An Ugly Duckling

When I was in sixth or seventh grade, then, come to think of it, in high school and college as well, my friends and I made lists of the qualities we were looking for in our dream men. Generally, they were all pretty similar - hot, athletic, smart, nice, good dancer (yes, that was a universal trait on our lists.) But the order in which these attributes ranked differed. Very high on my list, second to 'hot,' was 'funny.' Humor has always been one of the most attractive personality traits to me - a nearly automatic trump card.

Five years after my final list was created in a BP dorm room with Kristen, I found him - the dream man that didn't only receive the highest marks on my scoring system, but a man that took the humor test to the next degree. And I married him. And for the past sixth months, I've pretty much had a smile on my face all day, every day.

It's not necessarily a stash of jokes, or the use satire, or slapstick. It's just the youthful, fun approach that Peter takes to life that keeps me laughing. It's the fact that a Sunday drive alongside Guillermo is going to be a bit bouncy because we're going in the monster truck - the one that sits above the raging yummy mummies in their premium SUVs.

It's the fact that a legitimate excuse for taking a break from filling out real estate paperwork is the need to stoke the flames of the smoker. But hey, it'll just take ten minutes, we'll be right back.

It's the fact that our freezer isn't stocked with contents labeled Breyers, Stouffer's or Jolly Green Giant. Rather, you open the door to find two frozen pheasants, two frozen ducklings, venison roasts, and vacuum sealed hops.

And it's the fact that chores at our house are never chores. They are opportunities for giggling, set to the right melodies on the record player. Cooking dinner and doing dishes every night in our dishwasher free house is never an inconvenience. It's a hoot. And last night, after one of the frozen, dare I say, ugly ducks, thawed and roasted, it turned glazedly gorgeous and delicious.

Last night we used two new gifts, the Mirabelle Cookbook and the Falling Water Cookbook, to make an ugly duckling into a decadent Sunday supper topped with a currant, orange glaze. 

And served a beet and toasted goat cheese salad alongside it.

Today, I'm just happy to wish the man who checked out as a perfect 100% while adding a bunch of his own, unique, untouchable Peterific attributes to my list, a very, very happy birthday.  

Lo.