Seems like we’ve been celebrating Dan turning 40 for months because we have 😂

I started planning his surprise 40th in July of 2022, and pulled off the coolest thing I’ve ever done for anyone, this past October. Complete with an argument about being late in our driveway, followed by him on the phone the entire way there, only to be outdone by a dramatic parallel park job in an empty parking lot, and to top it off, a little more bickering actually walking down the steps into the pavilion at The Mill* with a bar full of all his favorite people 🥰❤️

*if you have a chance to throw a party somewhere, throw it at The Mill. They are amazing people and I could go on and on about my girl Mel, the amazing pulled pork, beer selection and overall vibe – but I’ll stay focused 🙂

It was great. And I had written a little speech for him that I planned on reading there, but never had the chance because, well. All of our nearest and dearest had me drunk and hitting their “adult vape pens” in the first 5 minutes. And let’s be honest I would have cried.

So the next morning, we sat outside on our front bench. Slightly hungover, very tired, and super filled up with gratitude for a great and safe time, I read this to him. And I cried. Did Dan cry? I think he did. Anyway. Without further ado, I present words that might make you too cry, especially if you’re married or slightly hungover or drunk or maybe even hormonal.

Dan Phillips, my beautiful husband. A treasured brother and son. A devoted and loyal friend. The world’s best daddy. A risk taker, an adventure seeker, and of course, a successful businessman and overall BOSS human.

You made it to 40.

When we met you were 26, and full of it. When I was introduced to you, for about the third or fourth time, something clicked and the rest, as they say, is history. Since then you have become so much more than the “bad boy” in the striped g-unit shirt, on the fourth floor of the Saratoga City Tavern. That g-unit shirt and the way it fit around your extremely muscular arms was what really got me 😂 And when I found out you really weren’t a bad boy at all, that sent me. Straight to the alter 💒

Together we’ve built so much, but I’m gonna focus on all you have done for yourself, for me, and almost everyone else in this room. You’ve used your two hands, your mind, and your heart to build a life for yourself, and in turn for me and our kids.

First my boyfriend, the my fiancé, then my husband. When I first knew I wanted to marry you, I knew you’d be a good time; funny, loyal, reasonable, level-headed, compassionate: but over the years, you’ve proved to be so much more than that. You quickly became my glue, my safe place, and my sounding board, my light in the darkness. My lifeboat, my ladder. My biggest fan, and my greatest supporter. You became a daddy to our three babies, and inside the world of fatherhood is where you really shine. You coach them, you father them, you teach them, and mold them inside all the little moments, but the best is how you love them each so differently and so well, and that has been my favorite thing to witness. You’re their safe and soft place to land, and strong and sturdy when they need a little tough love. Thank you for giving me them.

You have been the most dedicated and devoted husband, which has helped me become a better and more patient human. My favorite thing you have ever done for me though, is how you helped build the mother inside me, whom with the right man, I was always meant and able to become.

Not to be a Debby downer, but it wouldn’t do you justice if I didn’t speak on how you weathered my worst storm with me, when we lost my mom. You picked up all my pieces day in and day out, for a long time, and sometimes still do. Your mental strength was and is immeasurable and so appreciated. I told you years ago you’re a real life angel; and you still are 🤍

I thank you for that, and for all you’ve built inside the four walls of our home, and inside my heart and yours, and of course what you’re instilling and creating inside our children.

Ok! So here it is, a few months early – but look around. Look at all you’ve accomplished. Look at the friendships you’ve built, and kept alive. Look at all the people who love you. Who you have helped, and who have helped you back. This is 40. You are my best friend, my favorite drinking buddy, and everything we haven’t discovered yet – Here’s to the next 40 🥰