile.

“UM, I GOTTA TELL YOU SOMETHING,” he said.

He continued:

“YOU SENT DAT INVITATION ABOUT MY PARTY…TO ME.”

And thus it was confirmed that my mom sent out an e-mail about my father’s surprise party to my father.

A fun little detail about this is that this is the second time that Rita has spoiled a surprise party for my dad. She attempted to throw him one for his 60th birthday a few years ago but left the guest list on the desk next to the computer in plain sight.

As you do.

Anyway, my mom was pretty bummed out about giving away the surprise (AGAIN) but my dad reassured her that HE REALLY DOESN’T LIKE SURPRISES ANYWAY, which is true. (My dad and I both prefer ‘know what is going on at all times to the point of intense control freak anal retentiveness’ to SURPRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE! BETCHA DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING!)

We tried to cut my mom a break (both my dad and brother have the same first name so when she pulled up PAUL in her e-mail, it selected her husband instead of her son) but the opportunity to poke fun of her was just too good.

My sister quickly replied all to the e-mail chain: WHY DOESN’T DAD JUST TELL US DIRECTLY WHICH KIND OF DECORATIONS HE’D LIKE?

I picked up the phone and when Rita answered, I asked her if I could please speak to dad for a sec, I had a surprise party for him I wanted to tell him about.

My mom couldn’t stop laughing and finally just was like, “LAURA. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!? I can’t believe I did that. But your father said he loves me anyway.”

And this is why I love my mom.

She was immediately laughing at herself, all CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? and of course we all could because Rita does things like this constantly. And the best part about it is that she easily forgives herself and laughs it off because what else can you do, really? And she is correct that my father (and all of us) love her anyway.

Not even ‘anyway’. We just love her. Period.

So, our surprise party has been amended to ‘party’.

And it doesn’t matter in the slightest because there would be no party without Rita’s enthusiasm, without Rita’s ideas, without Rita.

MOM!!! We love you so much!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!