Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Living Life with my Engineer


"Hi I'm Nichole and I am married to an Engineer" Now I am not currently aware of a weekly group that meets for this, so if you are please send word my way! Before you all go getting all empathetic for me...I was aware of what I was marrying, as we met in college and he was in the engineering program when I met him. But can I just say that when I was dating him some of the engineer issues were not so apparent?!?! Some of you reading are wondering, "what is so different about life with an engineer?" Well to save my marriage and your precious time in reading this post today I won't reveal every detail...even though that might be helpful to all the single gals that read my blog...it could save them or at least prepare them for the future!

Some of the things that I do know about my engineer:


**God wired his DNA to be an engineer. He works as an engineer, sleeps as an engineer and functions in our marriage as an engineer.


**State Problem **List possible Solutions **Implement Solution


**Hanging pictures in our house includes the following tools: level, stud finder, appropriate nail/screw dependent on weight of item to be hung, hammer and/or drill dependent on item to be put in the wall. This procedure is calculated precisely my friends!


**Measure twice, cut once!


**Our home functions on "lean manufacturing". There are not a whole 'lotta extras', there is a close set of eyes on the amount of shoes, decorations, children, and purses we keep in the house!


**Faucets don't drip, floor boards don't squeak, cars don't leak, and the weed wacker doesn't smoke...and if any of the above items are out of proper functioning...then we don't play until they receive their scheduled maintenance.

Please peek into my yesterday so that you can see that the engineer has an insane sense of humor and I have a deep love for him.

Yesterday the doorbell rings around 11:00am as the boys and I are eating a snack. I run out to the front porch to see a package on the bench and the FedEx lady zooming away quickly in her truck off to make more deliveries in this busy season. I bring the box into the kitchen where the boys are sitting at the bar. I am reading the box and notice it is from Alaska Airlines and is addressed to Mr. Previous Homeowner (the man that owned our home before us). "Oh no boys this isn't for us" So I pick up the phone and call the 800 number for Alaska Airlines and talk to Ryan who tells me, "Oh Mrs. Hamblin we are so sorry those are Mr. Previous Homeowners Christmas cookies and we must not have his updated address, could you please write in black marker Return to Sender on the box and then find a local FedEx drop site and send them back to us and we will try and find Mr. Previous Homeowner" So I hang up the phone and obediently open our junk drawer (which the engineer keeps very organized) and pull out the black sharpie marker and write Return to Sender on the box. As I am standing there I am thinking..."so this is how the better half lives...they get Christmas cookies from the airlines!" And in the moment I am thinking I have to share with The Engineer, so I call him at work and to tell him what just happened, and his response, "why did you call them? we are going to eat those cookies they were delivered to our house." So being the engineers wife I respond with:

The Problem: "honey these are not our cookies, our name is not on the box"

The engineer states, "well I am a mileage member with Alaska Airlines" I didn't dare point out that his measly 12,000 miles accrued in the last 12 years probably doesn't come close to matching what Mr. Previous Homeowner had to have flown to earn these cookies! To shorten this story I will move along and have you note that I think he spent his afternoon sitting at his engineer desk dreaming of the cookies in that box.

For when he walked in the door I was greeted with "So where are our cookies?" I informed him they were sitting on the counter to be Returned to Sender. He added another solution to the problem

Solution to the problem: "why don't you call Alaska Airlines back and ask if we can have this box of cookies and they can send Mr. Previous Homeowner another box?"

As I stood in the kitchen...he walked down the hall to greet the boys laughing. I thought the above listed solution was him revealing a moment of engineer humor. He informed me it was not just engineer humor he really wanted those cookies. Well friends I:

Implemented the solution: "Hi Karen, this is Nichole Hamblin and this will be the most insane phone call you will probably ever receive, but we received Mr. Previous Homeowners box of Christmas cookies today and The Engineer has spent most of his afternoon dreaming of them and he would really like...."

