Guys and Work

 Gene came home today and told me about a Drywall project he’s subbing (is that a word?) for a company who is building for “Some famous ball player.”  Of course my ears perked up on the word famous.  I peppered him with questions that were not intended to be difficult to the average male. 

“What ball player?” 

“Ummm… I’m thinking Joe Paterno.”

“So is it a coach or a player?”

“Ummm… I’m not sure”

“Well is it college or pro-ball?”

“Ummm… I really couldn’t tell you.”

“Is football or baseball or basketball?”

“I forget.”

We have a problem here.  Gene did not receive the gene that requires all men to care fiercely about sports.  Or to care about all things pertaining to sports.  Or sporting events.

This wouldn’t be so bad but a couple weeks ago, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED.  He spent weeks in Philly hanging drywall on “some Phillies players” house.

 Every day, mind you, when he would come home, I would try to extract this player’s name from my husband’s mouth.  I never did find out who the player was.  And it about drove me crazy.  It drove me so crazy that I almost wanted to go with him to the job so I could find out for myself.  

But….lucky me….. one day as I was scrolling through the pictures on my camera, I found out Gene had taken the camera to work.  And I was transported to another time and another place.  Oh the glory that is the drywall industry.  Come with me now…

We are on this road:

1 x

 

 

Following this truck:

2x

 

 

Man in rain-spotted review mirror:

3x

Man, look at this huge tank, it’s so…porcelain and white:

4x

 

Maybe it’s a gigantic water heater:

6x

Or maybe an artist’s rendering of an enlarged marshmallow:

7x

Or maybe a holding cell for when giant squid invade earth:

8x

 

Let’s take another one so we can remember it:

5x

Gene asks scissor-lift operator “How do we get out of here?”

9x

Drywall is bad.  Must get home ASAP.

10x

Drywall is bad.   Must stop to Enlist.

016

You know, you would think they’d at least try to sneak a picture of the famous ball-player…

And it’s not even our Anniversary

When Gene and I were married there was one thing I made him promise he would not do at our wedding.  It was always my pet-peeve when the newly married husband would make some absurd, wild claim that the girl he married was “The best” in the universe.  I mean, it doesn’t make any sense.  How can one person be “the best”?  Sure, maybe a good match for him, I can take that, but no cockiness that says:  “Hey you loser slacker guys out there, you might as well give it up since I have found the hidden prize that you can’t seem to find”.  Long story short that was one thing I asked Gene:  Please do not say anything along the lines of:  “Hey guys, the best one is now taken!” 

So I’m not about to make a wild claim that Gene is the best man in the whole wide world.  That’s just stupid.  There are a lot of areas that one could question our compatibility.  We’re both babies of the family so, we both like to be spoiled and think the other one owes it to us to start with the spoiling already.  But there is one area that I think I have possibly found the perfect match.

Simply stated:   Gracious leader.

He makes the money.  He lets me spend it.

That’s not all.  He is just so so so un-controlling. (Sorry, I can’t think of a better descriptive word)  I cannot remember the last time I’ve come home from shopping and he asked me how much something cost. 

If I would say one day: “I spent $400.00 getting a tattoo today” he would probably blink and say “Well, as long as nobody can see it”.  (That might be a stretch, since he whipped the Little Mermaid stickers off Elena’s bike in one hurry.)

He lets me be myself, which is such a huge relief, and doesn’t try to fashion me into some kind of cookie-cutter Mennonite house wife.

You could think with all the non-accountability I have that I would run crazy, buying here and spending there, and getting wild tattoos.  It tends to work opposite.  I value his work much more if he trusts me to make decisions about the money he worked for.

It’s not just financial either.  I see it in how he relates to others as well.  He always chooses to trust others until they prove otherwise.  And I love that about him.

I remember talking to two ladies a while back, and they were talking about how their husbands managed their finances.  They both mentioned how their husbands poured over the receipts when they got home from a shopping trip, and asked over and over how much stuff cost.  Both of these ladies expressed how glad they were that they had married such frugal men.  I remember thinking:  Oh my word, I cannot relate.   Just because those men look at receipts doesn’t make them control freaks, but for me, Gene’s good natured personality is The Best.  I would not trade it for the world.  Or for a round trip vacation to Cancun, or for unlimited supply of Taco bell’s Chalupas.  Both of which would make nice gifts.

Nope, I’ll keep the best thing for me, the un-controlling leader.

 

And now I’ll leave you with some pictures of Brandt’s latest projects.  His motto is:  My House, The Giant Coloring Book. 

August 08 008

The Door 

August 08 007

The Shower

 

August 08 001

 

 The Chair

Not too bad for one day, huh?