Thursday, July 23, 2009

Just A Bunch Of Sunshine And Rainbows

**This post is dedicated to my neighbor who gave me the old kick in the backside region to get back over here. I appreciate it.

If you've perused this blog for two minutes, or maybe two pages worth, you might have noticed I'm a picture taking fool. It's true. I like to document, to capture moments, because someday, I'm gonna wanna remember this.

Think the pics are a-plenty over here? You should see Facebook. That's where a good chunk of them go, now that we are in the digital age. It's a good way to keep the friends and family in the know of what's going on in my life, share my girls, the vacay's, my new hair do's--literal snap shots into our life over here.

Well, lately, I've had the comments on the Facebook pics of how beautiful my family looks. How "together" and "happy" we look. How "lucky" I am. I love these comments, but always cringe just a little when people say that, because #1 it makes me think you think you're not, compared to me (which is just not true), and #2, it's a lot to live up to. I do have a beautiful family. We are happy. And yes, I do feel lucky, a lot of the time, undeserving of it all. But we are real too. We yell, we fall down, we lose. You never show the blurry pictures, or the frowns and the cellulite.

This week, I've been showing a bunch of vacation pics. For the last five months, my hubby has been living in Idaho and the girls and I here. Drama. No, not really. He's in the Air Force Reserves and has been fulfilling an assignment in Mt. Home, Idaho. The girls and I just spent the last two weeks with him to end up his stint there, submerged back into the military life.

I'm very used to the hubbs being "away". We've done this before. Though with all of the various forms of technology we have now, unless you live in the Appalachian Mountains or are walking through Albertson's, it's pretty easy to "stay close" when you're not close distance-wise. Plus, he was in Idaho, not Albertson's. I would say that this was a pretty smooth five months--comparatively.

Well, now he's out of uniform, back in the civilian world with us and I gotta say, it's been an adjustment. I totally forgot about this adjustment phase. I was imagining more of a honeymoon phase. And this is how it ties into the above...the reference to the "you look so happy" comments. He could have been gone 18 months, to a desert, very far away. So you know, I AM happy. I've got the boy back full time. It's good. But it's also strange. We have both been on our own, so to speak, for the last five months (I can't imagine the adjustment after 18 months!). And now we are immediately together. Like all together--the four of us. Just a big pile of together.

He's basically been a bachelor for five months and the girls and I have settled into the groove of just the three of us. I can see that he has forgotten about all the constant noise we make. The schedule. He's not used to having a lawn, a dog, recycling and a wife. I can see it's a little foreign to him.

Me too. He's just in my way right now. He's everywhere. Leaving little man piles. Snoring. And playing entirely too much Guitar Hero. I'm nagging again too. I flipping hate nagging. He's already "Yes, dear"-ing me. I'm not the only one "in charge" now. Apparently I like being in charge.

Now don't get me wrong, there are good things to being back together. Of course, of course. It is nice to be the four of us again. There is a balance back that was greatly missed--the weight of someone sleeping next to you (snoring or not). The equal distribution, sitting in booths at restaurants. The fact that I can leave the children with their father if I want to leave the house, not having to make plans days in advance. Adult conversation, every day, at precisely 4:30 p.m. Someone of the opposite sex telling me I look good in that bikini. And yes, someone else to water the lawn and take the recycling out. And despite my affinity for being in charge, I do like to remain stretched out on the couch, watching Tivo'ed Drop Dead Diva, telling the girls to, "go ask your father." Bonus.

I just felt the need to point out that See?!--it's not *always* sunshine and rainbows. Even when the hubbs doesn't leave for five months straight, we're just like you--very married with children. Even pre-kiddos we were just like you--very married with dog. We're happy. But also, we're blurry. We frown and yes, we have cellulite.

2 comments:

Sybil Lane said...

We are going through that adjustment here. Kev has always been gone a lot due to his work. Now, he is home laid off and we all are having to cope with changes that we are not used to. I too like to be in charge and now that he is around, I have to share. :( It can be good like you said. I love getting to sleep in and let him feed the kids breakfast.

Hillary said...

I'm sorry I haven't been here reading your blogs the past month or so. I love your blogs. I do. I have no excuse or reason. Just like my own blogging...love to do it, but just haven't much at all in so long.

Do you need a whip to get Mr. back into hubby shape? ;)