It's Right in Front Of You...

 Me: "You know, honey... just so you know, sometimes I still get the butterflies in my stomach when I think of you.  You know, that flippy feeling in my gut like when we first met."

Him: "That's nice. I still get a flippy feeling in my stomach too."

Me: "That's the poison."

Marriage.  You've got to keep it interesting. 

Today I picked up some inexpensive shelving units at our local discount store. We shifted the basement and Hubs moved all his sports cards to one location in the house.  I have the laundry room back now. And, the basement tables, the shelves on the opposite side of the basement, the space next to the couch, under the bed, and by the TV in the bedroom.  Seriously, it was everywhere. It took a few hours and he still has a bit more work to do, but his revolving collection (the stuff he will sell) is all in one space, and organized. Make no mistake about it, he has 50+ boxes there and each box holds between 3-5K cards.  I'll let you do the math.  The undertaking was huge. 

I have never been more turned on.

So while he was working on that, I went through an reorganized some of Youngest's childhood boxes.  The childhood boxes are the boxes that, when they have cleaned out or moved rooms, they weren't quite ready to part with.  Although upon closer inspection, I suspect Youngest just ran out of ambition and just started dumping stuff in, because sitting among some used tissues I found his class ring.  He thought that was funny that it fits now, and then we thought it would be best if I hung on to it for the time being. 

I also went though and put some of the clothes he no longer wears in bins under his bed.  It freed up a ton of space for him to put the stuff he does wear away.  It takes him a long time to process getting rid of clothes for some reason. He's much like the Husband in that respect.  Truth be told I am far more patient with Youngest's inability to let things go than the Hubs.

Youngest has been spending more time at home, so much that I have realized how cold his room gets.  When we built the room in July of 2019, it was a temporary fix while Bonus Son moved in.  Youngest quickly claimed it as his own, and since last winter was mild and he wasn't supposed to be here this winter, we never connected the heat.  Yesterday I went and got the duct work to make it official and now his room is a toasty little oven. He seems satisfied with it, and it makes reading in bed much more comfy. And that's one habit of his I can totally embrace.

He's doing better, Youngest. The road is very long, and every time I think we care coming out of the woods something happens that makes me think we'll never reach the forest's edge. But for now, I'm enjoying the peacefulness of better choices.  He's debating taking some college courses on a flex term at the Community College 20 minutes up the road. The number's on the fridge and the ball's in his court.  We shall see.  

Oldest is leaving in 12 days for the city.  He can't wait.  I will miss him, but I know he needs this.  I suspect I will be a mess, as it will be like him leaving for the first time all over again. He has been home for almost a full year.  None of us saw that coming, for sure. The hope is that he can stay healthy and come home when he feels the need.  At least this year he has a kitchen and can cook for himself.  Being at college and only having take and go food options gets old quick.

I went through the medicine cabinet top pull together some basics for him to take with him.  When I stumbled on the Advil from 2011, I thought it might be time to clean out a bit.  It's not a glamorous task but it made me feel so much better.  Especially since my tooth brush now has a home in there, instead of over the toilet.  A detail that has been completely insignificant for years until TWICE this week it has landed in the toilet.  You'll not that there's an entire container designated for "Teeth" now. It's not a coincidence that it contains brand new toothbrushes.

I seriously want to be an organizer in my next career. I love not having to search for things. Every bin has a label, all expired stuff is gone, and bulky packaging is no more. 

Rest assured though, the men will still not be able to find anything.