sister wives
(pictured: our Sister Wife family, minus Uncle Rich who is deployed)
no, I’m not Mormon. and other than the toddler, I don’t really share Husband with anyone, but I did want to invite you to sneak a peak at our very unique family dynamic.
years ago, when I moved to Maryland, I didn’t have the greatest relationship with my bonus daughter’s mother. most people struggle to get along with their ex’s new spouse and/or spouse’s ex, and we weren’t any different. I’ll fast forward through the tears to get to the good stuff though if you’re ever in the same situation, feel free to reach out and vent.
Husband deployed March 9, 2020. yes, that 2020. the beginning of the shit show known as the corona virus pandemic. I had just dropped my hours to be per diem (just work as needed) since Husband was going to be gone for about 6 months. his ex, JD, still had to work. so I had our daughter not only for “my” week with her, but also during the day on JD’s weeks.
other people had Bubbles. friend groups to stick with. neither one of us really had anyone we were that close to, and certainly nearby. so we became each other’s Bubble. we tentatively began doing things together, including an outdoor birthday dinner at her favorite restaurant in July.
by the time Husband returned from his deployment, we were friends. yes, but friends. did it take time for Husband to adjust to this? absofuckinglutely.
September 20-22, 2024 marked our fourth annual family camping trip. we’ve gone from forced niceties to sharing anxieties, clothes (okay, mainly I borrow hers, but you should see her closet!), and wine. Husband and I had a few miscarriages before our rainbow baby, Harlow, was born. JD was the first to RSVP to the baby shower, and she immediately bought about half of our registry. Harlow is affectionately called “our baby” collectively, and Harlow calls JD Auntie and her husband Uncle Rich.
“well good for you!” I would have thought snarkily years ago.
that certainly isn’t going to happen to me. true. but I also never thought it’d be like this for me either.
is there a point to this post, you may also be asking yourself, no not really. other than to tell you a little bit more about me and leave you with this:
"I believe in Communism. Rom-communism, that is. If Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan can go through some heartfelt struggles and still end up happy, then so can we."
- Ted Lasso
PS> if you haven’t watched Ted Lasso yet…DO IT. you won’t regret it.
