Scheming

During a recent camping trip Thad brought up my "score-keeping" in our relationship. "Score-keeping" is where I keep track of every time he gets to go do something fun, without children or the need to hire a babysitter because these types of fun activities don't include me. Now, I'm not calling my husband a liar, because I AM, in fact, keeping score, but it's easy to keep score because I NEVER SCORE. Ever. Everytime I've gone anywhere, I either take my kids with me and arrange for childcare in my hometown so I can go out for an evening, or I schedule a babysitter for both of us to go out, or he just goes and does whatever activity it is without the worry of a wife and kids tagging along. And I've had enough. ENOUGH. Imagine me as J.Lo in a movie by the same name. I'm fed up.

Admittedly, this isn't anyone's fault but my own. I don't blame Thad for wanting to chew his own arm off with a desire to do something fun; the man works his ass off for us all the time. But I do blame myself for not making it more of a point to find things to go do by myself. Because I also work my ass off for us, all the time. So I'm forming an action plan.

This year has been all tied up with saving my time off to have surgery. Well, currently that surgery isn't scheduled until November, and I have some excess PTO to do away with, so I have a couple ideas rolling around in my brain.

A good friend of mine mentioned the possibility of a trip to Vegas with a group of her friends for her birthday in October. I'd consider making the trip, but I'm definitely leaning more towards staying a little closer to home. Vegas may be an awesome place to go and have a good time, but I can't really imagine myself there without either my husband or a group of my own friends, at least not for expense of plane tickets and a hotel room. I'm a fuddy duddy, but that can't be helped.

The other idea I've been bouncing around is a winter trip down to Los Angeles. The only reason I'd even entertain this idea is because Allegiant Air offers some cheap airfare down and back, but they don't really have super cheap flights until January. So this idea is still in the running, but doesn't solve the immediate problem of wanting to do something NOW.

The other idea involves me, a gal pal or two, and Chico Hot Springs. This is the one I'm most inclined to do, since it's closer, more affordable, and allows me to drink in a pool, but it will mean coordinating with Thad because he goes hunting ever year with one of his friends. I wouldn't even consider Chico until the weather gets cooler, so October is my tentative idea for this trip. Sort of a mini-"Boobs Voyage" party.

So there, as long as it's written down, it's basically set in stone. Mary Rose is going to make it a point to spend a weekend this year doing something SHE wants to do. Now I just have to DO it.

As for August, we have Bluesfest, Montana Fair, Colter's 2nd birthday and Thad's on-call filling up every weekend until Labor Day. But Mary Rose is a thinker-aheader, a planner, a font of ideas for the future. Labor Day weekend is going to be a FOUR DAY WEEKEND, thanks to my foresight and PTO planning skillz (street cred!). Casa Swan will be loading up and making it's way to a mountain. Not sure what mountain, but my plan is that we will spend at least two nights roughing it in the wilderness with Morgan, the Blanche DuBois to my Tammy Faye Bakker craziness, and her lover Joel. Morgan is a wonderful planner, even better at the art of planning than yours truly, and I utilize her planning skills for birthday parties (I am terrible at throwing my kids parties) and other various situations that require someone to poke me into making decisions.

Thanks, internet, for allowing me a vent for the frustration that stems from being a fabulous martyr! You can barely make out the marks on my hands from where I nail myself up on a cross on a daily basis! LOLing like crazy!

PS It wouldn't kill husbands to try to take their wives out occasionally without making them do all the work. So if you're a husband (which I doubt I have many of in my readership), surprise your wife sometime, even just get the kids out of the house for an evening and make dinner at home. You'll TOTALLY get laid.