The Big Event

Sitting with a friend on the soccer field last fall I listened to her share the plans she had for her husband who wouldn’t turn forty for 1 ½ years. Talk about organized and a planner! When I told my friend that Steve is also turning forty but doesn’t want a party, she said, “Neither does my husband but I’m giving him one anyway.” I was already tentatively planning a trip for Steve and me to go to Italy. Of course that meant confiscating all of his frequent flier miles to go and a limited budget, but I had saved my pennies for years to do something special.

Nine months later, on May 30th I threw a surprise birthday party for Steve. When I originally spoke to the caterer I estimated between 45-50 guests. “Your numbers grew” replied the caterer when I gave the final count of 95! Family and friends flew in for the festivities that blessed Steve with life long memories. A few tears were shed as we featured a DVD created for Steve of his 40 years in the making. It began with the song “Beautiful boy” by John Lennon and also included songs such as “Butterfly kisses”, “We are family” and “Let’s get ready to rumble” to mention a few, concluding with the song “I am willing” by Steve’s favorite Christian song artist Jeremy Camp.

Secretly pulling off such a large event can be overwhelming. God knew in advance that I would need help and provided the perfect “staff” for me. Many friends flocked to my side in excitement with willing support. They all know how much I appreciate them and could not have pulled this off with out each and every one of them.

The last nine months have been busy and all consuming at times yet I enjoyed each moment of it. Spending many hours pulling pictures for the DVD reminded me of why I fell in love with Steve 13 years ago. He is a man with a special heart for God. He loves his family and seeks to become more like Christ each day.

As I dropped the last guest at the airport yesterday (my dear friend Bridget), I shed a few tears, wishing she would come back to live on the east coast. The week long partying was over. Wanting to sit and take it all in, I had to quickly gear up to pack three kids and myself for a week to scatter in different directions. They were going to various friends and my mom’s house, Steve and I packed for our trip to Italy.

So, here I am on the plane flying over the Atlantic praying it stays up in the air! All is well, just missing my kids. I’m looking forward to spending some much needed R & R time with my husband in a beautiful country with wonderful people, and amazing food!!

Blessings,

Debbie