On Being Happily Married

I've been a grouchy wife for the past three days. We have had, and will continue to have, pressing obligations every day and night of the week. No exaggeration. Add to this the fact that we have also had several surprise dinner guests sprung at the last minute by my very well-meaning, but sometimes UnawareOfTheWorkThatIsInvolvedToHost husband AND a clogged sink and you have a wife/mother who is walking the razor thin line between barely keeping her cool and spontaneously combsuting.

I guess I was in a penitent state for my bitty-ness at Kroger's yesterday, because I noticed that they were clearancing out leftover Easter inventory, and my holiday loving heart swelled a bit at the plethora of pastels and I got an irrepressible urge to do something nice. I purused the offerings--mostly chintzy, purple junk and sugar coated sugar cubes, but there were a few eggs filled with Reeses (yum!) and Snickers (yummier!) I bought three. Henry and I shared the contents of one of the eggs on the way home and I decided to wax charming and leave the other two as a surprise for Nate. Here's what he found on his pillow last night:

I know. It's cheesier than a two pound loaf of medium cheddar, but he loved it. And I felt like a pixie leaving a surprise on his pillow.

Sometimes I get nostalgic for our courtship. I think, I wish he'd do this. Or, he used to do this. But what I fail to remember in those longing moments is that I used to do lots of charming things for him that I don't do anymore. I was different then too. Like the time I told him, (before we were married,) that I thought I was going to like to have sex in the morning. Hah! I can barely pucker for a goodbye kiss in my completely comatose state when he leaves the house to go workout.

It all comes down to what Gandhi so aptly pointed out, we've got to "be the change we seek in the world." Or in our marriage. So those Easter eggs were my little way to be that bit of extra sparkle that I hope for in our marriage. Nate's trying too. Yesterday he told me he had a surprise for me and that I would think he was "really charming." I let my curiousities wander a bit. Tickets to something cultural? New lip gloss? Flowers? I was sort of puzzled, but tried not to act let down when he pulled a brown paper bag of left over Chipotle chips and about a quarter of a cup of guacamole from his briefcase. It was yummy, but it took me a while to see the "really charming" in it. While we were brushing our teeth and getting ready for bed, he confessed that the real reason he saved it was so we'd both have guacamole breath which might give him a shot at some bedtime smooches. That's when I saw the charming. He wanted to smooch. And he had my olfactory interests at heart. Thanks sweetie. I like you. (Wink!)