Dear Future Wife: Campsgiving
Can we do holidays- like Thanksgiving and Christmas- at our place? You know, have people over (which allows us to boot them all out if we reach exhaustion) instead of going to our families’ or friends’?
I will make you Prime Rib for Christmas, or Lamb if you’d like, and roasted root vegetables. I’ll even make it for you *this* Christmas, if you get to me in time.
Since Turkey-day is past, I’ve been thinking: Would it be really rude to blow off our family and friends our first few Thanksgivings together and I’ll just cook us a nicely browned little whole chicken to share intimately and alone in peace? (I should ask: 1) Do you mind cranberry sauce from a can? 2) Do you make good stuffing? My sister makes the best stuffing, but I make it from a box, so maybe that’s a skill you might work on so we can share tasks on bird-day.)
Other news: Did I tell you? I ran the National Novel Writing Month program for our library over this November! It was our pilot writing program; it went *really* well; my bosses were very much impressed; and now I’m being tasked with setting up a permanent, year-round writing program as part of my official job goals. It feels so good to have had my name in the newspaper associated with the Library and writing this last month, rather than criminal court cases.
Speaking of, I’m so broke, honey; there’s so much debt not only left from school, but from the transition in career change that made all this new life possible for me. The reality is, in my current job, there’s no way I’m making a ton of money. I’m prepared for the long-haul it will take to pay my way out, but I’m so ashamed that you’ll have to enter a reality where your wife has so much debt. God, sometimes it keeps me up at night.
Man, what happened? This was supposed to be an upbeat post about snuggling alone on the Holidays and talking sweet nothings after the meal while planning a post-Thanksgiving camping trip where we’ll be out under the cold, winter stars together. I vote for calling that “Campsgiving.” There’s a great article in the latest Backpacker magazine on that, by the way.
Will you please go camping with me? Even if it’s cold out? And I haven’t been hiking all Fall because of work. Please take me out.
Anyway, hope you’re alive/and doin’ fine today/I will be be a fool for you anyday/ (It’s from a song.)