Daddy's Coming Home

I have always said that you never really know someone until you live with them. JD and I did not know each other when we got married. We did it the old fashioned way and had our own places while we dated and were engaged. It was when we returned from the honeymoon that we moved in together and got to know one another.

At first, living with my new spouse was marvelous. It was so cute how he did millions of tiny loads of laundry every day. I always saved my dirty clothes until I had enough to do 2 big loads for the week, but different strokes I suppose. He folded things a bit funny, but at least he folded. Our first marital fight was over the towels in the linen closet. I came home to find that he removed every towel I had tri-folded (the correct way) only to refold them using the double fold (the stupid way).

Our marital bliss continued until one day we woke up and asked, "who are you and why aren't you the person I thought I married?" Nothing said incompetence to him like me squeezing the toothpaste from the middle of the tube rather than going from the bottom. I had to bite my tongue every time he double and triple checked my math in the checkbook. Why was my husband so weird all of the sudden and where was the fun, easy-going man I dated?

The little things began to mount and we fought over them. During our premarital counseling sessions with our pastor, we learned that the person who cares less about the situation should concede and give in to the person who cares the most about it instead of butting heads stubbornly. We both had lessons in giving in to the other.

And then we began to mesh. He stopped sitting on the couch after a long, sweaty run and I quit saving the soap bits in the shower and just got a new bar already. We started to learn how to live together in harmony. Not to say that things don't still annoy us but we have learned to either let them go or tell the other person respectfully what bothers us. I no longer fold his laundry because he doesn't like the way that I fold. This is a win-win situation if I ever saw one.

And then JD left for 6 months for work. At first, it was very difficult being without him. But then I saw the silver lining: I could do things MY WAY!!!!!!!! Muahahahahaha!!!!!!!For a little while anyway. And I do. I dump mail and toys on the ottoman, I leave piles of folded laundry on the dresser for days, I squeeze toothpaste from the middle. I have gone rogue and it has been liberating.

JD returns in 1 week. That means we have to learn how to live together all over again. I am secretly excited, maybe it will feel like we're honeymooners once more with more of the cute annoyances and less of the furious conniptions.

I have a feeling we will ease back into things pretty easily. I really do like the order and structure JD demands strives for in our house. He keeps me motivated to keep our home in order. No matter how organically we come back together, our house is definitely a better, happier place with Daddy home.