I wrote a post with as much of the details as I recall so if there’s something that needs clarification or something that needs to be added, please let me know.
In the menu bar above, I added a “2023 WIP Along” bar. You can click that at any time and get the info. I’ll also add links to our monthly progress reports to that post. I think that’s easier to find than it would be in the sidebar.
I’m excited to start this and I may just start it in November. The 26th will be the day to start if I’m going to do it the last five days of the month. Kinda not fair because I have a long dentist appointment and a doctor’s appointment during those days.
I’ve also come up with a plan for my trips to town. I’m going to tell Vince that I will go to town once every two weeks; doctor’s appointments, hair cut appointments, etc. count as a trip to town, and I want us to talk about where were going to go – each stop we’re going to make; where we’re going to eat IF we’re planning to eat out. Also, it can’t be “Let’s make today our “Go to Town Day”. We have to talk about it ahead of time. I don’t want packages to be arriving (though really . . who is going to order anything! <G>); I don’t want to have food all defrosted and ready to cook.
Going to the vet does not count because, for sure with one little guy, we can’t do anything but go to the vet and come home.
This may sound cold and strict to some of you but really, I’m spending way too much of my time following Vince around stores, or sitting in the car while he goes in and shops. He’s welcome to go do what he wants to do but without me along for the ride.
Elizabeth Rodgers says
Please think about your town plans, many of us would love to be with our love one in a car arguing about where to eat lunch or do we really need Fritos. Then we would laugh and pat hands. Blessing come in all forms.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I’ve thought plenty about that. I just don’t think I have to spend so much time sitting in the car waiting for him to walk through Home Depot, Walmart, the flea market, etc. because my feet hurt when I walk. I’m not telling Vince what to do but if he would find things he enjoys to do at home, I don’t think he would go to town and shop so much. Yesterday I had tons of Thanksgiving cooking (dressing ingredients to prep, two pies to make, two kinds of cranberry sauce) plus canning the broth from the turkey bones I had boiled – all of that needed to get done and we went to town twice and went to numerous shops both times. Hardware store, flea market, pie store, courthouse twice, Walmart, Aldi . . I think we’re all entitled to enjoy our time, together and apart. Vince has always known how much I dislike walking through stores looking for something to buy. I go in with a list, get what’s on my list and leave. It all seems like a waste of time. We’re together 24/7 so if he wants to go to town every day and spend 4 or 5 hours, that still gives us 19 or 20 hours each day together.
My feelings are that we should live each day to the fullest, think about everything we do and say so we have no regrets. At some point, we’re all going to lose a spouse. It’s almost guaranteed that one of us will go before the other and I hope we both live each day so we don’t look back and wish we had done things differently.
Elizabeth Rodgers says
I understand totally, and yes you two do a lot when you go shopping. More then I imagined. I am sorry if I said something wrong. I think your marriage and family is strong, blessed, and fun, thank you for sharing.
And yes, Oscar is great.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
No, you didn’t say anything wrong but I do get that a lot. “Be thankful he’s still here to go shopping with you.” I just feel like spending quality time together is what’s important and I would never expect Vince to go to a knitting shop or a cross stitching shop with me every day. Even though he would probably enjoy it and buy something we know he would never make, minutes and hours are precious and there are things we could both be doing together that make us both happy but I don’t believe married couples have to spend every minute together doing the exact same thing. That may work for some and that’s fine but finding something that works for both husband and wife is part of having a healthy relationship . . in my opinion.
Elizabeth says
I am going to start an inventory of what I have and what needs to be completed or given away. I never feel energized the day after Thanksgiving. But I will be going through my stuff starting this afternoon.
Rebecca says
.I hope this works for you! I have always thought you were amazingly tolerant of Vince’s multiple stops and extensive shopping. In the last post that you were talking about your trip to town, I was thinking of the time that it takes away.
Maybe without you, Vince will even cut down on his trips! (A girl can dream)
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I’ve written before that back when we lived in KY and he wanted to go shopping all the time, I got to where I would find something to buy everywhere we went and sometimes I’d buy the higher priced items, hoping he would figure out that every time I went to town, it cost more $$ than he had hoped but that didn’t work so well either and we ended up with too must stuff to be donated when we moved.
You’re right about the time – when I cook breakfast, clean the kitchen and then he’s ready to go to town and IF I can talk him out of eating out, we come home and it’s time to cook again and clean the kitchen and then I’m exhausted.
I can go into a store, get what I came to get and leave but walking up and down the aisles trying to find a good deal on something we don’t even need . . nope . . that’s over.
On Sundays, I’m going to start staying “Is there anywhere we need to go this week?” I believe he really thinks we don’t need to go anywhere but then he gets bored and decides he wants to go to town . . every day! So when he tells me on Sunday there’s no place to go . . that’s his final answer! 🙂