Just Because

Chris surprised me with 2 dozen pink roses last night, February 4th. Funny thing? Tonight, February 5th is the 20th Anniversary of when we got engaged in San Diego (Coronado), and we both forgot until tonight! We realized it when we were talking to Mikelle about something and somehow we both remembered. 

 Yet, last night he brought home roses "just because". I wasn't even mad at him to prompt such an offering. I think "just because" is the best. Sure, gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, etc are awesome and we should always think of others. But to do something for someone else "just because" shows that something is truly of the heart.

No, we're not going to officially celebrate the big engagement 2-0 this weekend because there is a little too much going on, and we have tickets next week for Wait Wait Don't Tell Me as they're doing a special broadcast in Phoenix (yes, we're NPR nerds. However, no matter how nerdy you are or aren't, check out Wait Wait Don't Tell Me....the humor is awesome....). And one of the panelists is comedian Bobcat Goldthwaite! Now that's going to be hilarious. 

That'll be our Valentines Day/20 Year Engagement Celebration.

 

Teenager Fun

I'm not going to turn this into a kid-shaming post, but I have to have some outlet and humor, right? 

Mikelle hasn't exactly been happy about this upcoming move. That's actually a good sign that her life in junior high isn't the misery that it can be. (Holy Moses, I HATED Junior High...HATED it...) The downside to that is she doesn't want to leave her friends. 

I can understand that. Believe me, while I'm chomping at the bit to get this move done and over with, I know I'll be a blubbering mess when it is upon us.  I know I'll have to adjust emotionally - despite being "prepared".

It doesn't help that there was an 8th grade field trip to the local high school today. This is the high school Mikelle will not be going to because we'll be 100 miles away by then. She came home wearing a free T-shirt from that high school and even complained that the mascot for Wickenburg (where she will be going) is stupid compared to Queen Creek's. 

I did my best to listen with understanding and sympathy. However, we are still moving.

She is lucky that she was young and oblivious during those four years where Chris was out of work 4 different times and one of those unemployment droughts lasted almost 2 years. She is lucky that she was a baby, toddler and then a very young girl who didn't grasp the stress, tears, and trials of what was happening. The flip side to that is she doesn't understand the magnitude of the importance and blessing her father's job is to the family. He's been there for 10 years and it's been a blessing I haven't forgotten for a single day of those 10 years.

I know it's hard for Mikelle to understand now (and even Christian is struggling with it), but moving to Wickenburg in order make the commute of easier for her dad makes perfect sense. 

But I understand that in her limited understanding, she finds a solution to be for him to just quit his job and find one closer to where we are now.

This is from THIS entry back in January 2009.

Red Star - Where we are now, and have been for the last 16 years (10 1/2 of those in our current house). 
Red Dot on Wintersburg, near Tonopah, below Interstate 10 - Where Chris has worked since July of 2004!
Red Star on Wickenburg - Our move. His miles will be cut in half and the commute time cut down to the third! (note the commute from work to Wickenburg doesn't include driving through and to the other side of Phoenix....!)
Red Dot on Peeples Valley/Yarnell - Hopeful future summer shack to escape the heat. It's 15-20 degrees cooler up there and less than an hour from Wickenburg.

Back to Mikelle, I don't think what happened next has anything do do with her continued displeasure of the impending move, but it seems apropos to add it here. I had a huge pack of Toilet Paper from Costco. I asked her to please stack them neatly (as they always are by their meticulous, wonderful and giving mother!) under the sink in the frog bathroom. And throw away the plastic. I made sure I had eye contact when I gave those explicit instructions. 

However, about 10 minutes later, I find this:

Um....No. 

I don't get it. Every time something like this happens (and it happens...a lot), I make her go back and fix it. It takes so much more time than just doing the initial task correctly the first time. Yet, the same thing happens over and over.

But I love her. She has stubbornness of both her dad and myself (why couldn't she just have one of the stubborn qualities? But both of them? C'mon!) and she'll argue with you about the particular shade of blue in the sky. 

Yet, she's ours. 

And we love her.