Wedding Song - God Knew That I Needed You

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

TAKE ME TO THE OTHER SIDE

I woke up this morning to my big, tall, man bringing me a cup of hot coffee. He spoils me rotten :-)

Holland will be busy most of the week tracking down a product to ship to Europe ... so, I need something to do: boredom bores me. When I get bored I get antsy; antsy makes me edgy. Nobody wants to be around me when I get edgy - including me.

I reached for my phone and started setting things in motion to skip the hovering boredom ;-)

A good time with good friends would take me to the other side.

Text to Becky; we had to cancel our last lunch date because I had a shingles outbreak.
Text to Chrystal; we haven't had lunch chit-chat, in a few weeks.
Text to Ramona; I haven't spent face-to-face-time with her since October!

I had to drive downtown to the Bank, so I decided to grab a few groceries while down there. I had a list of maybe 10 items. After that, I'd go over to Kelso to track down an address Holland and I plan to visit this weekend; then I'd drive home the long way over Columbia Heights and down over Lone Oak. I'd be out of the house, I'd be busy with "wifey stuff" for about an hour, and I'd enjoy and nice backroad drive home.

Since I was going to be out-of-house for a bit, I put some makeup on:

All Greens today ...
'Cypress' for lid accent.
'Auburn' Brow Gel; 'Deep Green' Mascara; & 'Coal Ardent' liquid Blush; L'Oreal 'Nu Confident' lipstick & 'Coral Crave' Babylips lip gloss.
Holland likes this sweater - it gets to stay in my sweater cache ;-)
The Who - 'You Better You Bet' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqPlb5PLBvg)

As I was leaving, Holland said, "Hey - you got makeup on." Poor guy hasn't seen me wearing any makeup for a while ... he's probably wondering where his flashy flamingo went ;-)

I said, "Yep - I'll be out and about today; gotta have my face in place. I didn't get fancy with my hair though because the weather is too unpredictable for that." There's no sense getting fancy with the hair if you have to suddenly flip you jacket hood up and ruin it all in a split second.

There wasn't much I could do about Mother Nature's tempestuous indecisions, but dabbling in the war paint chest would get me to the other side as far as fighting the gray cloud gloominess.

Tall Man Movie, 1955 with Clark Gable & Jane Russell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nas8Y1IW_Tk

The Moody Blues - 'The Story In Your Eyes' song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9Zr440nXe8)

Things are getting back to {normal} in other ways, too. I'm back to doing "wifey things" I haven't done in the past four years: grocery shopping for two, is one of them.

And Holland is right about the simple application of war paint. I do feel more ready to meet the world when I wear makeup ... it gets me to the other side; it's a psychological boost. He has had sisters, and he has been around SIL's - he knows this ;-)

Grabbed a flavored coffee  at Mr. Bill's on the way downtown.

That said ... I did get a bit of sticker shock when the grocery tab was rung up. Reminding myself that the grocery bill used to be that high when  I was shopping for three, five years ago - and the politically angled covid nonsense that drove prices up for everything in the four years following, helped ease the pain of forking the moolah over.

Add to that reality check the fact that Holland has been doing the grocery shopping every week since we got back from Reno, helped my startled senses get over the shock - and to the other side.

Grocery sticker shock ...
Jane Russell - 'Tall Man' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhOd3iW8Mdw)
'Normal' is back in my life, thanks to my tall man.

There was dicey road conditions along the backroad home, but it was pretty much gone by the time I passed Elk Ridge Road, so getting over the hill to the other side went pretty smoothly.

Columbia Heights road still has quite a bit of ice, snow, and slush along the route.

As I was turning onto Coal Creek Road from Old Pacific Highway, I song came on that made me laugh out loud - the song sorta {fit} the marital adjustments of late.

Aerosmith - 'The Other Side' song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTcf10qeiCE)

Neither Holland or I have had people in our lives on a steady 24/7/354 basis, for years. Generally speaking, having even {close} friends in either of our lives has been spotty.

We both like our 'alone time' while sharing our lives; a week's span (or more, sometimes) away from friends works for us - that does not work in a marriage.

Holland and I have weathered overwhelming situations since the start of December 2022 - it has been one overwhelming situation after another, and those things have taken a toll on the developing US. Thankfully, the gray clouds are dissipating (weather-wise as well as life situations), and we understand what we're dealing with. There was the ridiculous nonsense jeannie paulson spitefully stirred up at Oak Point (still dealing with the fallout of that stressful mess). Holland had to put his dog down while in the midst of moving from Oak Point (very stressful situation; all the way around). Getting married in the midst of an incoming winter storm was hectic (kinda dampened the excitement, though we did enjoy ourselves on the way back home). Three weekly in-home gatherings ate up time we really couldn't spare (we had to drop those for the time being). Legalizing legalities keeps getting side-lined (scheduling issues, as well as unwanted infringing issues). Winter ailments just lingered on and on and on, revealing another side of both personalities (I hope we are finally in the end game of that). The melding of two solitary lives into a busy, lively L.I.F.E. together, has not been easy. Thankfully, our health is returning and Spring is arriving; we will be able to enjoy sunny days again (literally and figuratively): sunshine in any form soothes body and soul.

Remarriage is an adjustment for both of us as we move into our 'new normal'.

But we know Elohim is in the details: there is no doubt in either of our minds that we'll make it to the other side once the adjustments get worked out.