Dear Tidy Man I Married

Today's challenge topic to issue a public apology goes out to my sweet husband in response to a wonderful remark he made not that long ago.  Let me set up the scene a bit.  The laundry (my laundry) that had been cleaned was still sitting on the couch after about a week.  I had laid it out there after it got out of the dryer so it wouldn't wrinkle and ran out the door to go to some unknown location.  Then upon coming home I got busy and forgot all about it.  Babe didn't mention much about it, though I knew he wanted it put away.  My plan was to get it put up before he said anything, I had it scheduled and everything.  Well he got home early on said scheduled day and I had just made it into the living room to start it when he came in (as in I hear his car pull up and ran my behind in there to get started).   You could tell he was relieved to see it being done.  My response, "I'm sorry I suck at life".  He responded with a kiss on my head and an "Oh dear, you don't suck at life... just laundry." So here is my apology to him for sucking at life laundry and overall "wifeish" business.

Dearest Babe,

I apologize for the fact that laundry is something I have never been good at.  I am sorry that this leaves you to do your own because 1.) I tried to do yours once and you said it was ok that you would do it yourself (apparently wrinkles are not part of your laundry standards) and 2.) I only really do my own once a month and you need your clothes cleaned before then.  I am glad I can at least wash your boxers upon occasion as those can sit wrinkled when I forget that the clothes have been sitting in the dryer for a few days. 

I am sorry that the suitcase of clothes from our trip to Disneyland will probably sit unpacked by our bedroom door for days.  I promise to try to get it emptied (and the clothes put away in their proper place) by... Wednesday? Yes, I think Wednesday is a good goal. 

I am sorry that I forget to do things like wash the dishes and mop the floors when they need to be done because I have been busy with blogging and photos and sometimes a good book.  Thank you for bearing with me and pardoning my dust as I learn to do this acts of service thing, as that is your primary love language.

I am sorry that once each month the whole tidying thing gets even worse, need I say completely left by the wayside, as I moan on the couch while you bring me home Advil and reassurances that you love me because I get a little crazy and need the affirmation.

I am sorry that I get frustrated when, after having felt like I spent all day cleaning, you come in and hardly notice.  Mainly because, though I worked all day ("little" breaks of course), it doesn't really look like much was done.  At least not done like you would have done it and its something that should just be done so you don't consider it praise worthy (it isn't really but it's me were talking about).  You wouldn't require thanks for it and don't think about it but since words of affirmation is part of my love language I do and therefore get snippy. Sorry! It's just that getting the counters to shine without streaks is a feat against nature for me and I feel proud of myself.  I know it's silly!

Thank you for bearing with me.  For putting up with my crazy.  For being a clean and tidy man who picks up my very large amount of slack.  I love that we compliment each other and that where I will start a task and stop in the middle you will start and not stop until it is complete.  Our house truly sparkles when it has been cleaned by your hands.  I love that my "live-in-organized-chaos" soul met your "tidy-likes-everything-in-its-place" soul and that we get to live out our version of happily ever after.

Love Always,
Your Procrastinating, Laundry-hating Wife

See that smiling face? Cleaning makes him happy! I wouldn't want to take that from
him, would I?  And yes, he would be sweeping OUTSIDE.  He is insuring there will
not be leaves for people to track inside.  

Burnt Popcorn and Cold Cream

I knew today's challenge topic was going to be a tough one.  There are quite a few things I miss.  The innocence of youth, not knowing what the adult world is really all about, getting to read Harry Potter for the first time, and on and on.  However, those are all incomparable to the people I miss.  I miss my Mimi more than anything else in this world. I would love to have the chance to spend just one more day with her.  Words really can not even express how much I miss her and how often I wish she were around. 

I am currently sitting in the John Wayne Airport.  So in order to avoid an ugly cry in the middle of the terminal I am going to try to share little moments and memories that I miss about her in order to avoid the onset of emotions that will surely be brought to the surface if I share my feelings on the matter of missing her. 

- I miss sitting on her lap.  I sat on her lap until I got so big the weight of me would have probably crushed her tiny little frame.  I think I think I may have been well into middle school and would still wake up after I had spent the night to go and sit on her lap in the living room where I knew she would be sitting and waiting. 


Even in college I would still manage to sit there from time to time; I just supported my own weight. 


- I miss spending the night with her.  My friends still talk to this day about the fact that I would miss some of our weekend FCA (YMCA event) dances just to go spend the night at Mimi's house.  Our routine consisted of going to rent a movie from Blockbuster while we waited for our pizza to be ready at Papa John's.  She would usually give me cash to go in and pick one while she waited in the car.  She would in up coming in because I was taking to long and our pizza was going to be ready.  We would get our pizza, go home and watch Diagnosis Murder while we ate and then put our movie in and pop some popcorn.  It's not often that I burn popcorn but when I do I smile, because Mimi loved burnt popcorn. 

- I miss the way she would always get in the bed smelling like Mimi and cold cream.  I would watch her sit at her vanity taking off her make-up with cold cream.  That smell still comforts me.  When she passed and my mom asked me about what I may want, I chose to take (among other things) her cold cream.  It's Neiman Marcus but I knew just getting any new jar wouldn't work.  Her jar has her smell in their too.  I wore it on my hands on my wedding day and some nights when I can't sleep I will breathe it in (it sits in the top drawer of my bedside table).  Too much? I don't know.  Either way it comforts me.

