The Consolation Prize

I have been thinking for a couple of weeks (on a very regular basis) how awesome my dear husband is.  Now -before you roll your eyes and claim that I'm going mushy on you again, just hear me out!

Michael left this week for Pittsburgh.  This is the last session until Fall.  I'm really excited about him not leaving again until September.  Really, really happy!  But it's the same storyline every time he leaves to go.  I get sad, he gets excited, and we have our "last date" before his trip.  Usually this is us on the sofa watching Fox News (Don't hate!) and eating pizza.  Actually -he's watching, I'm reading, etc.  I'm sure you get the picture?  Yeah.  This time was a little different in that I had choir rehearsal until 9:30.  I was bummed about not having a real date, but he did take me to Subway (I'm really not that hard to please where food is concerned...) and we had a nice discussion on risk vs. debt.  Yep -that's my man.  A nice romantic dinner at Subway and a thrilling discussion about mortgages and debit.  You can tell that I'm just so pleased!  :)

I came dragging my feet home after choir.  It's exhausting to sing Bach AND Mozart in two types of Latin, and in German!  I had had my language fill for the day.  Michael, of course, was waiting at home, and had saved his packing so that I could visit with him and fall asleep while he packed.  You know -so that we'd be in the same general vicinity.  Again, I hate this time of small transitions.  I lose my husband for 3 weeks, and become an independent woman who enjoys sitting on the sofa, reading until her eyes cross, and tearing things apart and making them pretty.  I was sad he was leaving and he was eager to get to Pittsburgh.  I could tell he felt bad (he always does), leaving me behind to have his adventure, but I smiled and told him I was going to have fun with Saphira (har!  She likes to eat my shoes, and I like to yell at her.  FUN!!!), and that I had tons of stuff planed (this part is true!).

I was about to drift off to my happy place when he disappeared downstairs.  Thinking that was odd, I followed him.  I'm nosey, so even though I was almost asleep, I got out of bed to see what he was doing (again, don't judge!! hehe).  He was getting some water -bummer.  But as I was leaving to go back to my nice electrically heated bed he surprised me!  I was receiving a consolation prize of flowers!! 

This is very exciting because flowers are only for the MOST special of occasions (anniversaries, birthdays, and other important holidays).  Of course, I thought that I had forgotten something, but my sweet husband just shrugged and said, "nothing special, I just love you and wanted you to have something pretty because I love you."  *whistful sigh*

So sure *shrug* -my husband is gone for about 3 weeks, but hey! -I've got a consolation prize that makes our home smell like summer, and reminds me that how wonderful my spouse is.  Who can argue with that?

Arguing With a Grownup

I had a crazy weekend and a crazy story to tell you!  Did you guys have a good weekend?  It was warmer, the sun was shining, and everything was zooming by!  I'm glad that Spring is in its final descent because Winter makes me crazy.  I become a sloth -a Eskimo, cuddle-bug sloth.  *shrug*  Judge me if you will, but nothing is better than tea, a good book, and the sofa.  I'd prefer my husband there too, but *shrug*  I'll take what I can get!

Spring, though -it's all about moving and planting, and growing, and being outside!  Out with the cold, and IN with the blooms!!  I was so excited that I spent Saturday afternoon outside working on my ancient window.  I didn't get very far because it got cold....  But I get brownie points for getting it "everything-but".  This is one of the cool things about being a grown up.  You can (for the most part) determine my own schedule.  I can do ___________ at ____ o'clock, fold the laundry when I want, and walk around the house with curlers in my hair if I want to!  Being a grown up is awesome!

Oh wait....  It's awesome until you realize that your exciting day has been spent doing the laundry, cleaning the house, and de-cluttering.  When having an adventure with your spouse is the last thing on their "to-do" list, being trumped by school work and professional obligations.  Being a grown up isn't so awesome when you're doing it all by yourself.  When you look around your home and realize that it's full of junk and random bits of your life that are shoved into hiding spots when you have company.  Being a grown up is yucky!

This weekend flew by.  I'd like to say it was because I was hard at work, but I think most of it was because I was arguing with a grownup.  I picked a fight with my husband -yep, it's true!  I picked it, and I deserved the raking over the coals I got for it too (those of you who know me know how much I HATE being a) wrong and b) well...WRONG!  and know how much it probably deflated the happy B bubble!  It's okay -you can enjoy this moment...I'm okay with that!).  I realized that I thought I was a grown up.  You know -going through the steps, taking care of us, trying to cook, make our house nice, etc.  But -I was wrong.  Being a grown up includes so much more than that.  You need a sense of intrinsic motivation, you need an awareness of your others needs more than your own, you need to realize to ASK for help. 

Now, you're probably wondering how I've come to these realizations?  Well -this fight I picked?  It was about how trashy our house was looking.  Now -my husband LOVES LOVES LOVES his books.  I'm talkin' about massive piles of books on Philosophy, music, intonation, airplanes, soccer, OMGTONSOFBOOKS!  They are everywhere.  They have spread into the bedroom even into the dining room.  I really just can't take it and because I didn't ask him to help me de-clutter I got raked.  I started going nuts -packing books into boxes, and moving things upstairs with my husband looking on oogley eyed wondering what had possessed me. 

Long story short -we came to a compromise.  I had calmed down my crazy, and communicated to him that I needed PEACE in my home.  This = NO clutter.  So we determined that I needed to tell him what needed to be done, and he would try to look around and take note of the things that I would like to have done.  All in all, I grew up a little, and the argument with my grownup ended with cuddles on the couch and a good book (one that was put away after it's use!).


Keep on....

B.

Shine Down on Me

Have you ever heard the children's song, "Oh Mr. Sun"?  It was one of my favorites as a child, and when I'm enjoying a bright day, I subconsciously start humming it.  Maybe it's because I have memories of BOTH of my parents singing it to me?  It was the rare occasion that my father would sing, and that's still true to this day.  Maybe it's because he liked the way we squealed and giggled when he used his "flip her upside down and swing her around" trick.  It's much more effective in the giggle department.

Regardless of all of my nostalgia, as I was driving to work today I started hearing "Mr. Golden Sun" from somewhere...OH WAIT!  Surprise!  It was me.  I was happy (darn that happiness...it's so sneaky!)!  The sun was shining, the birds were flying about, and the crazy drivers were still cutting me off but in what seemed to be a more kind and loving way.

 Dear Mr. Sun,

Thanks for shining down on me.  It makes me feel happy!  How about you guys...happy yet???  :o)

Keep on.....

B.