I had just spent hours untangling over fourteen strands of Christmas lights, and checking all the fuses and lightbulbs. I don't really know why, but it was my goal to light up the outside of our house with every available lighted decoration. I figured, we had stored the lights in "the hole" (our underground storage) for a whole year, we might as well use them. Actually it was more like a year and a half, since we took them down so late the year before last, I didn't have the heart to make DH turn around and put them back up in a month or two!
So, when my Dear Hubby arrived home from a business trip, my "Honey-Do-List" had just one item for him to fulfill. I told him I wanted him to help me put the Christmas Lights up. I even applied the old manipulation-by-guilt trick, interspersing a few words of whining and pleading, with the words, "It would really mean a lot to me."
Dutifully, after a few reminders and strong suggestions from me, DH went out behind the shed to fetch the extension ladder. I realized this was a much-disliked chore for him, and rather unpleasant in the -15 degree weather, with a wind chill of -24 degrees! After all, we do live in Alaska! In fact, I had experienced the bone-chilling cold myself, while putting up a few decorations around the front door. It's not fun at all to be up on a ladder reaching out to place a plastic clip on the ledge of the roof when the clip snaps into two pieces from the extreme cold temperature!
We managed to sort out the plugs after a few false attempts; had a few crisis moments when the clips became sparse (after breaking too many of them); then had a big scare when DH got his jeans stuck in the ladder rope, and fell from the fourth rung to the ground.
Finally, the lights were hung. The moment of truth had arrived. We plugged the lights into the extension and looked up to survey our well-lit roof in awe. Alas! The very last strand we had hung was not lit up! After all my careful checking, there was a short in the wires. And DH had already put the ladder away!
Notwithstanding a bit of grumbling, I soon managed to convince DH to switch the strands of light. He dragged out the ladder--again! Just as he was about to prop the ladder up to the roof, lo and behold, the lights started working!
The Christmas lights were up and we lived happily ever after.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Reason #14: He pulled off a Surprise Party!
On my birthday, DH informed me that we were going out to dinner that evening. He casually mentioned that it would be a "progressive dinner" first at "The Castle" and then for dessert at "Pike's". I totally accepted that information with nonchalance, because I knew he had gift certificates for both of those restaurants, and the one for Pike's had only $8.00 left on it--just enough for a dessert to share!
When we got to the first restaurant, a couple from our church came in to eat without a reservation, and we invited them to eat with us. We had a nice dinner and conversation, and then we left for "Pike's". I almost told DH to forget the dessert; we had ice cream at home, but I knew my daughter would have to be picked up in an hour or so anyway, and she was at a birthday party in the same restaurant. I do remember saying, I hoped we didn't run into anyone else from church that we knew.
Well, only the whole staff showed up to surprise me! DH dropped me off, and I was just about to go inside, when I stopped at a mirror to fix my hair, and I saw a staff member in the mirror reflection! Just then, DH ushered me in the door, and the staff all greeted me with "Surprise!" and hugs! Then, to add more color to my already-blushing cheeks, the whole side of the restaurant erupted with applause as my daughter left her friend's party table to present me with a big candy bouquet.
It was a lovely evening and it was very sweet of my DH to arrange it all, even though he let it slip that he had only just thought of doing it a day or two before. And it was very sweet of all the staff to show up and sacrifice their Sat. night off, even though they were more or less under duress to do it. After all, how do you say "no" to the boss when he invites you to dessert, for a surprise party for the boss's wife?
When we got to the first restaurant, a couple from our church came in to eat without a reservation, and we invited them to eat with us. We had a nice dinner and conversation, and then we left for "Pike's". I almost told DH to forget the dessert; we had ice cream at home, but I knew my daughter would have to be picked up in an hour or so anyway, and she was at a birthday party in the same restaurant. I do remember saying, I hoped we didn't run into anyone else from church that we knew.
