The Little Pool That Could

A couple of weeks ago, I promised the kids I would buy them a swimming pool. I had ulterior motives; I really just needed to clean up the breezeway, and I can't leave them unattended in the house for fear that they will drink bleach or stick my car keys in the outlets, or play dominos in the toilet water. (I threw away the dominos, by the way.) So a pool was a good solution, as I could set it up right outside the breezeway, and clean while I watched over them.

But apparently Wal-Mart cleared out their cheap kiddie pool inventory to make room for Christmas decorations, because all they had was the much more expensive, round, pump variety.

Being the penny pinching tightwad that I am, I debated for over half an hour over the smallest pool... which was $45.99. (quite a bit smaller than the one pictured, and without a ladder... I couldn't find the exact one online.)

It was the best $45.99 that I have spent in a long, long time.

Marty and I discovered that we can sit on the bottom and the water comes up to our necks.

So every night, we have been putting the kids to bed, waiting until we are sure they are fast asleep, then fixing some martini's for me, and beers for him, ("fixing" a beer means popping the tab and sticking it in a coozie) and we go out and relax in our pool under the stars for at least an hour. It has been so nice. I had forgotten what it was like to actually enjoy each others company, without talking to someone while on the computer, or talking to someone while they are on the computer and not listening to what I say, just muttering "oh?" "ah" "hmm" every time I pause, or trying to talk to someone who is watching Monster Garage, or just going to bed alone and reading while the other stays up and watches tv until they fall asleep on the couch.

It has been a reconnection.

And now, we are even getting greedy with our time. We left the kids at my mom's on Sunday and went on an actual date. We dressed up and went out to eat, and then went to see Superman Returns. (NO flack on this. I am a Superman addict. How can you not LOVE Superman? I have seen the Christopher Reeves ones until I have them memorized. I think Marty was actually a bit embarrassed to be seen with me, because I gasped and yelped and covered my eyes, and squealed and grinned... he kept whispering, "It is SUPERMAN for crying out loud?? Why are you so surprised? What did you THINK was going to happen???" I wish Superman were real. *sigh*) Then we drove around Hot Springs and stayed out half the night.

It is like, after years of passing in the night, we have rediscovered each other. It is nice.

Don't get me wrong, we still have issues. He still spends money like the garden is truly going to sprout tomatoes full of $20's, and he still doesn't notice that the house is dirty and needs to be picked up, and I still get bitchy about little things, but the little things aren't as big to me anymore.

Now I just look forward to getting in the pool.