After dinner our little family enjoyed the 'better halfs Christmas cookies from Alaska Airlines' for dessert, and I tacked this day up to one that shows just how much I love my engineer.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a blessing :)
God is great...He supplied desert for you! Along with laughter. I bet Steve is smiling every time he see's the Fed-Ex truck, licking his lips, praying that Mr.Previous Homeowner was members of some other elite club who lavishly spreads more good cheer his way....

Kelly said...

I too am married to an engineer. But we haven't received free cookies out of the deal yet. :D

Princess, Daughter of the King said...

This is SO funny! I know you probably don't think so, but I do! Of course I'm not married to him, and I wasn't the one who had to make the phone call!
You are a blessed woman!

Joy Junktion said...

Well my friend, I was going to offer to organize your house but with Mr. Engineer it doesn't sound like you need organizing ~ it really sounds like you need to buy more shoes and purses. How could Mr. Engineer keep such a close on on shoes and purses when Mrs. Engineer puts a pic of multiple pairs of shoes on her blog? I mean REALLY!!

My addiction for organization will have to be put to use elsewhere I suppose. You are great!!

Cindy

Tea with Tiffany said...

This made me laugh! I love it that you have an engineer in the home. Makes for a greater adventure!

Paula V said...

Oh my word, Nichole. You had me rolling. I could just imagine The Engineer asking you to call and ask if you could keep the cookies and then non-chalantly walking off.

You know he is right. It would cost them just as much to pay for them to be FedEx back and then FedEx out to previous owner.

I'm dying to know what Karen said on the other end...did she laugh?

What kind of cookies where they? I mean were they as delicious as hubby dreamed? Were they worth the effort and phone call?
Smiles,
Paula

Jami said...

Oh Nichole, I've miss you! I haven't been able to check in awhile. This story is hilarious! Thanks for sharing, my friend!

Joyful said...

Nichole, first off - I love that picture! Great!

You had me laughing so hard - because I too am married to an engineer and you hit the nail on the head! You described my husband perfectly!!!!

What kind of cookies were they? Were they worth keeping? Inquiry minds want to know :o)

Have a great evening,
Joy

Edie said...

HaHa! I worked for two engineers for 11 years and this described them to a T! This was so funny! I could imagine one of the engineers I used to work for having me make a phone call like that. I would ask them a question, one that required an answer before I could complete whatever I was working on, they would stand in front of me and disect every aspect of the question and solution, and then walk away without ever giving me an answer.

One time we were hanging a picture on one of the walls. I stood back and eyed the wall then placed my finger on the spot where the nail should go. The engineer just couldn't do it. He had to go get the equipment you mentioned and when he was finished measuring, the spot was exactly where I said. LOL.

OK sorry this is so long. Here is a little video I sent to those engineers once. You will probably enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOtoujYOWw0

Thanks for the laughs!

LeeBird3 said...

How funny! The only thing we get from our previous owner is unpaid bill statements and the police coming to our door looking for him!

Eat a cookie for the Cookie-less Merrills!

Love you! Lee

Amy said...

What a great story. I have a hubby with a supreme sense of humor as well. I know He would have a great deal in common with yours. Thanks for sharing this. It truly brightened my day. Blessings.

Leaon Mary said...

This is hysterical.
your life is THEE OPPOSITE of
mine.
But the cookies sounded DIVINE!
Lea

Kimberly said...

Hmmmm...I married the FedEx man. There must be some way we could get some cookies, too. :)

The Patterson 5 said...

I am laughing hysterically at the engineer dreaming of the cookies at his desk at work and I can visualize it COMPLETELY. I too am married to an engineer and your discription is alot like things at our house! Neighbors think I am such a good housekeeper (I am definately NOT) but Mr P likes everything to have a place and to be in place so that's how it is! He does the picture hanging like your engineer too and can not understand why you would attempt it any other way! Thanks for the fun lift!

Tracy said...

:o}~your engineer reminds me of my dad. When we moved into our house he helped hang pictures. I thought all that was required, was a nail or a few t pins and a hammer...but not when he does it. ;o}~he had a whole tool belt of stuff.

Have a great weekend!