Hoarding

Does anybody ever watch that show "Hoarding: Buried Alive" on TLC?

Let me warn you now, that if you have anxiety or OCD issues in any way then do NOT, I repeat, do NOT watch it. Ever. I made the mistake about a year and a half ago when I was too lazy to get off the couch and find the remote to change the channel so I sat through an entire episode of this awful show.

And by awful, I mean I ended up going through my kitchen pantry and every closet in our house tossing things left and right for almost 3 hours after the show was over because I didn’t want to end up like the families on TV. If we hadn’t used an item in the last 4-6 months, it was tossed.  

This was also the same night I found our lost engagement pictures so I should admit there was one good thing that came out of watching the show that night. Even though I vowed to myself and Jeremy that I will never do it again. Orders from the husband after he came home and found me knee deep in piles of clothes, books and an empty refrigerator and pantry with nothing for him to eat.

But that one episode I watched was enough to scar me for life and if I hadn’t been considered a tosser then, I definitely am one now. Every few months I go through my closet and toss clothes that I haven’t worn in the last few months. My sisters love this side to me because it means they get to go through a bag of my clothes every so often for keeps.

Normally my husband understands my tossing tendencies and complies without too much complaint but has made me promise to never touch any of his things, i.e. his clothes or video games which are really the only things that belong solely to him in our house.

So I was quite surprised when I went up to our bedroom last night to find Jeremy going through his drawers to clean out and organize clothing he hasn’t touched in 10+ years. {And no, I’m totally not over-exaggerating with that timeline.}

He asked me not to help, I ignored him, and we got to work.

This boy has kept every article of clothing since his junior high days. This is one bad thing to having a husband that never gains weight. He can still fit into all of his clothes from when he was 15 making his wife extremely jealous in the process.

What could have been done in the span of an hour took almost 3 because we had to do several fashion shows along the way.

Willow got bored with us and fell asleep half way through.

We found the Sadie Hawkins shirt I made for him our Senior year where all of the girls wore white shirts and the guys wore black with our date’s senior picture on the front and baby picture on the back.

Yep, still fits him. {And just FYI, I did make him keep that shirt because it's sentimental and I'm not that cold hearted.}

And then my baby picture tore off the back when he took it off and I almost cried.

I’ve mentioned before my bitterness with having no baby pictures alone since my sisters hung on me at all times and are in every single picture growing up. This was 1 of about 5 I had before my high school lost it when it was submitted for my yearbook page. And then the only copy of it tore off his shirt to be forever lost and thrown in the trash last night.

Man, I was cute.

3 trash bags to Goodwill later, a thousand extra hangers, and a tidy, organized closet made for a great night’s sleep.

I live for nights like that.

In Sickness and In Health

It isn’t often that Jeremy or I come down with a flu or the cold. We are both fairly healthy and aren’t around kids enough to catch anything big. There have been only a handful of times since we’ve been married that something has really been able to knock us out. And in those handful of times, we quickly learned our different preferences for when either of us get sick.

Growing up with a nurse for a mom, I was used to being coddled and babied until I started to feel better. Head scratches, massages, ginger ale, my favorite movies, and having a mom that never left my side made me a bit spoiled in the sick department.

Jeremy on the hand doesn’t want to be touched, looked at or even talked to when he isn’t feeling well. I learned the hard way during our first year of marriage when Jeremy came down with a minor form of the flu and basically shut the door in my face when I went in to help him.

However, this was all before the virus from hell came to visit our house Sunday night and tore our bodies apart.

You guys… I am not  joking when I say this was the worst virus either of us have ever been through.

It was the kind that makes you wonder if you will ever feel healthy or happy again.

The kind that makes you lose almost 3 pounds in less than 36 hours and just the mere thought of food makes you run to the bathroom to empty out whatever is somehow left in your stomach.

The kind that actually hurts your body and causes aches and pains from the constant shaking and shivering from trying to get warm.

The kind that causes your normally strong husband to call your cell phone from the downstairs bathroom at 3 in the morning because he’s too weak to stand on his own and get to the couch.

The kind of virus that makes you google nearby hospitals in the middle of the night because said husband is starting to mumble incoherent things and declare that he thinks he’s dying so could I please just hold his hand so he’s not alone while he passes?

I learned my husband is slightly dramatic when he doesn’t feel well.

It was a scary night that only got worse when I started feeling nauseous around 7 a.m. after I was finally able to get Jeremy to sleep on the couch after giving up on the hope that he would even be able to keep water down.

But even through all of the pain and sickness, yesterday also showed me how selfless you can be when the person you care about most is suffering.

Because even though I have a weak stomach and can’t handle throw up or dirty diapers, all of that goes out the window when you’re caring for someone you love. You’re able to clean out the throw up bucket without gagging, rub your husband’s back as he is leaned over the toilet, deal with the smells and discomforts and put your normal queasy stomach to rest because someone needs you.

And same goes for him, when he is shaky and cold but still refuses to leave my side when it’s my turn to start throwing up. You know he loves you when he holds back your hair long enough for you to finish emptying your stomach before he has to run to the other bathroom to do the same.

Yes, we were quite a sight yesterday as the two sicklings tried to take care of each other while each battling our own personal hell.

Seriously, I wouldn’t have wished this virus on my worst enemy.

We are both feeling much better this morning albeit still a little weak from lack of nutrients or food in our systems. But if one good thing came from all of this, it showed me that I actually will be able to change a diaper or clean up my kid’s throw up someday.

Score one for motherhood.

And even though this virus originated from Jennifer's littles, all is forgiven when she still manages to amaze me with her new designs. Thanks again sister!