We moved in the weekend before Xmas. All our Xmas was in boxes far, far, away in a storage unit. Hubs managed to find a few boxes of Xmas. Mostly stuff I bought after Xmas last year. We had planned to be in this bitch/house by the start of school. I bought tons of clearance Xmas crap as Hubs called it last year. I just knew I would have the best decorated house this Xmas. Well contractors got in the way of my dream and I found myself moving literally two days before Xmas eve. So I vowed to have a Xmas house before I unpacked any bit of the kitchen. Hubs managed to dig our fake tree out of the back of the storage unit. We got it in and plugged it in. Problem was it didn't light up. This was the start of many Xmas problems to come.
I went to HEB to fill the pantry in this dream house. While checking out the lady told me the trees were ten dollars! I got so excited. I came home with a real tree. Hubs turned his nose up. Said they make a mess. I said…."But it's Xmas, and it smells like Xmas". We set it up and it made this new home feel Xmasy. For about ten hours!
So Xmas eve night we planned a great dinner. A few friends stopped over before we ate. When they were leaving my car was in the way. Hubs throws my oldest the keys. Tells him to back up the car. I look at Hubs and say…"Um, he's not so great at backing up yet". He doesn't drive yet. Hub's says…"He needs to learn". I say…."I don't think it's a good idea". Does anyone listen to me??????? Hell no, no one in this house gets Mama knows best yet. So our friend comes in through the garage with a deer in headlights look on his face. He says…"Ya better come out here". Blake had backed up through the grass and broke a bunch of sprinkler heads on the way". Buzz kill????? Hub's is yelling at Blake…..I'm yelling at Hubs…..Merry Xmas!
We finally get back to a somewhat functional family. It took a while but we pulled through the trailer park and came back down to a little functional. We sit down to open gifts. After all the fighting we are smiling a little bit again. All of the sudden the tree topples over and all we see are all of my beautiful ornaments breaking all over the floor. I know Hub's who hates real trees wants to throw this shit in my face…..but he's learned something over the years…..no one says a thing. We just kind of ignore the fact that the tree just toppled over. We go about our business and finish opening gifts. Now you would think that someone would pick this tree up or clean up ornaments….but no! They are all exhausted from fighting and moving and go to bed.
I find myself on the sofa alone playing candy crush on the computer drinking beer. A slight buzz from the beer kicks in. I decide to put the tree back up. I get the tree up. I put all the non broken ornaments back in place. I sit down for a minute to breath and take Xmas in! Then I go to clean up all my beautiful broken ornaments. While I'm on my hands and knees cleaning the F@?!@#$ Xmas broken shit up the tree falls on top of me. What do I do?????? I lay under it for a little longer than I care to admit and cry under it! Yes, I'm in this amazing house that took years off my face! But I'm having a woe is me moment. And I deserve it! So I throw in my white flag and go to bed!
Anywho, Hub's and I celebrated our 18 year anniversary tonight. Shit like this makes me think. I think about everything. All our time together. I laugh a little and cry a little. We have been through so much together. Was this what I imagined as a young girl in my bed at night???? Um….fuck no way! What I pictured in young mind was prince charming……or better yet an eighties movie kind of guy. The one that when I was mad would be outside my window with a boom box playing a sappy love song! Plus perfect kids…like the Brady bunch kids! Did I get an eighties movie guy…no way! Did he get an eighties movie gal…..Um…..hell no! Did we get perfect kids????…..Um, I could write a book on everything that has went wrong with my not so perfect kids! But somehow we made it through almost breakups, close to break downs, building a few houses……this last one almost killed us! But somehow in the storms that came our way we survived so far. Sometimes I think the kids held to together at our toughest times. We both can admit that we might have run for the hills if it wasn't for them. But it's funny as tough as it has been at times we always seem to pull it together. Is it perfect…not so much. But we do have a deep respect for each other in a weird way. We still have date night! Even after all these years! We do agree most of the time on kid stuff! Sometimes we agree that we might have messed them up. If a marriage therapist ever got a hold of us they may run screaming and slit their wrist. But we work it out in the end! And that's what counts!
