Mr. Obvious

Thanks to my friend Kim, who introduced me to The Pioneer Woman’s blog, my new pastime has moved from Words with Friends to reading about this ‘accidental country girl’ and her Marlboro Man. In my opinion, nothing is more fascinating than cowboys, Basset Hounds, a brood of 4 kids, and step-by-step instructions for every recipe. All of the recipes she shares have one ingredient in common…BUTTER…maybe that’s why they look so good! And by the way, the only one I’ve tried at this point, Apple Pie, is the best I’ve ever eaten!

I shared some of the stories in her cookbook with my honey this weekend. We got a kick out of the fact that she referred to her husband as the Marlboro Man. Which lead me wonder, what would be a good nickname for Matt? Obviously, Marlboro man wouldn’t be a good one, considering Matt’s regular attire doesn’t include cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, or wranglers or spurs (at least not all the time). I remembered a situation a few weeks back when we had our friends Clark and Erin over, and their tribe of 3 kids. Erin squeezed a lime into her drink and some juice shot into her eye. “Does that burn?” Matt asked. Does one have to ask, I wondered? Suddenly, it came to me…Mr. Obvious.

Now, don’t be mistaken, and assume that my insinuation that Matt is Mr. Obvious is an insult. In fact, I think it’s just the opposite (although the example above is slightly derogatory). There have been many times in our marriage and relationship that I can’t see what’s right under my nose and I need his wisdom to help point out ‘the obvious.’ He’s wise beyond his years. In fact, sometimes I think that he’s an 80 year old man trapped in the body of a 30 something. I’ve mentioned before that he likes to ask questions, and I’m sure that has something to do with it. I, on the other hand, seem to talk more than I listen, which is a good reason why I don’t have much wisdom. The fact that I can point this out, may lead one to think that it could be easily corrected. But, apparently, being an excessive talker is an addiction that’s hard to kick.

I’ve been feeling lately, like I don’t lift up my husband enough…give him praises for the devotion he presents to our family and so many others. Sure, I could list a few things that I’d like to change about Matt, but I won’t. The fact that he takes his socks off on the floor right by the bed and leaves them there or that he doesn’t wash his cereal down the sink after dumping it out…oh wait, I said I wasn’t going to name them. Anyway, those are things that have nothing to do with the kind of leader he is in our home, husband he is, the father he is to our children, the hardworking employee that he is, or the friend, brother, cousin, and confidant he is so many others. I think he thought I was kidding the other day when I told him that I actually missed him during the day while he was at work. He laughed and shrugged it off, but who wouldn’t miss those cock-eyed eyebrows, long and lean arms that can wrap around me almost two times, or the soft spoken voice that can soothe my sometimes uptight personality or make a total disaster seem like no big deal.

So, I’ll keep reading about The Pioneer Woman and her fleet of cowboys, cattle, horses, Basset Hounds, and delicious recipes containing gallons of butter. And I most certainly won’t deny that all of that still fascinates me to no end, but nothing captivates me more than my very own Mr. Obvious.

Found this online...it couldn't be more appropriate!