Well, only the whole staff showed up to surprise me! DH dropped me off, and I was just about to go inside, when I stopped at a mirror to fix my hair, and I saw a staff member in the mirror reflection! Just then, DH ushered me in the door, and the staff all greeted me with "Surprise!" and hugs! Then, to add more color to my already-blushing cheeks, the whole side of the restaurant erupted with applause as my daughter left her friend's party table to present me with a big candy bouquet.
It was a lovely evening and it was very sweet of my DH to arrange it all, even though he let it slip that he had only just thought of doing it a day or two before. And it was very sweet of all the staff to show up and sacrifice their Sat. night off, even though they were more or less under duress to do it. After all, how do you say "no" to the boss when he invites you to dessert, for a surprise party for the boss's wife?
Friday, December 16, 2005
Reason #13: He Has Good Intentions.
Tonight would be a great night for putting up the lights on the house. I must have spent over two hours yesterday untangling the cords of about ten "icicle" lights. Then I spent another hour trying to change fuses and light bulbs to get them all working. Doesn't seem like it was worth my time, considering a box of lights is on sale for $3.97! (It's even cheaper with my employee discount!) Oh well, I can't get up on a ladder without DH's assistance. And, tonight is our church's Christmas musical presentation. 'Tis the season.
Tomorrow is my birthday.
My poor husband can't win. He played a cruel joke on me, completely unintentionally. He asked me how to spell the name of the "Vallatta" Restaurant, as he was looking up the phone number in the directory. I spelled it for him, giving him a mini-lesson on etymology, as I assumed it was from the Italian word for "village." Meanwhile, I was wondering why he messed around and made the reservation right in front of me, instead of just surprising me tomorrow night. Thinking it was better to be direct with my communication, I asked, "Oh, are you taking me there? It was only a year ago at this time that you took me to that restaurant." Now, unfortunately, only one of us had remembered the connection between the restaurant and my birthday, and apparently it wasn't him! Inserting dear hubby's huge foot into his own mouth, he replied, "Well, no ... money doesn't grow on trees, you know."
About the same time that it dawned upon me that I had made an embarrassing assumption it also dawned on hubby that he was in trouble. Just then, the phone call went through, and my husband went ahead with his original plan (one-track mind of a man!) to arrange to pay for a church couple's dinner by credit card, because he heard they were celebrating their anniversary tonight at that restaurant.
GGGGRRRRRRR!
It's hard to be mad at someone when they have such good intentions! In fact, it should be hard to get mad about something so silly as a dinner reservation. But it's too easy to get my feelings hurt when it's MY birthday!
Lord, forgive me. Help me to realize that he has good intentions.
Tomorrow is my birthday.
My poor husband can't win. He played a cruel joke on me, completely unintentionally. He asked me how to spell the name of the "Vallatta" Restaurant, as he was looking up the phone number in the directory. I spelled it for him, giving him a mini-lesson on etymology, as I assumed it was from the Italian word for "village." Meanwhile, I was wondering why he messed around and made the reservation right in front of me, instead of just surprising me tomorrow night. Thinking it was better to be direct with my communication, I asked, "Oh, are you taking me there? It was only a year ago at this time that you took me to that restaurant." Now, unfortunately, only one of us had remembered the connection between the restaurant and my birthday, and apparently it wasn't him! Inserting dear hubby's huge foot into his own mouth, he replied, "Well, no ... money doesn't grow on trees, you know."
About the same time that it dawned upon me that I had made an embarrassing assumption it also dawned on hubby that he was in trouble. Just then, the phone call went through, and my husband went ahead with his original plan (one-track mind of a man!) to arrange to pay for a church couple's dinner by credit card, because he heard they were celebrating their anniversary tonight at that restaurant.
GGGGRRRRRRR!
It's hard to be mad at someone when they have such good intentions! In fact, it should be hard to get mad about something so silly as a dinner reservation. But it's too easy to get my feelings hurt when it's MY birthday!
Lord, forgive me. Help me to realize that he has good intentions.
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