Friday, June 13, 2008

Wake Me Up Before You Go Go

Like most married couples across the country, my husband and I each have a nightstand next to our designated side of the bed. I'd like to say that my side is a replica of a Pottery Barn catalog, adorned with a scented candle, a tasteful lamp, one classic novel, and an old-fashioned alarm clock, but it's not.

Not even close.

Sure I have a lamp, and it is a cute one. But the washcloth I throw over the top of it to make it dimmer so as to not disturb Brett when he's sleeping kinda ruins the whole Pottery Barn feel.

I don't have a scented candle (Firefighters sort of frown upon putting anything flammable that one might forget to put out right next to where they sleep). But I do have scented body butter . . . yum, coconut. I lather it on my cuticles before I go to sleep every night, hoping to wake up with the hands of a hand model and not a woman who uses hand sanitizer approximately forty-seven times a day.

As far as books go, I've got that area covered - although I'm not sure they'd be considered classics. There's the Oprah book, A New Earth, which I haven't made it very far in because each sentence takes me a year to process. There's an Erma Bombeck book, At Wit's End, which comforts me after a bad day with the kids. And lastly, there's Bright Lights, Big Ass, Jen Lancaster's 2nd memoir. I'm reading them backwards, just in case you were paying attention and yes, she is hi-lar-i-ous.

So, um, yeah - the books are covered.

I also have an assortment of little girls hair accessories. Because who doesn't need twenty clippies by their bedside?

But as far as the clock goes, I'm severely lacking.

You see, last July (yes, July of 2007), Brett's Aunt and Uncle came to visit from Denmark. We put them up in our guest bedroom (our travel trailer, we're classy like that! Hey, at least it has air conditioning). Of course they would need a clock so I gave them mine.

That was nearly a year ago.

Where is my clock, the one that is supposed to go on my very non-Pottery Barn bedside table?

In the trailer.

Do I go out to get it, or do I happen to remember to grab it when I go out there to get a box of macaroni and cheese when I don't know what to feed the kids for dinner?

Nope.

So, every morning for the last 300 or so mornings, my husband has shared his alarm clock. On the days he leaves for the firestation at o'dark thirty, he sets it once for himself, and once again for me (because I cannot breathe the air before 6am, it will kill me and then what would my kids fix themselves for breakfast?). He wakes me up to tell me that he's set the alarm, gives me a kiss, tells me he loves me (I mumble something like "iwuuuuffffffewe" back, trying not to expose him to my morning breath) and he's on his way.

On the days when he is home, he sets it once . . . for himself. And then he lets me sleep in a little. Sometimes he rolls his eyes in utter confusion at how one person can sleep past 8 or 9 in the morning (hello! I was reading until 2am while you were snoring), but most of the time he just lets it be. Unless we have to be somewhere, then it's all drill sergeant all the time.

I was thinking of going out to the trailer to get a brownie mix (Katie and I are craving chocolate), and you know, maybe, just maybe, I'll grab that clock while I'm out there.

Heck, who am I kidding? This system is working quite nicely for me and I'd be a fool to give it up!


Happy Father's Day Honey. Thanks for always waking me up before you go.

20 comments:

The Mom Jen said...

Great story and what a sweet hubby. LOL at the morning breath, i do that too.

How's your friend's little girl??

Amanda said...

Ooh, thanks for the sweet glimpse. Hope he enjoys his day!

Jen Rouse said...

Ah, it's just the opposite at my house. I am the human alarm clock, because my husband has the ability to sleep through (or turn off while sleeping) any alarm clock known to man.

Beth Cotell said...

Awwww. That was sweet!

flutter said...

this is darling

Angie McCullagh said...

Yeah, it sounds like you have a good thing going there. Milk it!

painted maypole said...

that is actually very sweet1 a nd I am SO with you on the can't breath the air before 6am thing

Creative-Type Dad said...

That's nice.

And I like the Wham reference.

Ann(ie) said...

That is so sweet!

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

Early rising hubbys that let their wives sleep in are the best! I'm glad you have one too.

Anonymous said...

awwwwwww what a sweet story... I'm the one up first in my house and I try to be as gracious as your hubby but not sure how successful I am!

Anonymous said...

Hey Carrie--thanks for stopping by my blog & leaving the comment...you rock too! :)

I hear you about the night stand not being ver Pottery Barn-esque (I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one out there that looks at the difference b/t picture & reality longingly.) I can one-up you though...in addition to the clutter, my nightstand has about an inch of dust covering it too. But shhh! Don't tell anyone!

Kyla said...

Josh does the same thing...except, even on days when I have to wake first, he's still in charge of the alarm. If it goes off and I don't want to get up, I nudge him and say "Hit snooze." and he gets up, walks to the alarm and hits snooze for me. He's a good man.

Kellan said...

What a cute post! I loved the whole "book on the nightstand" paragraph - a year to process each line - ACK! Hope you all are having a good weekend - see you soon. Kellan

Family Adventure said...

Super cute! Your post and your husband. Hope you have a great day tomorrow - who'll get up first, I wonder?!

Heidi :)

Queen of the Mayhem said...

It's a give and take thing. I say, "if it aint broke....don't fix it!"

OHmommy said...

Loved this post. I totally had to borrow my hubby's clock yesterday to wake up for the interview.... pushed all my hair bows aside to make room for it on my side. LOL!

Where are the pics?

Michelle Smiles said...

Crap...I am going to be singing Wham for days now.

I have the only alarm clock in our relationship. Why? Because my husband is one of those annoying morning people who just naturally wakes up when he needs/wants to.

Lisa said...

Yeah, sounds like a pretty good system to me. Don't fix what's not broken, yaknow?

Hope you got that brownie mix!

And Bright Lights, Big Ass IS funny.

Becky at lifeoutoffocus said...

heck yeah why change it?! lol