- I miss that as I got older she seemed to get wiser.  I am assuming she was always wise, I was just finally old enough to embrace it. 

- I miss her shocked expressions by some of the things that would come out of my mouth.  I remember once that if it weren't for the fact that I am attracted to men, I might make a good lesbian because I think it would just be awesome to live with my friends for the rest of my life.  I can still hear her say, "Melanie?!" while she took in a big breath of air.

- I  miss her constantly trying to get me into a dress.  She always wanted me to wear dresses. I never was a dress fan.  Even though she was gone by that point she had a part in picking out my wedding dress (story on that another time).

- I miss just being with her.  I miss visiting her. I miss laying on the floor to shout her name under the door.  When she moved into her retirement community (which I will so be doing when I turn 60 because it is the total hook-up!) she didn't have a doorbell and would sometimes not hear when I knocked.  So I would sprawl out on the floor put my mouth up to the crack under the door and shout "Mimi?! Mimi!! I'm here!". 

Really I just miss life with her.  I wish she could be here as I navigate these adult waters because I know she would have so much to tell me and even if she didn't she would be able to comfort me by just being her.  Ok, I think I am going to have to cut off there.  The lump in my throat is now sufficiently grown quite a few sizes. 

Selling Myself, Any Takers?!

Day 11 of Blog Everyday in May is coming to you live again from just outside Disneyland! Which is good I guess because today's post was originally not going to come through until tomorrow(because I hadn't written this one yet) but now because I am able to post this I am so far on track to link everyday on the day of.  We are about to go explore the California coast.  Is it really bad that I kind of just want to go back to the parks?! I know we have them in Orlando but I just love me some Disney! Plus you get a sneak peek to some Disney pics as I use Jenni's topic to try to sell myself in 10 words or less.  I figured I would go personal ad style and fit it to yesterday's mood (My "personal stylist" told me she would beat me if I ever wore a Disney shirt but I just couldn't resist since we were doing the whole total tourist thing and it was so fitting of me embracing my inner nerd). 

So here is goes- Melanie: Quirky, Book-lovin' Nerd. Who wouldn't want that? Check Me Out! (Not including the name it's 10 words exactly, Bam!)

Oh the Shame! Thought of Changing my Name

This post is coming straight to you from Disneyland!! These were originally suppose to be scheduled posts in order to keep up with the challenge but as these hadn't been fully tweaked I am excited to get to 1.) share with you where we ended up and 2.) have the chance to get them fully ready.  I am super excited to be at Disneyland, as I never thought I would get a Disney-get-away being an Orlando girl. Babe done himself good!  

I have had a slew of moments that are embarrassment worthy.  Middle school was treacherous.  Got a stool stuck on my head and was made to sit at the front of the class until we could get it off, had my bathing suit top ripped off at an 8th grade pool party, this list goes on.  I don't embarrass easily, I just chalk it all up to my quirks and character (and maybe the fact that middle school gave me thick skin when it came to embarrassment). As moments go though I guess in hindsight they could be considered embarrassing.  Two recent ones have happened within a week or two of each other and include the movies, Wally, and cash money. The first movie was a documentary that we had gotten tickets too through another movie.  We went during the day and I planned on ordering just a kids pack of popcorn because I had already eaten lunch (I have to have popcorn anytime I see a movie).  Well I go to order while she stated walking to the theater.  She rounds the corner out of my sight when I realize I have no credit card and no cash! My reaction? Scream "Wally?! Come back!! I ain't got no money!" This reaction prompted many snickers from the line of people waiting behind me and an exasperated "Oh girl" as she came back around the corner. Then the line was is graced with our conversation about where the heck my credit card is, which I then realize I left at a restaurant Babe and I went to the evening before.

Movie two was pretty much the same set-up.  Wally and I go to see Life of Pi. We decide to go to the local dollar theater.  We arrive, this time credit card in hand, only to see that they accept cash only! Luckily it was just the poor girl behind the counter that had to be graced with our "Oh girl" banter.  Still a little embarrassing.  Don't worry, I treated her to dinner after the movie. 

*I also now recommend trying your local dollar theater.  We got two movies, popcorn and a drink for $10 total! That plus walking into creaky seats, not much rise in theater slope and a crackly smaller screen just took us straight back to elementary school because that was all theaters were when we were little.  However, if like our theater it hasn't been changed/ cleaned since we were in elementary I would not recommend even trying to use the bathroom.  We couldn't!

Moments and Memories

Since today's post from Jenni's challenge is supposed to be a moment in our day and since I am actually writing this in the past and not today because today is the future and I am off in some foreign land that Babe has whisked me off to as a surprise I am going to share a moment with you from a completely different day altogether.  Ok, did any of that make sense to you?! I don't know if it did to me.  Basically, since I am gone to some unknown destination this post was prewritten and scheduled.  I am hoping (as my past self writes this) that wherever I am as you read this I am embracing whatever unexpected place I may find myself.

Enjoy these pictures from a recent moment in one of our days... dinner with the May May (one of our nieces).

I realize I am not actually in any of these.  My moments in time typically take place behind the camera (or in this instance the iPhone). She melts my heart though and I have to capture that!