Family Time: Celebrations, Surprises, and a Pizza Blunder!

Last week was a busy yet special week for me because it was both my parents' wedding anniversary and my wife’s birthday. My parents' anniversary was on October 29, and my wife’s birthday followed closely on October 31. I couldn’t plan anything overly grand, but I wanted to make sure they felt special. I managed to buy clothes as gifts for my mother, my wife, and my sister-in-law. Everyone appreciated the clothes, and they really liked them. However, I couldn’t figure out what to get for my father since nothing suitable caught my eye, so I left it for another time.

On the day of the anniversary, October 29, my elder brother came over with a nice surprise for our parents. He brought some lovely clothes as gifts for them and also brought a cake to celebrate. It was a sweet gesture and made the evening feel a bit more festive, so we all enjoyed the celebration.

However, the dinner part didn’t go as planned. I ended up being responsible for a bit of a mishap. When it was time to order food, my brother suggested we get pizza from a place called Kababjees, which is known for its good quality. But I didn’t listen to him and, wanting to save some money, I decided to order from a new pizza place that had cheaper deals. In hindsight, it was a mistake. The pizza took an incredibly long two hours to arrive, and when it finally did, it was very underwhelming. The taste was bland, and it didn’t feel satisfying at all. To make things worse, one pizza was missing from the order. I felt disappointed, especially since this was the first time I didn’t even feel like taking any pictures of the food—which, for us, is unusual.

We all love pizza except for my mother, so we were looking forward to a tasty dinner. Sadly, this pizza was so average that it ruined the excitement. I felt especially bad because I’m usually very cautious about saving money, whether it’s my own or others', but this time my decision to go for the cheaper option just didn’t work out. I regretted not listening to my brother’s advice to go for a reliable choice, and I promised myself I wouldn’t repeat this mistake.

For our order, I had chosen five large pizzas and a zinger burger. But after two hours, only four pizzas came, and the missing one only added to the frustration. No one even touched the zinger burger, so we just put it in the fridge. The next day, I ended up reheating it and eating it myself since it had gone untouched.

Thankfully, there was still something to enjoy. The cake was delicious, and the kids especially loved it. Seeing them happy and excited over the cake cheered everyone up. My parents were also pleased with the celebration despite the pizza issue, so the day turned out well overall.

Since my wife’s birthday was so close to the anniversary, I decided to combine her celebration with this one. I figured there was no need to get a separate cake since we already had one to celebrate with. I had already bought her a gift, so this felt like a good solution to celebrate without going overboard. She didn’t mind, and it all worked out in the end.

Looking back, it was a good week with both my parents’ and my wife’s celebrations happening together. I may not be quick to change my ways, but this experience taught me a lesson about being too focused on saving. Next time, I’ll try to listen to advice and go with a more reliable option to avoid such issues.