pardon me for getting personal

Today is my wedding anniversary and my husband is out of town with our two oldest girls serving as a chaperon for a youth girls camp - how much fun do you think he is having with 30 or so giggling, screaming, not sleeping at night teenage girls?!?!  I better have a quiet room and Tylenol waiting for him when he gets back.

Anyway, the point is I'm missing him so now you all have to sit through my Ode to Derek - lucky you!  I'll keep it party related if that helps.

I knew Derek was the perfect husband for me in October 2004 (actually, I knew he was perfect for me years before that when I married him but October 2004 cemented the deal)

We were holding our 8th (I think) annual Halloween party - a pirate theme, Pirates of Port Royale.  It was the day of the party and I told him a delivery would be coming by with some props for the party.  Not out of the norm so all is good until the truck pulls up.

The delivery truck pulls up and it is huge, I mean really huge.  I'm in the backyard doing some party prep when Derek comes back and nicely says, "Do you have plans for getting this stuff in the backyard?"

"Just use the gate." was my brilliant reply.

"Denise, do you know what you ordered?  Come out front." said without any anger.

Out front I go (a little irritated that the husband can't seem to handle the simple task of unloading the truck and bringing things to the back yard) and it is then that I realize that I am a complete idiot.  I had ordered a boat, three carts, 5 full sized barrels and other party odds and ends.  Not small prop sized things mind you - but the real deal, life sized jive.  See for yourself...

exhibit A - boat (for decor and photo op)

exhibit B - old market carts (for serving the buffet)

exhibit c - barrels (for cocktail tables)

exhibit d - odds and ends (deck pillars, bar stools, crates, and who knows what else - the prop place makes me lose my mind and go crazy.  I cannot be held responsible for my actions while I'm at the prop rental warehouse)

As I stand and stare blankly at the multitude of pirate paraphernalia in my yard ready to cry I turn to my husband with the "I'm so sorry, what are we going to do" look but he has hit the road, jumped ship, escaped from Alcatraz. He has hit his limit and is going to blow (or so I thought)

Derek had quietly gone to the garage, grabbed some tools and had proceeded to the opposite side of our front yard (away from the way to small to get anything through it gate) There he had dug out our landscaping - yes, you heard me right.  He had carefully removed bushes and flowers.  Once the landscaping was removed my still not yelling at me husband began taking down our fence - the one that is nailed and cemented into the ground.  Then he (and the delivery) guys brought everything to the backyard and asked where I wanted it set up.  Once it was all in place Derek set the fence back in place as best he could without nails (we still had to get the jive out of there once the party was over) and asked what else needed to be done.

He is the man of my dreams!

Not to mention that he did all this and still didn't react negatively when the live chickens I had borrowed from a farm showed up.  I mean come on...all little villages that have been plundered by pirates have live chickens in the marketplace - we had to have them.

Maybe he was just still feeling happy about the 45 bottles of root beer he had to drink a few months prior that I needed for our invitations.  That's why he was being so nice.

In all seriousness - I love him and appreciate the fact that he goes along with all my crazy ideas. He has become my best party sidekick and I look forward to many more years of parties with him by my side.

Happy Anniversary Derek!