Celebrating Our Differences*
I’m absolutely exhausted, but I just realized that it’s the last day off August, and how could I not write something to end the month?
I have had a busy, but fabulous weekend thus far. I was up early on Saturday for work and I could not believe how busy it was. There were four of us working (1 more than usual) and we didn’t stop moving. It was CRAZY, but it made the time go by really fast, which was nice. I usually come home and collapse on my bed after work (getting up before it’s even light out will do that to you…) but not yesterday! I had a quick shower then the Hubs and I were off on a shopping adventure. He made out better than I did– he found 4 pairs of nice shorts for $30! I did end up buying 2 pashminas that I love though. :)
After shopping I walked downtown to a little Cajun-style restaurant where I met up with a few people from my program! I didn’t really know any of them but decided to go, and I’m so glad I did. They are all fantastic!! We had a long dinner then went over to this little lounge where we stayed for another 45 minutes before parting ways. T’was glorious I say! When I got home I blitzed the apartment in preparation for Peeah’s visit today, so I didn’t end up falling into bed until, oh, midnight. Needless to say, I was asleep in about 3 seconds. haha!
Peeah and Fireman stopped in for a while today on their way home from one of Fireman’s combat competitions! We spent a lovely afternoon visiting and then I, like the fabulous little housewife I am, cooked them dinner (with the Hubs as my fabulous assistant). It was really fun… I love having people over. They left shortly after 8pm, then I spent the next hour or 2 getting my life organized. I made a chronological list of all my upcoming assignments and due dates and apparently I will have nothing that even resembles a social life. WOO! haha… ahhh it’ll be busy, that’s for dang sure!
And then, after finishing I trudged into the kitchen to clean up after dinner. I do some of my best thinking while I’m up to my elbows in dish soap. As I was looking at our two (not one) bottles of dish soap on the counter, the marital words of wisdom from my wise cousin S* flooded my mind:
“Buy diet Pepsi AND diet Coke”
When I read the words written inside card at my bridal shower I was rather perplexed. What the heck does buying pop have to do with having a successfully marriage? Luckily she was there to explain. When she had been a newly wed she and her new husband learned that they each had a preference for different kinds of pop. One was a diet Pepsi drinker, and the other preferred diet Coke. S* figured that since they were kind of similar that they should probably only buy one kind to simplify things, so she did. It didn’t work out quite as simply as she had hoped as one of them was inevitably unhappy with what was bought. After several months of dissatisfaction, she decided to splurge and buy both kinds. The result? They lived happily ever after.
(there is a moral here, I promise)
She explained to me that it was ok to be married and have different likes and tastes from your partner, and that you shouldn’t try and mould yourself after someone else. If you like something, go with it. I thought her advice was funny at the time, but thought, “No way will that happen to me.. we’re so in love we’ll like everything together!!”
….rrrriiiiiiight. haha
While we are very much in love, we are definitely two different people. And as I looked at our two bottles of dish soap (he uses a citrusy kind, and I use a brand for sensitive skin) I got to thinking about some of our different tastes and how we’ve blended them together.
In our bathroom there are TWO kinds of toothpaste. The Hubster likes Mint flavours, while I prefer Vanilla.
The Hubs loves Root Beer. I prefer Ginger Ale.
We each need to have our own alarm clock–even though it would probably make more sense to share one.
He loves Black licorice (blech) while I love Red.
…and those are just a couple. I could think of more if my brain was still working. ANYWAY, my point is that while I was staring at those bottles of dish soap I realized that we are two different people, and I really love that. While sure we have lots in common, we have different likes and dislikes that are a part of who we are. I’m glad that he didn’t conform completely to my way of life because I love him just the way he is, black licorice and all. :)
Shop Girl*
