I have always known that being prepared is not my strong suit. I honestly think that when they say “opposites attract”, they may have been talking about me and the Schmickster! He reads manuals from the beginning to the end, I wonder why they cut down so many extra trees to provide directions on things you can just figure out. Micah has a place for everything, and is bothered when things are not in their place, whereas I find new places every time I go to put something away. Micah makes list upon list (even lists of lists he has to make), I have a memory that keeps the important dates on record….anything I forget, could not have been that important. Micah wants to know every morning what our plans are for the evening, and when he asks, I barely know my plans for the day. The list goes on and on and on, and I really think that is the beauty of us.
I am much more “Pretty Woman” — I like to fly by the seat of my pants. Micah is much more scheduley — like a robot. And although there have been conflicts due to our ingrained personalities, most of the time it works out. And as we move along in years of being married, I can see us both getting a little closer to the others way of thinking. Sometimes there are hiccups along the way, and I am publicly announcing to my husband that this weekend was full of me hiccuping…….and maybe one big belch……
#1 – hiccup — We were invited to a friend from high school’s Halloween party. (Note — A friend we haven’t seen since high school, along with about a dozen others we haven’t seen since then either.) Upon looking at the invitation on our way to the party, I realized that this party was actually revolving around bringing a pre-carved pumpkin. I knew in my mind to bring something for the potluck — and my delicious arugula, raspberry and slivered almond salad did just the trick — but as far as a pumpkin….whoops. I kind of knew we were supposed to bring one, but I thought of it kind of as a side note…..not the whole party.
#2 — hiccup — For the same party, we got Scout all dolled up for the first time he ever really realized the fun of it all. I grabbed my camera to get a family shot before leaving, and after snapping two pictures, realized that my camera was out of battery. Wouldn’t you think that getting pictures of friends from long past would kind of be cool. Thank goodness I have that memory I was bragging about before.
#3 — bigger than a hiccup — I like to call myself a risk taker. I even brag about it when being compared to Micah. One of the things we will forever disagree on is when to go and fill up the gas tank. I think they made the gas light go on to remind you that it is time to think about starting to fill up. Micah, on the other hand, thinks that as soon as his tank hits the half way point….it is time to start thinking about filling up. I honestly can not wrap my mind around that one. I absolutely hate to go to the gas station and waste my time there, and he CHOOSES to do it twice as much as I do. The one beauty to our difference of opinion is that he will always fill my tank if he has my car long before I would have.
On Sunday, we were on our way to church fairly early to get prime seats for the primary program my mom was in charge of. As Micah was loading up my car, I actually said to him, “My gas light just went on as I pulled in last night, so we will definitely have enough gas to get to church and back.” He continued loading up as I grabbed a few more things I needed. Our conversation was pleasant, and Scout was being really cute around Clubhouse on Niguel Road, when Micah said, “Oh no….we are out of gas!” I am an EXPERT at how far my gas tank goes once the light goes on….so I KNEW this wasn’t the case. But when I looked over, I realized a HUGE oversight! Micah was running the AC, and doesn’t he know that the second the gas light comes on….all luxuries go out the window! He tried it a few more times, and although I was saying things like, “I don’t know Micah…could be the engine”, I knew it was the stinking gas! The beauty of the situation was that because we were somewhat early, we had a lot of fellow church goers see that there was a problem. My face was literally as red as a tomato when one car stopped to ask what they could do to help. I told him that we were on the phone with AAA, but thank you so much for the stop.
Micah was surprisingly and to my delight, very nice and calm about the situation. He didn’t ridicule, point fingers or even tease me. But after about 15 minutes of waiting, he started with, “If you would just stop when it hits half a tank……” I immediately interrupted him with, “I knew you would break….I knew you were going to break!” He said he was just suggesting….and I told him he broke! He didn’t speak of gas after that, and AAA came to the rescue. I will admit that even I was appalled at the situation. (Although I don’t think it would have happened if I was driving! I would have taken corners slowly, never turned on the AC, and let me car coast down the hills instead of driving like a banshee! (Last one was a slight exaggeration))
Micah, I am publicly acknowledging that I could stand to be a little more prepared. But you know I am the eternal optimist, so let’s look at the bright side of things. First — If we had carved pumpkins before Saturday, they wouldn’t have lasted. And more importantly, we wouldn’t have felt like engaging in our 4th annual pumpkin challenge with Calin and Skilly tonight for FHE. Second — what if I had taken my camera, and we ended up looking like the old dowdy couple in the pictures. This way we can fool ourselves and anyone we tell that we looked like a million bucks compared to all the old hags we went to high school with! And last of all — what is the point of purchasing our AAA membership if we never use it. Three cheers for utilizing the membership!!! Hip Hip Hooray!
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