Change

I do not embrace change. Those who know me, know this well. Although, I have made major changes in my life and taken some pretty big gambles, they required a lot of gearing up and stress on my part before anything happened. My husband, however, is a whole different kettle of fish. He loves change. He's stable in his roots (thank God or he probably would've changed me a while ago!), but household things he's all for mixing it up.

He also knows me very well.

He'll suggest changing the living room. I'll say, "It's been like that for years. I LOVE it like that. My life will be ruined and everything would be horrible if you moved it." Husband waits a few days, I'm out for a little while, then I come home and the living room is completely rearranged. I'm all, "WHY did you move the furniture? You didn't even talk to me about...Hey, that looks really good over there. Did we always have that lamp?" Within a couple of days I'm acting like I rearranged it myself.

Same goes with the exterior garden area. I swear every time I look out there he's moved something. And it always looks good. I never would've thought a patio table can be placed in so many arrangements. I barely had plants out there when I lived alone. Don't even get me started on his beard. He grows one. I complain, then love it. It's the best beard ever. Can't imagine him without it. Just when I've hit maximum loving stage he shaves it off. Chaos breaks out. Lots of, "Why! How could you!" rants and moans. Sulking, what have you. Then in a couple of days I'm saying, "Wow, your skin is so smooth. I think you look younger. Man, you're hot. " Then it grows back and I fall in love all over again.

And so we have our pattern and it generally works well. Except for one unfortunate incident where he decided to changed our Internet/Cable services without discussing it and I almost wrapped a cable around his neck. We both learned from that one. But I digress.

Then there was the air mattress situation. When Annie had her last surgery on her leg, I slept on an air mattress in the living room with her because she wasn't allowed upstairs and no way I was leaving my baby downstairs by herself. Husband was working out of town, so Annie and I had created a full on nest by the time he got home. I had a TV, close access to the fridge, my lap top, fuzzy blankets, a coffee table as a footrest/TV tray. Books, magazines, movies. It was great! After a few days I was completely immersed in " nest living." I even did all my final page proofs from the nest.

After a few days Annie wanted back up on the couches ( I built her stairs with cushions) but I was still happily ensconced on the air mattress. When husband came home on weekends, he also started to see the benefits and stole my nest for PlayStation usage. We also discovered watching movies was much cozier cuddled on a double air mattress.

Life was good.

Annie recovered from her surgery and was able to go upstairs, we were all back in bed. But the air mattress stayed in the living room. I started wondering how long it could go on? Could we just move it when we had guests? Everything was wonderful. But I knew, deep down, I knew. Change was in the air. It had been almost a month. Then it happened. I was upstairs writing and came downstairs to get a cup of tea. The air mattress was gone. The coffee table was back in place. The pillows all in their right spot on the couch.

I stared at husband, who was sitting on the couching watching TV.

"What did you DO!?"

"Had to happen eventually, baby."

I know he was right. But oh how I mourned the air mattress, my nest, my cozy little island in the middle of the house. The house is tidier now. You can actually walk around the living room. Annie can play on the carpet. It's good. And it did have to happen. But still.