A Day in the Life...

Josh DID end up getting to come to the wedding last weekend. We had a lot of fun and I WAS SO HAPPY!

A few weeks ago my friend Kate, lovingly asked how much I worked, because it seems like I am always crafting. And it seems like Josh is always working for real. I'm assuming other people think this too.

Crafting is work yo.

Fine. It's not.

But I think people wonder what we are up to, so I'm going to set the record straight. :) We never have two days that are exactly the same...but this is what an average summer day in the life of Josh and Mollie is like.

6:00am: Josh's alarm goes off.

6:30am: Josh's alarm goes off again and he says to me, "I should get up. Why am I always so tired?" It seems obvious to me that the reason he is always tired is because he works like a crazy person for 12+ hours a day...it's like he doesn't understand that would make a person TIRED. :)

7:00am: Josh's alarm goes off and he gets up to shower. I get up to pack his lunch, fill his water bottle, make sure he has pants, etc. Then I go back into our room and watch The Today show, text Josh the weather and nap. Some days I never hear these three alarms and accidentally sleep until Josh comes in to say bye...and then I feel bad because he has to leave without his breakfast, lunch, and ice water...

So I go buy him some bagels and his favorite candy and profusely apologize via text the rest of the day.

{Last week I decided I liked reading blogs that are 'real'...and decided that I should write mine that way...You should know I'm regretting that decision.}

8:00am: Josh leaves for work in Ames or Ankeny. The days he works in Ames are my favorite because sometimes I go visit him and take him a Gatorade or mower parts he needs. :) I get up, shower, get ready for work, pick-up the house from the night before, start some laundry, check email, check some blogs, maybe do some work from home, etc.

Between 9 and 10:00am: I get to C21 and start my workday. I'm an assistant to Tami Hicks, a super successful, veteran, realtor at CENTURY 21 Signature Real Estate in Ames, and good grief I love it there. I'll save this topic for a blog titled: "10 Reasons Why I Love My Job." Basically, I work 30 hours a week, so if I go in early I can leave early, if I go in late, I leave later or do some work from home.

At some point during the day, Josh usually calls me saying something has broken, gotten stuck, spilled, won't start, a customer is unhappy, customer's aren't paying, customer's are confused about their bills, or his brother's showed up late for work or left early (don't even deny it boys, it happens about half the time :). I listen and then try to make up something really profound and encouraging to say because Josh claims that makes him feel better, but I basically say the same stuff all the time and I feel like I'm faking being cheerful and encouraging.

Such is life for the wife of a business-owner. :)

There is only so much I can say when Josh gets a flat tire or a belt breaks for the 589th time in a summer. So here are some words I live by...'fake it til you make it'...meaning, I pretend like I'm super happy until I actually am. :) It works...try it.

Between 3 and 4:00pm: I leave work for the day.

I spend the rest of my day getting groceries, oil changes, take care of other car maintenance, run errands for Tami, take Jamie to work if it's raining, meet with a friend for coffee, run more laundry, get gas, spend a few hours at the pool, swim some laps, buy bug spray, sunscreen, and 5-hr energy for Josh, stuff C21 and BLC mailers, write notes to BLC customers, go to connection group, help Josh reply to emails/voicemails, help with the billing, go on walks with Jamie, blog, tan, craft, paint my nails, paint things, clean the house, pay bills, read Jen Hatmaker books, occasionally prepare a real supper, volunteer at Informed Choices, reply to emails, scrapbook, and craft some more.

Obviously I don't accomplish all of this in one evening...but I attempt to. :)

Every once in a while I hit a wall and get absolutely nothing done all day (I had one of these days yesterday).

And then I feel like a lazy pile because my husband is out working hard in the heat until the sun goes down and I'm watching the latest episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians (just whatever, I love them). So I clean a bathroom and refill the ice trays (two tasks I absolutely loathe) during commercial breaks and find some laundry to fold so I can feel like I accomplished something.

Between 9 and 10pm: Josh rolls in from his workday...he spends some time on his phone with his dad, updates his calendar, and takes a very long shower. I unpack his lunchbox and clean the garbage out of his truck (okay, but sometimes if I'm in the middle of painting a chair, Jamie does this).

10:00pm (or sometimes later): We eat supper. ri.dic.u.lous. I know. Just insane. Most humans are in bed  or headed there at this hour. But at 10pm the party is just starting at our house. We eat, hang out, watch some How I Met Your Mother, and go to bed between 11 and midnight...sometimes later if rain is in the forecast for the next day.

I'll admit I'm a little scared to post this because it seems like a pretty lazy, easy-going schedule. But it's what works for us in the summer. If Josh doesn't go off to work until 9, he is still working 12+ hours each day for 6 days a week. THAT'S 72 HOURS A WEEK (and sometimes more!). I can't put rigid, stressful schedules in place because that would just be setting us up for more stress and failure. So, in an attempt to go with the flow (something that is nearly impossible for a planner like myself), we stay up until midnight so Josh can have some time to relax and unwind.

Normal people with normal jobs probably read this and think sleeping until 7, 8, or even 9:00 is completely ridiculous. But I honestly believe that it's vital to our marriage to spend some time staying up, hanging out, and talking. If I went to bed at 10pm and started my day at 6 or 7am like many people do, I literally wouldn't see Josh at all. Our relationship would consist of texting, 2-minute phone calls, and sleep.

And that's just not happening. :)

So there you have it. A peek into what our life is like in the summer. Sometimes we love it, and sometimes we hate it...but as we head in to our FOURTH (what?!) year of marriage, we continue to be reminded how blessed we are to do what we do, have what we have, and love who we love. :)

-MmB