Ode to My Hubby

So this ode is fitting since it was just Father's Day this weekend - wait a minute, he's my husband, not my dad, oh well.

I love my husband. Most wives in good standing probably feel this way. By in large, I think I did pretty well in marrying Steve. He's a good guy, works hard, has fun, is a good dad, etc. But the weekend before this past, the man really outdid himself. I honestly didn't know he had it in him, but now that I do, he's in trouble because I'll hold him to a higher standard:)

So it all began with my mom telling me she was taking me on a surprise birthday weekend. Steve consented to handling the kids for a night by himself. Mom took me to Chicago where we did plenty of damage shopping, getting made-up at Macy's, great dinner, and then followed it up with a Broadway performance of "Wicked." For any of you who like musicals, this was a GREAT show! Very entertaining and fun! We ended with a nightcap at the hotel and settled in for a quiet night with no babies crying or kids squeezing in bed...ahhhh. Unfortunately, we had to kind of rush home because mom had a graduation open house to attend...or so she claimed.

As we pulled up our dirt road, I noticed a large red, yellow, and blue inflatable in our yard. Then as we got closer, I could make out the white peaks of a large tent. I was still a little dense, and not until we pulled in the driveway and all our friends yelled "SURPRISE!" did I realize just how badly I'd been duped.

So yes, my dear hubby threw me a 30th birthday fiesta, nice. But oh no, this was no simple affair. He threw a surprise annual pig roast party! Some of you may have attended one of our fabulous events, I think we've had 6 of them so far. The planning is a full time job, let me tell you, because I am usually the one on our side of things handling this stuff. But Steve did it all: invitations, tent, bouncy for the kids, tables, chairs, clean house, mow lawn, 2 kegs (one even was Oberon - we're stepping up in life), drinks, munchies, major decorations, the pig (which is a major undertaking in and of itself), fireworks, and entertainment (past parties have included square dancing, a whiffle ball tournament and bonfires). The dear boy took a whirlwind trip down to Indiana on Friday just to get the fireworks since I was so bummed last year that we didn't have them. But my ultimate surprise was the entertainment - Dueling Pianos!!!! Howl at the Moon style! I could never in my wildest imagination think he would do all this, let alone be able to keep everything from me. My good friend from vet school is engaged to a guy who is professional "piano dueler" (I made up that title), so Steve contacted him a while ago to see if it was possible to do a remote location show. Sure enough, they had keyboards set into fake baby grand pianos and they were jammin away! Most people at the party were unfamiliar with this format of entertainment, but they quickly caught on and soon it was a rockin party! It's hard to convey the scope of the whole thing, but it was amazing!

So, thank you, Steve. I know I've told you like 10,000 times how much I love you, but I never could imagine that love would continue getting bigger and bigger. The piano players wished they were married to Steve, and I know that I am very lucky to be. There are days I want to kick you in the shins, don't get me wrong, but for the most part you are more than I ever dreamed a husband could be. Thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for sticking by me when I'm less than nice. Thank you for our family and the great times we have together. Thank you for loving me so much that you would want to throw me the biggest and bestest 30th birthday party ever! I love you.

P.S. If any of you party-goers have any pics from this event, I'd love copies. As it was a surprise, I didn't have my camera poised and ready. Then I'll post them

P.P.S. Ok, so we had so much fun the first time around, we're doing it again! Mark your calendars for August 23, 2008. More info to come.