Monday, June 4, 2007

Busy Week

Our To Do List:

  1. get the beach stickah so the summah visitors don't have to drop quarters in the pahkin metahs down to the beach
  2. buy bird seed to feed the little fellahs who bring joy and amazement to the house guests, not to mention the kitty TV entertainment that they provide for the house cats
  3. pitch the pansies that have gotten leggy and replant deck pots with red geraniums
  4. change the sheets in the guest rooms. Flannels off, cottons on (although today's weather seems to call more for flannel than cotton...brr)
  5. set out guest towels (have to make sure we have enough for all the guests)
  6. take the Mini Cooper to Mini of Peabody to have the "check engine light" checked (completely unplanned but necessary as the house guests are planning to use the car)
  7. wash windows
  8. find brown shoes
  9. have jewelry cleaned
  10. mani-pedi appointments for female guests and me
  11. make a run to the booze store for wine, vodka, and other staples
  12. weed garden
  13. mow lawn
  14. finish putting up shelves in closet so Retired Guy can stop using the chair in the bedroom as his bureau
  15. write nasty gram to CMP--the power has gone out three times in two weeks (this morning included, when I had gotten up at 5 am to finish expense reports and administrative duties for the real job). Today I understand, as it's nasty out. The other two days were clear, windless and beautiful. That I don't understand.
  16. finish the expense reports, PO approvals, monthly report, contract review and approvals, financial approvals for titles moving to production and other misc. stuff so that I can go on vacation with a clear conscience.
  17. clean my office so the guests aren't frightened away (it frightens me and I created it)
  18. grocery store run to buy rations for the house guests
Now, there's only one thing that can force me to get a mani (pedi--no problem, I'm a regular twice a week girl for that) and force retired guy to finally finish off the closet (I've patiently waited since last October for this to happen).

That thing would be the wedding of Step-son, this Saturday, June 9. Wedding, you might say....but you haven't mentioned it on the blog before. How odd!

Yes, I would say. But there are two things that I know to be true: 1) even in the very best of situations (which I absolutely have) step-families create tensions that biological, nuclear families don't have. Around wedding times, those tensions are multiplied.

2) Even in the best of situations, weddings create tensions--financial tensions, decision-making tensions, tensions over what constitutes good taste and what doesn't. This particular wedding isn't a traditional situation so it has created unique tensions (have you all ever been invited to a BYOB reception?--most likely not, and I hope you never will be, but if you got invited to this one, well....bring a bottle of Patron for me).

While the tensions were high, it didn't seem prudent to post about the the wedding... but I do realize that my blogging will be light this week and possibly non-existent next weekend. I also realized that it was beginning to seem extremely weird for me to not mention this enormous event in our lives. Consider it mentioned.

For what it's worth, we have worked through the tensions amicably. There have been reasonable compromises on all sides and now the week of the wedding has arrived, all of the decisions have been made, the work has been done and the tensions have passed. All that's left to do is write the checks.

We are so looking forward to a wonderful day, and a joyous weekend with all of our friends and family who are arriving for the event. Can't wait to see you all (don't forget the Patron)!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...a BYOB reception? I'm not sure I've ever heard of that before. Eevn a keg would be better than that, I would think.

I feel your pain over the stepfamily situation. I was part of one until I split with him last August, and one thing I don't miss is the drama they create.

Anonymous said...

Warm wishes for a perfect day.

Z said...

My advice: chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug.
Hope it's all stress free - and house guests bring plenty of Patron!