The Great Deck Disaster

Maybe the title is a little melodramatic, but the deck is currently the bain of my existence.

It all started yesterday when I decided to make the deck a little more presentable for Jordan’s birthday party on Sunday. I rented a pressure washer and purchased some deck cleaner and spent the better part of the day struggling to remove the chipped paint and sludge from the deck only to discover lots of rotten wood under the parts that did get clean. When Ken got home from work last night, he took over until we called it quits at 8 p.m.

First thing this morning we got back out there and by noon decided that despite our best effort, the deck had won this round. It remains a mess of chipped paint and rotting boards that looks horrific. But we just couldn’t spend any more time on it when other things needed our attention so much more (such as the girls’ swimming lessons and the rest of the back yard).

So here I sit with an aching back, looking out on the disgusting deck with utter distain. The rotting wood deck, of half stripped paint with some left over sludge is here to stay, or at least here for the party tomorrow. After that its days might be numbered.

Now as I count down the hours until the big party, I’m wondering how much I can comfortably put off until right before everyone shows up. I guess I’ll have to decorate the cake tonight, but the rest of the planning is up in the air.

To be honest, I am a horrible hostess (or at least feel like one). I get stressed out before the big event and if everything isn’t ready the day before I usually experience a mild panic attack.

The funniest part is that I know exactly why I’m like this and can’t seem to change. I simply want it to be the best party possible and build it up so much in my mind that nothing I can do in real life compares. By the end of tomorrow’s party I’ll feel defeated and will want to hide out for a least a week (that’s just my normal hermit response to many of life’s pressures).

Now that my deepest shame of imminent failure has been revealed, I guess I should just suck it up and go decorate the pooh cake – Winnie the Pooh – that is. I’ll try not to let my inner perfectionist drive me too nuts tonight.