Drew's Birthday

This year I am getting Drew driver's education classes at the local high school for his birthday present. When I went to high school, driver's education didn't cost you anything. Nowadays, it costs up the wazoo! But the high school price is better than AAA, so I signed him up. More than I usually spend for a birthday, but a better option than trying to teach him myself using my car.



Since the present was already decided upon, I guess Drew felt there was no reason to have a celebration. I kept asking him what he wanted for his birthday dinner, and he never gave me a straight answer. Nor could he tell me what kind of cake he wanted. He has been away with friends and at activities so much that I wanted to keep this celebration in the family, not have a big party.



Finally, last night before I drifted off to sleep, he allowed how he might be happy with a shepherd's pie and a bit of cheesecake. Great. By the time I get home from work and cook something that time consuming, it will be midnight! We reached a compromise. He made a list of needed ingredients, and while I went from work to Wegman's to get the supplies, he cooked the potatoes and carrots. That's half the time needed.



I hurried home so we could cook the hamburg, shred the cheese and flavor the casserole with parsley and basil. Then we threw it altogether and tossed it in the oven (imagine your mother making you cook your own birthday dinner!), and watched an episode of Psyche while munching the fresh strawberries I tucked in the cart as a treat. They were delicious and just the thing to hold us over until the cheese melted and we could partake.



It was nice to share an evening with Drew. We are seldom home together in the early evening. I did pull a fast one though. In his birthday card attached to the spiderman happy birthday balloon, I wrote that I had purchased him a car for his birthday, and hoped he was OK with the color. His eyes widened and he gulped "really?"



"Yes," I said, handing him the little yellow hot wheels sports car. He laughed and I touched his shoulder and said "yellow car" in sync with their silly game. Happy birthday, tall man. And many many more.