Monday, January 08, 2007

Timeout for Thank Yous

Greetings from the Kingdom of Midlandia.

I, in behalf of her Majesty the Queen, Crowned Prince Carlos and Princess Bianca wish to extend our most deepest gratitude to the good citizens of Bloggerville who have sent their most heartfelt felicitations on her Royal Highness Supreme’s 8th birthday.

Ever the humble royal, the Princess took off her crown and majestic gown for one day and observed this momentous occasion with her family in the most intimate of gatherings. Hence, we celebrated this special day according to her desire.

This involved visiting a neighboring resort for an early morning dip in the pool, where the Princess exchanged a few laps with her brother, Prince Carlos, whom she always beat fair and square despite the fact that he’s a year and a half older. Queen Joy, ever the loving mother and wife, prepared a picnic of scrumptious sandwiches and lemon ice tea.

Come lunch time, it was my turn to delight the Princess with an exquisite dish. And so I toiled in the kitchen for more than 2 hours preparing her favorite Kaldereta recipe – a Filipino version of Beef Stew – and salad.

Not long after, the royal chamber became busy when the real celebration began to take place. Aunt Countess Chech arrived directly from a flight from Canada just to be with her niece on this special occasion. Aunt Princess Julie, though still sick from a slipped disk she suffered from playing Polo, grabbed her cane and joined the soiree. The royal grandsfolk were also present – The Old and Wise King Bert and of course, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Then there are the children – a select few of the Princess’ loyal friends coming in from various kingdoms. Those who didn’t make it, like her grandmother Empress Rose, her aunt Dutchess Rozelle and uncle Duke Edzel of Georgia, USA sent their gifts and cheerful greetings.

Dinner was intimate yet special, as we had our feast of the regal barbecue, colonial fried chicken, majestic mango cake, ice cream supreme, and of course, the inevitable royal spaghetti. After dinner, the Princess opened her gifts. But the most wonderful surprise came when I ushered her in front of the imperial computer. Before opening the internet browser, I told her a story.

I told her that a true Princess is loved by many. That a real Princess touches the lives of not only the people around her, but also those who are living far, far away from her kingdom. I told her that a real Princess radiates beauty that spreads throughout continents. It breaks the barriers of time, distance, age, gender, and race.

And just when I thought I saw her forehead starting to wrinkle in confusion, we opened her last gift. There it laid, right before her eyes, a picture of a Princess with a lovely poem just below it. She began to read. I told her to scroll down and she did, until she stumbled upon something very familiar. Her photo! A Happy Birthday greeting with her name on it! I tried to read her expression. It was a mixture of shock and awe. And then, almost inevitably, she blurted, “That’s me!” I nodded. “I’m on the internet!” she added, calling on her brother. I told her to click on the comments below. Being older and having a louder voice, I asked Carlos to read the messages. What followed was a series of queries and surprises. First, she asked who these people are, why they know her name and why they know it’s her birthday. Then, after explaining to her how a real Princess is known to have many friends from around the world, she blurted, “I want to meet them!”

She inquired about The Wizard. Asking if she really is what she says she is, and I showed her the photos of her enchanting forest. She asked me about Dirk, a bit frightened of his photo at first, until I told him that he is a very gentle, kind man who’s expecting the birth of his own Prince. She asked me about DNR and why he’s wearing a skeleton mask when Halloween is already over. She asked me about all these fascinating people, and every time I come up with an answer, I smiled. Looking at my Princess and how obviously surprised she is with this little gift, I smiled.

Later at night, before she retired, she remembered. She asked me to print a copy for her to show in school. Lastly, she asked me to tell all these people, these wonderful, wonderful people thank you. Just then, knowing how 8 year-olds almost always prefer to receive than to give and forget to say thank you when the presence of a gift steals their attention, I felt glad. Knowing that somehow, I did something right.

And so, in behalf of her Majesty Queen Joy, Crowned Prince Carlos and Royal Highness Supreme Princess Bianca, I, humble King Russkal of Midlandia wish to say THANK YOU to the great, loving and caring citizens of Bloggerville for your support and participation in this noble endeavor.

Believe me when I say, we can’t thank you enough.

15 comments:

jillie said...

What an amazing story and family you have and I feel SO lucky to have been a part of her birthday and special celebration. It's great to see a man that loves and admires his family as much as you do! You are all truly blessed.

Have a great day!

Jay said...

That is just so wounderful. I'm glad she had such a wonderful birthday.

Kati said...

What a lovely family photo! Glad to hear Princess Bianca had a great birthday.

Max and Me said...

awww! wow! you have the most beautiful family! what a wonderful dad you are! i am happy the princess had a most special day.

Rachel Schell said...

yay!!!!

whimsical brainpan said...

It was my pleasure and became an even bigger one after reading this post.

“I want to meet them!”
How wonderfully sweet!

Russkal you have a beautiful family and it fills my heart with joy to know that I helped to make Princess Bianca's birthday special.

Cinderella said...

You have such a beautiful family!! OMG, I want to pinch your little boys cheeks!! He is too cute!!

The cake looked yummy, and everyone looked so happy! I am very happy that she had such a wonderful day!!

You are an awesome Father!! You should be proud of everything you are and everything you do! I can tell you are surrounded by love =)

..................... said...

great family photo, russkal!
it was my pleasure to share in bianca's special day.it's obvious you are very proud of your family.

notfearingchange said...

They are soo cute!

What a great way to enjoy her birthday - and how wonderful for you to share us with her!

DirkStar said...

What a great looking family!

Thank goodness none of them takes after their father!

He-he...

Yes, I’m running a bit late today.

I spent the better part of this morning dressed in sackcloth, my face covered in ashes as I beat myself about the head and shoulders with reeds in mourning for the Buckeyes...

I’m better now that the doctors have given me the shot.

skeet said...

I am so happy that your online community got to share this wonderful day with your princess and the entire royal family! Mahalo nui loa for including me in this joyous celebration!

Pepper said...

You have an amazing family. Yes you should feel proud. Beautiful post.

Judy said...

Princess and Crowned Prince, the gnomes, the animals and I all wish we could have been there in person (although your grandparents were probably more fun than we would be). We're so glad you had a wonderful day.

I know it's a long way, but maybe you could make it to the enchanted forest tomorrow night?

I can't seem to find the community bulletin board, so (I hope you don't mind) I'm posting this here:

POT LUCK SUPPER AT THE WIZARD'S PLACE FRIDAY NIGHT

5:30

BRING A DISH TO PASS
(maybe you have some of that beef stew leftover?)

WIZARD WILL PROVIDE SOME OF RAYMOND'S WINE AND SIGMUND'S MEAD

Elizabeth and Sigmund have agreed to come, Raymond will be there, and Bambi, Flower, and Thumper Jr. have all said they would make an appearance, so please come to meet them in person. Wiley will provide song.

Hope to see you all then!

russkal said...

Guys,

Sorry it took me too long to respond. Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful compliments. Yep, I love my family and I'm very proud of being a dad to such beautiful angels, and husband to a gorgeous lady.

One tries to be a good dad. I know all of you are the same with your families.

Thank you once again for being a part of this endeavor. The Princess is now bugging her flight-attendant aunt to give her tickets to the US so she can go there this summer! Haha!

Helene said...

OMG what a heart warming story!!! Your princess (and Queen too for that matter) are beautiful! What a great day and one that they will all remember for a long time!

You get Dad of the evening award from me tonight! We just tried to take our cheribs out bowling... it started nice enough... but by hour 2 they were at each others throats... grrr

cheers!