BOM Challenge #11 - My Man

Our next challenge was to journal about the man in your life. The man in my life is Dereck and here is the layout I did:

(and I don't know why it is loading this way round - I am sooooo irritated as I have tried 4 times and nothing is working!!!) So, sorry you will please just have to tilt your head to see it (he he)

The journalling reads:

Dereck was born on 12 January 1956 and is the eldest of four children. He has 3 sisters, Lesley, Jennifer and Joanne.
During 1979 I went out with a guy called James. He shared a flat with Biddy and Mark and Mark was going out with a friend of mine, Beverley. Dereck was good friends with Biddy and Mark and he and his friend Paul would often come round to the flat after they had finished playing softball, so I used to see him quite often. The first time I ever saw him, I said to myself “if James and I ever broke up, I wouldn’t mind going out with Dereck”. Little did I know that this would happen.
In February 1980 I was invited to my matric class teacher’s wedding and was now in a dilemma as I had no partner. Beverley said that Mark’s friend had just come back from overseas and they would ask him. It was Mark’s birthday at the beginning of February so arrangements were made for me to go to the party so that I could meet their friend, Dereck before the wedding. We met at the party and got on really well. I really liked him a lot. The next week was the wedding and we had a great time. He then phoned me to go out the following week-end. During the week I got a phone call and gradually these calls increased and we ended up going out every week-end. In November 1983 we got engaged and on 16 June 1984 we got married. In June 2009, we will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.
Dereck has a lovely open face and that is what initially attracted me to him. He is a very gentle person who doesn’t like confrontations and is pretty easy going (unless something really gets his goat!!). We both enjoy movies and when we first started going out we often went to the movies and back then, the drive-in! Dereck hasn’t really changed much, but I know that I have become more vocal over the years and if I don’t like something or want to do something, I have my say or just do it. I do feel that I have got stronger and have learnt to do a lot on my own and if I want something done, I would rather just get on and do it than wait for someone else to do it. One of Dereck’s faults is that he waits before he does something and often has to be asked to do things, which is often why I get on and do things myself. But, if it is something that he has an interest in, then there is no stopping him!!
Dereck and I are opposites and I feel, compliment each other. He is rather shy, whereas I am very outgoing. I like a whole selection of foods, whereas Dereck is more a meat and potatoes kind of person. Over the years he has got to enjoy some meals that he didn’t like when I first met him. Dereck can get quite heated when there are problems especially when travelling and there is a traffic jam or I can’t read a map and we get lost. He can get into quite a mood, whereas I will just go with the flow as there is nothing you can do, except ask for directions – not too many men do this!!! or just wait for the jam to ease. Dereck can sometimes be quite negative, whereas I try and see the positive in situations.

While our children were growing up, I did find things rather stressful but after some soul searching realised that life is not always about when and how you want things, but how you fit in with others and that everyone has their way to do things which I needed to accept.
Leanne moved out of home in July 2007 to go and live in England and Grant has a girlfriend (Lauren), so is often out. Dereck and I now have lots of time together and I feel that we are both still young and energetic enough to have a good time on our own again - almost like we are dating, as our time is ours.
Dereck has always been very stable in the working environment, but in 2002 he was retrenched and started up his own computer software business which has gone from strength to strength. Dereck is very conservative and between the two of us, we have managed our finances well.
Dereck has always enjoyed a good game of golf. I, on the other hand did a lot of walking and Dereck eventually joined me and tried his hardest to beat me in races!! Recently we have both taken up gym. We are really enjoying it and we often train together. Our taste in music is quite different, but of his music selection, if I can dance to it, I enjoy it!
Dereck loves watching rugby, British football (he supports Everton), grand prix to name a few sports. Not all these interest me which gives me my time to scrap or do other things. Dereck also loves listening to and watching music, reading (and we have similar tastes in certain books), watching movies, playing the electric guitar, playing poker and the latest is racing cars on the playstation! Dereck gets on well with my friends and some of them have a good laugh at him as he can be quite a moaner sometimes, and they really rag him about that!!
We spoil each other with surprises and we both have a good sense of humour. Do we argue - yes, and I am sure there will be many more arguments, as we can’t always agree with everything, but we do get on well and have a great time together.
So, to Dereck – thanks for the past 28 years and here’s to at least another 28 more. Thanks for being there for me, for your support both voluntary and involuntary, and for giving me the freedom to be able to be me and do the things that have interested me.
I love you!

Happy with my man signing off ....