felt prouder to be an American. What the hell is a little Jewish kid from Texas doing in the White House????
That was my Aaron. I felt the same way. Our kids? Well, it wasn’t easy keeping them humble.
I feel the need to reveal a secret I’ve kept for twenty-five years. We let Randy jump on the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom. I’m sorry, Nancy.
We had known the Reagans before they moved to Washington, and they were lovely people. We really felt at home in the White House, but we were very nervous.
Randy wanted cinnamon toast, and Nancy was happy to oblige. Aaron and I knew better than to take any because we didn’t want to leave crumbs. Our son didn’t worry about mundane things like dropping crumbs in the White House. The sight I will never forget was of Aaron trailing his handsome son in his little suit and, literally, picking up crumbs from the hallways and the Lincoln Bedroom. I was laughing at Aaron when we heard our son say, “Mrs. President, you serve the best cinnamon toast I’ve ever tasted.”
We later ate club sandwiches with Nancy, and neither of us left any crumbs behind.
On July 8 we got on the
QEII
to begin our journey to Europe. Aaron and I had a suite unlike any stateroom on
The Love Boat.
It was the Queen Elizabeth Suite, which Aaron termed “gorgeous,” even though that wasn’t an Aaron word. The fixtures and furniture were beautifully classic, but not the opulence we later saw in the film
Titanic.
In fact, the
Orient Express
, which we boarded after we landed, was far more elegant. Our stateroom was large and very comfortable and had a big round beige sofa outside our bedroom, where we would relax after a day of walking around the ship.
After all those years of Aaron producing
Love Boat
, you’d think we’d know our way around a cruise ship. No. We knew our way around the set in Hollywood, but the
QEII
was something else.
Actually, let me correct that. Aaron wrote,
The ship is so big that I am totally lost. The only one who seems to know where everything is—you’ve got it—is Tori.
As the ship left New York, we passed the Statue of Liberty. Aaron got emotional, remembering that his last time doing so was on a troop ship during World War II.
On July 9, Aaron wrote that Nelia, one of the nannies, was seasick and the doctor was giving her a shot.
We toured the ship and all the shops, but Candy didn’t buy anything. I hope she’s not sick, too.
I wasn’t.
It was an amazing cruise. We dressed for dinner: Tori in a long gown, and Randy in a tux. “They’re adorable,” Aaron wrote. “Candy and I are very proud.”
By July 11, Aaron was writing on Post-it notes instead of in his journal. Was the thrill gone?
Heard about dock strike.
Lost at Bingo.
Tori won prize for doing movie.
Randy learned about sinking of Titanic.
And, on the same Post-it, on July 12:
Costumes all—Tori as showgirl; Randy as wizard.
Both won prizes.
Hectic day—lots of worrying about strike.
We docked on July 13, but in Cherbourne, not London, because of the strike. Aaron summed up his Post-it note with: “Champagne, flowers, etc., everywhere.”
ABC had arranged for an airplane to take us the short distance to our destination in London. But nope, Aaron didn’t even take short flights when dock strikes disrupted plans. We ended up on a hovercraft, which turned out to be a fun adventure. The kids loved it because none of their friends had ever ridden in a hovercraft, as least as far as any of us knew. They couldn’t wait to go home to tell everyone. But we told them we’d only just begun.
Day after day, we did one incredible thing after another. Watching the kids enjoy the experiences, sights, and sounds was the best. They weren’t as impressed as we were with the fine restaurants, but they certainly loved hearing the stories and seeing the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guard, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square (where they fed the pigeons), and the statues of war
That was my Aaron. I felt the same way. Our kids? Well, it wasn’t easy keeping them humble.
I feel the need to reveal a secret I’ve kept for twenty-five years. We let Randy jump on the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom. I’m sorry, Nancy.
We had known the Reagans before they moved to Washington, and they were lovely people. We really felt at home in the White House, but we were very nervous.
Randy wanted cinnamon toast, and Nancy was happy to oblige. Aaron and I knew better than to take any because we didn’t want to leave crumbs. Our son didn’t worry about mundane things like dropping crumbs in the White House. The sight I will never forget was of Aaron trailing his handsome son in his little suit and, literally, picking up crumbs from the hallways and the Lincoln Bedroom. I was laughing at Aaron when we heard our son say, “Mrs. President, you serve the best cinnamon toast I’ve ever tasted.”
We later ate club sandwiches with Nancy, and neither of us left any crumbs behind.
On July 8 we got on the
QEII
to begin our journey to Europe. Aaron and I had a suite unlike any stateroom on
The Love Boat.
It was the Queen Elizabeth Suite, which Aaron termed “gorgeous,” even though that wasn’t an Aaron word. The fixtures and furniture were beautifully classic, but not the opulence we later saw in the film
Titanic.
In fact, the
Orient Express
, which we boarded after we landed, was far more elegant. Our stateroom was large and very comfortable and had a big round beige sofa outside our bedroom, where we would relax after a day of walking around the ship.
After all those years of Aaron producing
Love Boat
, you’d think we’d know our way around a cruise ship. No. We knew our way around the set in Hollywood, but the
QEII
was something else.
Actually, let me correct that. Aaron wrote,
The ship is so big that I am totally lost. The only one who seems to know where everything is—you’ve got it—is Tori.
As the ship left New York, we passed the Statue of Liberty. Aaron got emotional, remembering that his last time doing so was on a troop ship during World War II.
On July 9, Aaron wrote that Nelia, one of the nannies, was seasick and the doctor was giving her a shot.
We toured the ship and all the shops, but Candy didn’t buy anything. I hope she’s not sick, too.
I wasn’t.
It was an amazing cruise. We dressed for dinner: Tori in a long gown, and Randy in a tux. “They’re adorable,” Aaron wrote. “Candy and I are very proud.”
By July 11, Aaron was writing on Post-it notes instead of in his journal. Was the thrill gone?
Heard about dock strike.
Lost at Bingo.
Tori won prize for doing movie.
Randy learned about sinking of Titanic.
And, on the same Post-it, on July 12:
Costumes all—Tori as showgirl; Randy as wizard.
Both won prizes.
Hectic day—lots of worrying about strike.
We docked on July 13, but in Cherbourne, not London, because of the strike. Aaron summed up his Post-it note with: “Champagne, flowers, etc., everywhere.”
ABC had arranged for an airplane to take us the short distance to our destination in London. But nope, Aaron didn’t even take short flights when dock strikes disrupted plans. We ended up on a hovercraft, which turned out to be a fun adventure. The kids loved it because none of their friends had ever ridden in a hovercraft, as least as far as any of us knew. They couldn’t wait to go home to tell everyone. But we told them we’d only just begun.
Day after day, we did one incredible thing after another. Watching the kids enjoy the experiences, sights, and sounds was the best. They weren’t as impressed as we were with the fine restaurants, but they certainly loved hearing the stories and seeing the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guard, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square (where they fed the pigeons), and the statues of war
Similar Books
