That Didn't Take Long!

It's only January 2, 2011 and I've already broken my New Year's resolution. I learned several years ago, that I don't need to set myself up for failure each year. It's kind of depressing. So, instead, I make resolutions that I know I can really keep---like---keeping my closet organized---that was a cinch---visiting my mom at least 4 times a year---another easy one---not giving in to my urge to get a dog---easy peasy---and keeping my drinking under control---really, really, really easy.

This year, I actually made my resolution last Wednesday when we were getting ready to go to St. Louis. The morning started out something like this: Butch woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Before even a "good morning", the complaining started---"don't light that candle, it's nauseating me!"---"don't throw that turkey away, I'm making a sandwich for the trip. We're not stopping for burgers!" Mindy had just arrived after working out to get ready for work and have breakfast. She looked at me and said, "gosh mom, looks like it's going to be a fun trip." Normally, Butch is pretty even tempered. I attributed this abnormal morning crabbiness to his late night watching of the Missouri football game---which they lost---badly. (Jeanne, just goes to show, that we Zimmermann's don't have the market cornered on "crabbiness!").

After nearly 40 years of marriage, I know just how to handle him. Ignore him. Especially if I want him to "get over it." If I react---which I am prone to do---and argue with him, it just gets both of us worked up. That's when I decided what my New Year's resolution would be. Every time I get aggravated with him for anything---big or small, I'm going to say to myself, "thank God he's here to aggravate me." Sounded like a pretty good plan to me.

On the way home from St. Louis today, we were sharing our resolutions. Butch has set himself up for failure. Mindy is going to run in 3 marathons this year---she'll do it. She's been training for nearly 2 months now and is signed up for the New Orleans marathon in February. As for me, I told them what I was doing. Little did I know that I was going to be put to the test so soon.

When we got home, I unloaded my suitcase and decided to start the laundry. When I went into the laundry room, I saw a pile of clothes on top of the dryer and a pile of clothes in a laundry basket. I asked Butch if they were clean or dirty. He said they were clean. OMG! That is probably my biggest pet peeve. Taking clothes out of the dryer----but not folding them leaves them a huge wrinkled mess. I started to lose it---"why would you put clean clothes in a basket?" He said, "well, SOMEONE left clothes in the washer that needed to be put in the dryer!" Notice he completely dodged the question? Instead of ranting and asking in a smart alecky way, which I would have done if it weren't for my New Year's resolution, "why wouldn't you just go ahead and fold the clothes? It doesn't help me in any way to cram clean clothes in a basket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (insert quadruple expletives here----even if I would never say anything like that out loud)---I choked back the words and prayed silently, "thank God he's here to aggravate me, thank God he's here to aggravate me, thank God he's here to aggravate me." Soon that morphed to "thank you God for keeping me from wringing his neck, thank you God for keeping me from wringing his neck." I guess if it's just in my mind, I haven't technically broken my resolution---yet. I'm starting to feel like I've set myself up for failure after all!

Pictures coming tomorrow!