Happy 4 month "My Husband Works from Home and I Need a Valium" Anniversary!

Happy Four Month "My Husband Works From Home and I Need a Valium" Anniversary! Yep...we are coming up on our four month anniversary of the day that changed everything....

On February 7, my cool-headed business man of a husband waltzed into our kitchen just as he has done for as many years as I can remember. I had his coffee mug full and waiting to accompany him on his hour-long commute into the city for work. He has traveled into the city to work for the last 18 years(minus the year and a half we spent in North Carolina...but even then, he did the commute thing). During the coffee hand-off, I heard these words:  TODAY IS THE DAY I RESIGN! I thought maybe we were celebrating April Fool's a couple months early. I mean, surely he wasn't seriously thinking about quitting his job.  Don't get me wrong. I am far from fond of "The Man Who Didn't Follow Through," but I was NOT prepared for this! I will not go into specifics(because I have been told to let go of bitterness and if I get started, bitterness will be ooooozing from my veins), but the hub definitely had just cause to walk out and not look back. Heck, in my opinion, he had just cause to knock somebody into next week(but I choose to be BETTER, not BITTER).

Ta-Ta Traffic Nightmare!

The first day of "togetherness" was sort of fun. It was different and I kinda enjoyed his company.  The second day, I was already starting to feel smothered. Now, here we are a full 119 days after The Day That Changed Everything.  Can we say,"Hook me up to an IV and start the crazy meds?!" I am telling you, if you have never been home full-time with your other half home at the same time, you have missed out on a sure 'nuff treat! Anybody that knows us knows that Kevin and I are total(and I mean T-total)opposites. He is very, ummmm...OCD. He likes things neat and orderly and he believes there is only one way to do things. This way is lovingly referred to by me as "The Kevin Nowell Way." My husband watches FOX NEWS. If you know me, you know what I think about FAKE NEWS. Anyway, all that being said, it has worked for us since 1990. Several years ago, we just came to the understanding that our political votes will always cancel out each other. Still, we both believe in exercising our right! I am digressing.... I am also a looooong way from a neat-freak. I like to blare my 106.1  music while I do just enough cleaning to get by. ;-). So, we spent the first couple weeks trying to get used to being together 24/7. It is one thing to brag to others about your years of marital bliss. It is another to be able to say you literally spend TWENTY-FOUR HOURS a day with your chosen other.

After the first several days of togetherness, we began to develop our plan for starting our own business. Oh boy....THIS is some kinda fun, let me tell you!! I poured myself into learning everything I possibly could about what it takes to get a business off the ground. We filed necessary papers and began the task of writing a business plan. I was livin' the dream I never had! I watched Kevin's stress level drop drastically. Even though this is hard work, he was doing it HIS way and he was doing it the RIGHT way. So....I began to go through my day in silence because my husband can only work when he has a very muffled 92.5 playing in his office. There can be no television , vacuum cleaner running, dog barking, phone ringing, flip flops flopping, sneezing, dryers buzzing, conversations being had or doors slamming anywhere in the house while he is conducting business in his office. No, I am not kidding.  Not only have we spent countless hours working together(remember, the previous 18 years of marriage were spent with him being at an office for at least 10 hours a day), but we also must attend meetings with the CPA, the bank, the tech folks, the graphic designer for the company logo, etc...ALWAYS TOGETHER! I love my husband and really do enjoy spending time with him.  I just wish that time could be broken up a bit. Before school dismissed last week, we even had "Family Trips to School" every single morning!!!! That is correct. We BOTH drove the kids to school in the mornings. This became pretty irritating to the daughter as her dad doesn't allow food or drink in the vehicle. OPPOSITES, remember.

I am not saying that this together time has been all bad.  I truly do enjoy his company. I like sitting down together and having lunch most days.  I do not, however, love the fact that at 11:30am I hear,"Baby!!!! What are you makin for lunch?" I like being able to yell into the other room when I have a question or having him run by the store when he is out at a job or something.  I like that he is finally able to see that I truly don't sit down very much during the day.  I am always walking back and forth doing something.  I do not enjoy hearing him say,"What are you doing now?" every time I walk past the office.  I like that he is now able to take Cole to the golf course or run Abby somewhere after school(rarely, but still more than before).  Prior to February 2012, "The Man Who Didn't Follow Through" dominated my husband's time.  Hubby gave countless hours to "The Man Who Didn't Follow Through" and missed lots of family time.  The family time available now is TOTALLY worth my need for a valium and a few bottles of wine. I will probably miss him when he finally gets an office outside of the house.  I am sure I have become more dependant on him than I realize.

As if having my husband home with me every single day isn't enough to drive me insane, he has now acquired himself a partner! Yep, I have TWO MEN working from my home office every single day!!! I have threatened to report them to some type of zoning board, as I know this has got to be against some code. Surely! They are in the process of getting into an outside office, but until then, I am stuck with them.  I have spent the last several days trying to encourage them to speed up the relocation process.  If there is a dish to be dropped, a phone call to be made, fuzz to be vacuumed, dog tricks to be performed or  clanking of silverware, glasses or any other hard object to be done, I have accomplished it in these last few days.  I am truly trying my best to get them the heck outta here. I can NOT WAIT for that lease to be signed! I will be FREE, free, FREE!!!! I will still be responsible for several aspects of the business, but I will be able to do 90 percent of it from home(MINUS the men). As I grab the corkscrew, I would like to propose a toast.  Here's to 2,856 hours of total togetherness!  If you ever hear me complain again about my husband working too many hours and not being home, please slap me. I mean it. Hit me. HARD. Remind me that on this date, I said MY HUSBAND WORKS FROM HOME AND I NEED A VALIUM!!!