Move out day!
As much as I adored my shoebox apt with it's 70's appliances, hacking-a-lung-up-every-morning neighbor, linolium flooring, and water that changed from icey to scalding in seconds for no apparent reason...I'm excited to be moving back to my multi million dollar, 19th floor, posh establishment in the center of Boston - even if it is a bit sterile and lacks the view of Mt. Monadnock, crystal clear lake a mere seconds away, and a charming bakery downstairs.
This summer was ultimately a success, though at times I wanted to hang up my apron, throw a fritter at a kid, a storm out of the kitchen.
Note to those reading: tip your waitress 20%, not 15%.
Waitressing is literally manual labor. At the end of the day I was so exhausted I could barely take off my shoes before passing out before 9. The tips were good - families tended to like me because I was perky and liked to give compliments. And I told them what to order, because honestly, who really wants Indian Pudding when you could have a Brownie Sundae? I put on a good face but most of the time when that kitchen door closed behind me I let out a little scream and rant about the person who "wants a tossed salad and a bowl of fruit" in lieu of the dinner they ordered or claims to be lactose intolerant, a celiac, allergic to citrus and shellfish, and "avoiding carbs this week."
And working with Chris/being with Chris 24/7 was a total success. I think we got into 2 "real" fights - I add the quotes because we don't really fight - we discuss. Which is how it should be. Couples are bound to fight, regardless of how compatible or perfect they are for each other. The important thing is not avoiding fights altogether, but knowing how to fight. And most importantly, how to understand, and how to forgive. I hate disagreeing or snapping at Chris because I hate making him feel bad, even if it's just for a moment. So when I do, because we all crack, I immediately follow it with a sympathetic hug or apology - he rarely if ever actually deserves to be snapped at. 99% of the time when I snapped or got angry at him I was just exhausted, hungry, frustrated with work, or homesick. And he knows this, so he's wonderful at never taking anything personally. He gently called me back to grounded Earth with a "Missy you're getting a little sassy" and a hug.
Everyone says you should never work with the person you date, but this summer was awesome. And I got to see a side of Chris I've never seen before - the stressed out, exhausted, annoyed at everyone version of him that you can only see when someone is at work. And you know what? He's good at all those things too. Even if he was completely torn in a million directions and in way over his head, he kept a cool head and never took it out on anyone or even showed his frustration. We never once got into a fight at the 40+ hour work week. What a keeper.
I finally got to hike Mt. Washington - which was brilliant. Purely brilliant. We woke up at 4:30 am, drove to the White Mountains, hiked 2 miles to base camp, pitched a tent, hiked 2 more miles to the summit, ate, hiked back to our tent, camped overnight, and hiked the remaining 2 miles down. If you ever make it there, I highly suggest Raymond Trail to Lion's head to get to the summit and then take Tuckerman's down - we hardly ran into anyone on the trails up and got to play in some really cool (literally, freezing) rivers on the way up. I'm so happy I finally got to do this- and test out some of our new camping gear! Chris and I are slowly but surely building out camping gear - we have a tent, 2 mummy bags, a lantern, 2 backpacks, and, most importantly, those little metal sticks you cook marshmellows with. Next on our list: real hiking shoes, a camping stove, and sleeping pads. Can't wait to get down to the part of the list that includes kayaks!
The only thing I regret this summer is not convincing Chris to let me take home a baby bunny from the farm - you haven't seen cute until you've held a baby bunny.
Love love love, me
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