I would love to tell y’all that life with me is easy going and smooth sailing. I’d also like to tell you that things never fall apart for me and that a lot of times my best intentions never go awry. But, if I told you all that, well, I’d be lying.
In fact, our lives are often chaotic and we have learned to go with the flow, so to speak. Let me just give you an example.
Last weekend, we went out and set up the swimming pool. Aaron absolutely LOVES setting up the swimming pool. Ok… that’s a lie, but he grins and bears it through the whole set up process. When we bought our pool, I opted for the one with all the pieces that you have to snap together, the huge tarp like body that you have to unfold and clean before filling it up…yes, the ungainly one.
After the final scrub down on the inside, we began to fill it. Our weekend was pretty full and I didn’t want to leave the water running while we were not home. I would turn the water on when we got home in the evenings until we went to bed.
I was getting antsy about the pool not being full because I needed to start running the pump so the water would stay clear. Finally, one day last week, I came up with a brilliant plan. I decided to turn the water on before we went to bed and set my alarm to get up and check it. All I needed was enough water in it to reach the intake so that I could turn the pump on. Easy enough, right?
I set my alarm and drifted off to sleep. My alarm went off at midnight and I slipped on my flip-flops and grabbed my phone for a flashlight. I stumbled over to the pool and gazed in through half closed eyes to see that the pool was indeed above the intake. I dragged my sleepy body over to the pump and flipped it on, only for it to make a horrible noise.
I quickly turned the pump off and on again. Same noise. The water was not going into the pump. I tried a couple of tricks to make it work. I even sprayed water into the pump and conveniently made a mud puddle on the ground. Still nothing worked. After stepping into the mud and feeling it cake on my foot, I gave up and headed back in the house, washed my feet and climbed back under the covers.
The next morning as I was getting ready, Aaron asked if I had been able to get the pump running. I quickly explained the situation.
“I bet the hoses are backwards,” he stated. “It’s pulling the water in the wrong way. We should be able to switch the hoses and it will work.”
Now, before I go further, I should probably let you know that I had just woken him up and given him a cup of coffee. Aaron has to have coffee and time when you wake him up. The time is for the coffee to flow through his veins. This will give you a better idea of his state of mind when I get to the next part.
Aaron got up and gathered his clothes together so he could shower. I had planned on going into work early, so I was ready. I went outside to water my flowers before leaving for the day.
As I turned the water hose on, I glanced at the pool and that is when my next plan began to form. By now, you should know that when I have a plan…well, things get a little crazy. I turned the water hose off and opened the gate to the swimming pool. Glancing around, I saw a screwdriver that was perfect to take the hoses off and switch them around. I mean how hard can it be?
Kiera had followed me out by that time and offered her assistance. I unscrewed the metal hose clamp and pulled the first hose off. As the water started to rise and spill out of the hose I realized I was going to need help.
“Kiera, could you hold this hose up for me, please?” I asked as I juggled holding the pump, hose and screwdriver.
My little helper scrambled down from the pool ladder and grabbed the hose. Since she was not tall enough to keep the water from spilling out of the hose, I turned the hose down and back into the pool so that at least the water would recycle.
It would have worked too, if I had remembered to pull off the metal hose clamp. I had the second hose off and in my hand as I watched the metal hose clamp plunk into the water and drift down to the bottom.
“Grrr… I don’t want to have to call Aaron out here,” I mumbled to myself. I could just imagine his face since he was still drinking his first cup of coffee and had not actually made it in the shower yet.
I glanced to my sweet little helper as I struggled to juggle everything in my hands. “Honey,” I began in my nicest pleading voice. “How would you like to strip down and climb in the pool and get that clamp for me?”
Most children would have been all over that idea. Not Kiera. Standing back on the ladder, she glanced in the pool uncertainly. “Well, I would need a shower after I got out,” she replied.
“You’re going to the swimming pool with daycare today! You’re going to be in the water in like two hours!” I stared at my crazy child as I still balanced the pump on the edge of the pool, held both hoses so water would not spew out and juggled the screwdriver.
She must have picked up on my urgency. “Ok….” she said slowly. “But, I’ll be right back.” She quickly climbed down the ladder and dashed into the house.
‘Just perfect’ I thought to myself as I felt my makeup begin to run off my face from the humidity.
Then I heard Kiera saying, “and the metal thing fell in the water…”
I hung my head as I realized that my helper was selling me out to her Daddy.
“What are you doing?” my husband asked stepping out on the porch in his shorts. I briefly tried to explain how I thought switching the hoses would be easy and blah, blah, blah… Poor guy. He’s used to me. He didn’t bat an eye as he fished the metal hose clamp out and handed it over.
He held the pump still while I put the hoses back on and screwed the clamps down. Nice guy that he is, he bled the air off the pump so I could start it. I flipped the switch and… grumbling noises ensued.
In all the chaos, I had managed to put the hoses back on the exact way I had taken them off. I shot my husband a sideways glance checking to see if the coffee had started to make an impact yet. He rolled his eyes at me and motioned for me to hold the pump so he could pull the hoses off.
I held the pump as he made quick work of switching the hoses and clamping them into place. He flipped the pump and it made the appropriate noises that a pump should make when it works correctly.
“Come on,” he said to Kiera and I. “Let’s get in the house and away from the mosquitos.”
He kissed me good-bye before heading off to take a well-deserved shower. I hugged Kiera and darted out the door to work.
I’m telling you this for a reason. This Friday will be our ten-year wedding anniversary. Ten years, people. That’s a long time to put up with the craziness that fills our life. A lot of times the craziness is a direct result of something I planned. But the best part of all that craziness, is that Aaron has stuck by me through every single minute of it.
Patiently, calmly, sometimes gritting his teeth, but always supporting me and helping me come out on the other side of the craziness. I can’t imagine my life without him or Kiera.
So, to my amazing husband, I want to say “Thank you. You are a blessing every day in Kiera’s life and mine. You are our rock, our comic relief, mechanic, comforter, chef and so many other things. Happy, early anniversary, Aaron. We love you.”
Rowonna McNeely is a graphic artist for Willie’s T’s Screenprint & Embroidery. She is a mother of a five year old girl and step mother of two adult girls. Her crazy life includes a dog, Sloane and psychotic cat, Gracie. Both females. She is married to her prince, who is outnumbered by the opposite gender.
