December 07, 2006

Dreaming of the Rat Pack

I awoke this morning still in that fuzzy place, where cloaked in sleep and not quite sure what is real & what is imagined, I remembered my lovely dream. Realization slowly seeped in that it was no dream at all & the details of one of the most wonderful evenings of my life started to come back to me.

Let me begin my story by saying that Sweet Hubby is (was) not famous for putting a lot of thought into celebrating my birthday. That being said, there was no reason for me to suspect last night was going to be anything other than what he said, a little midweek date to Barnes & Noble, especially since it was still exactly 2 weeks until my birthday. After trying to figure out a way to get me out of the house & to the theatre without my knowing where I was going, he realized it wasn't going to happen so he told me the big surprise, giving me the chance to slip into my little black dress. He was taking me to see The Rat Pack Live at the Sands show downtown. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin & Sammy Davis, Jr. It was fantastic & the closest we can ever come to seeing legends like this in our time. The music was wonderful, my face hurt from smiling from ear to ear & I clapped until my hands were sore. By far the highlight of the evening was the final number when Ol' Blue Eyes sang My Way. It took me right back to when I was a little girl listening to my dad sing that same song. I can picture him with the lyrics sheet in his hand belting it out & in my mind I can hear him, but since he has been gone now for over 8 years it gets harder and harder to hold on to these memories. The true gift of the evening was closing my eyes while "Frank" sang that song and in my mind seeing & hearing my daddy singing to me. I was overcome with emotion, sadness mixed with joy, for I got to spend a night I will never forget with Frank, Dean, Sammy, My Dad and the love of my life, Sweet Hubby.

13 comments:

  1. How sweet of hubby.. sometimes they really get it right! That is totally up my alley and such sweet memories of your dad too. Happy early birthday to you! :)

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  2. Sounds like a wonderful night!

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  3. What a lovely hubbie. That's such a lovely surprise. Glad you had such a lovely evening.

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  4. Your insert today brought me to tears. You're a lovely couple. I'm glad that for just one night, nothing mattered except for love, music, romance and memories of your dad. Happy Early Birthday! Your friend, Carrie

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  5. What a fun date and you have a great picture to remember the evening.

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  6. What special memories for you, both old and new, intermingled forever. Kudos to Sweet Hubby for pulling off a very special evening. And happy early birthday to you!

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  7. What a beautiful post of such fond memories. Happy Birthday for when it comes!
    Lisa x

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  8. Such a lovely post, Jen. I particularly liked hearing about your dad singing and how those memories came flooding back to you as you listened last night. I could just picture the whole thing. Happy Birthday!

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  9. Super super sweet!! What a lovely night! Glad you had such a wonderful time! What a great guy!

    Happy early Birthday!!

    Thanks for sharing such a sweet post!
    xoxo Jenny

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  10. I thank you all, friends new and old, for sharing in my happiness & for getting what I was feeling. It is a night that I will relive in my memory for years to come.

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  11. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
    Is that a hemingway hurricane I see in the backgroud? (Southern Living at HOME) :)
    Love your Thanksgiving table. That cloth is amazing!

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