A Secret Revealed, a Mystery Explained
Yesterday was a momentous day for Family JP. Christina gave me a call around 2pm to let me know that the USPS tried to deliver a special package to our home while she was away from the house. This is a package I'd been agonizing over since the end of November. It had finally arrived. My life is finally complete. But I'll unravel that secret later.
More importantly, I accompanied Christina to her first ultrasound at Chester County hospital. Christina was as giddy as I've ever seen, as she was undoubtedly looking forward to the planning that goes along with finding out the sex of the baby. Visions of pink or blue window treatments, wall colors, and Easter outfits were dancing through her head, I'm sure.
We go to the ultrasound room around 5pm and were admitted immediately. The ultrasound began with a grainy picture of grays and blacks. The only feature that really stood out right away was the spine, as it is perfectly formed by this point in gestation. Eventually, we were able to make out the head, heart, arms, and legs. Detailed views of the baby's fingers and toes revealed that all appendages were present and accounted for. Whew!
The baby was just sitting there, probably asleep. Christina was told to drink orange juice or something with sugar in it before getting the ultrasound to help the baby move. She forgot so the baby was just hanging out. More testing and measuring by the attendant led to the moment we waited for. 'I know what you're having,' she said........It's a girl.
We're super excited. At first I, like most men, wanted a boy. But before long I reconsidered and reflected on how fun it would be to have a girl. Sure, I won't be able to fully share my passion for sports and beer with a girl (nor would I want to - total turnoff, ladies), but I also won't be the one dealing with all her crazy girl issues when she is a teenager, so I consider the whole thing a wash. Another bonus is the terrorizing of all the young boys that try to date her. (Note: She's not dating until she's 30). Christina's good friend Karen is also having a girl so she's excited to be able to share her experience with someone dealing with similar issues. Plus, the Kurtz's are having a boy soon so maybe an arranged marriage is something to consider.
Onto the revealed secret. We swung by the post office after leaving the hospital to pick up THE package. Upon receiving the package, I asked myself, 'How can something so beautiful be contained in such an ordinary box?' Well, that something beautiful is 6 bottles of liquid gold - Westvleteren 12. The yellow caps created a brightness that filled the room, much like Moses' face when he came down Mt. Sinai.
Back in November, a bunch of us were toying around with the idea of buying a case of Westvleteren via eBay. We set the max price per bottle at $15, including shipping. We were consistently outbid. Time passed and I decided to randomly check eBay again. Turns out a 6-pack was about to be auctioned off for $11/bottle. I bid and won without much thought or effort. The first person I called was my brother who said he wanted 3 bottles. I too wanted 3 bottles so we settled on splitting the sixer.
Now some of you may accuse me of being a greedy bastard. Especially those who were willing to pay for 2 bottles from the case we tried to buy in November. 'Why didn't you guys split the sixer up 3 ways so that 3 people could get 2 bottles?', you may be asking. Well, the answer is a simple two-parter: 1) I am a greedy bastard, 2) the $11/bottle price tag made the purchase of 3 bottles a no-brainer. So I'm sorry (although not that sorry).
Also, I figured that now I'll be able to a) drink one in the short-term, b) drink one for a special occasion, c) age one for 5 years. Mike and I are brewing this Saturday so I plan on taking the booty along so that we'll be able to drink our first together. Two brothers experiencing one dream together. Isn't that heartwarming?
More importantly, I accompanied Christina to her first ultrasound at Chester County hospital. Christina was as giddy as I've ever seen, as she was undoubtedly looking forward to the planning that goes along with finding out the sex of the baby. Visions of pink or blue window treatments, wall colors, and Easter outfits were dancing through her head, I'm sure.
We go to the ultrasound room around 5pm and were admitted immediately. The ultrasound began with a grainy picture of grays and blacks. The only feature that really stood out right away was the spine, as it is perfectly formed by this point in gestation. Eventually, we were able to make out the head, heart, arms, and legs. Detailed views of the baby's fingers and toes revealed that all appendages were present and accounted for. Whew!
The baby was just sitting there, probably asleep. Christina was told to drink orange juice or something with sugar in it before getting the ultrasound to help the baby move. She forgot so the baby was just hanging out. More testing and measuring by the attendant led to the moment we waited for. 'I know what you're having,' she said........It's a girl.
We're super excited. At first I, like most men, wanted a boy. But before long I reconsidered and reflected on how fun it would be to have a girl. Sure, I won't be able to fully share my passion for sports and beer with a girl (nor would I want to - total turnoff, ladies), but I also won't be the one dealing with all her crazy girl issues when she is a teenager, so I consider the whole thing a wash. Another bonus is the terrorizing of all the young boys that try to date her. (Note: She's not dating until she's 30). Christina's good friend Karen is also having a girl so she's excited to be able to share her experience with someone dealing with similar issues. Plus, the Kurtz's are having a boy soon so maybe an arranged marriage is something to consider.
Onto the revealed secret. We swung by the post office after leaving the hospital to pick up THE package. Upon receiving the package, I asked myself, 'How can something so beautiful be contained in such an ordinary box?' Well, that something beautiful is 6 bottles of liquid gold - Westvleteren 12. The yellow caps created a brightness that filled the room, much like Moses' face when he came down Mt. Sinai.
Back in November, a bunch of us were toying around with the idea of buying a case of Westvleteren via eBay. We set the max price per bottle at $15, including shipping. We were consistently outbid. Time passed and I decided to randomly check eBay again. Turns out a 6-pack was about to be auctioned off for $11/bottle. I bid and won without much thought or effort. The first person I called was my brother who said he wanted 3 bottles. I too wanted 3 bottles so we settled on splitting the sixer.
Now some of you may accuse me of being a greedy bastard. Especially those who were willing to pay for 2 bottles from the case we tried to buy in November. 'Why didn't you guys split the sixer up 3 ways so that 3 people could get 2 bottles?', you may be asking. Well, the answer is a simple two-parter: 1) I am a greedy bastard, 2) the $11/bottle price tag made the purchase of 3 bottles a no-brainer. So I'm sorry (although not that sorry).
Also, I figured that now I'll be able to a) drink one in the short-term, b) drink one for a special occasion, c) age one for 5 years. Mike and I are brewing this Saturday so I plan on taking the booty along so that we'll be able to drink our first together. Two brothers experiencing one dream together. Isn't that heartwarming?
posted by JP at 5:31 AM
2 Comments:
CONGRATULATIONS YOU BASTARD!!!
I am as giddy as a little school girl! By the way, the ingredients arrived today.
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