Sweet Shoppe Designs

Traci Reed - Sunny Sorbet, BSM XXI
Heather Roselli - Stampy Goodness Alpha
Darcy Baldwin - DJB Joana Print
Edgy 4 Template by Nee Nee

Journaling reads: It all started with a simple baby shower gift. I put together a bath-themed gift basket for a friend’s baby shower. I wanted a rubber duck to complete the basket, and had a terrible time locating one. When I would go into a store and ask if they carried rubber ducks, they looked at me like I was crazy (this was before they were everywhere like they are now)! After MUCH searching, I finally located a set of three baby ducks and a mama duck. So that evening we were on a date when Brad asked me how my day had gone. I launched into the whole couldn’t-find-a-duck-to-save-my-life story, and then started singing, “Rubber Duckie, You’re the One!” Lo and behold, Brad had never heard the song before. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Didn’t you grow up watching Sesame Street?! Yes, he did, but somehow had managed not to see the clip with Ernie singing to his rubber duckie. What a deprived childhood he must have had! Ha.
Fast forward a week...we were on another date - we’d gone to dinner and then were going back to Brad’s apartment to watch a movie. I had hidden one of the extra ducks in my purse with the intention of planting it in his shower for him to discover the following day. At some point in the evening, I excused myself to the bathroom and placed the duck in his shower where I knew he’d find it.
The next morning I got an email saying, “You are a riot!” I was thrilled that he found my silly sense of humor amusing. Imagine my absolute delight when I discovered that same duck hiding in my kitchen cabinets the following week!
This started a game that we are still playing to this day. At some point we named this duck Howard. He has his own email address, his own passport (see middle photo), and is addicted to the islands. He’s written many letters and emails, and has acted as our travel advisor. He’s suffered being taped up and muzzled and attached to the wall (photo 3, below). He’s gone on countless business trips as a stowaway in Brad’s suitcase. He’s had some rather creative adventures and some more mundane, like being shoved in the bottom of my purse or in Brad’s desk drawer. But each time he’s hidden and found, it brings me great joy that I have such a playful partner in life. I imagine we’ll be hiding Howard and dreaming up more creative excursions for him for a very long time to come.