O Captain! My Captain!

I guess I'm for "traditional" roles in the family.  He works.  She stays home and raises the kidlets.  In our case, sprinkle in some couponing, (aspirations of) classical education, (attempts at) gardening, and LOTS of teeny tiny kidlets in a teeny tiny space.  That's a pretty good idea of what I do, but my husband..... he does more.

He got laid off from a great job in the residential construction industry 3 1/2 years ago at which time he started a general construction company.  That company has been keeping us afloat for 3 years now.  But imagine Captain Jack Sparrow's entrance in Pirates of the Caribean.  The hull of his meager ship is full of water and his bucket can no longer keep up.  Finally, like Captain Jack, we've arrived at our port with our pride (mostly) intact as we step off of the sunken ship in the nick of time onto a secure dock... in our case, a job.

A real job.

A good job.



I watched him just now as he donned a shirt and tie to head off to fill out the final paperwork and hob nob with the bosses.  He starts on the first of the month.  If you know my Captain, he's not the shirt and tie type.  But this company is more formal than most in the PNW and he is trading his tool belt, paint-stained pants, and Romeos for a white dress shirt, dress pants, and a tie (on casual Fridays he can wear a colored dress shirt and no tie is required).  I bet he'll still carry his utility knife.

He's not giving up on his dream of building homes tailored to each family's needs.  In fact, he is keeping his insurance and license so he can do small projects here and there [insert shameless plug for Danielson Homes].

He's not letting his entrepreneurial spirit fade.  In fact, [insert shameless plug for On the Up and Up] his upscale, upcycled furniture will be featured at the Maple Valley Farmer's Market in June.

http://www.facebook.com/ontheupnup

He's doing what it takes in a down economy to provide for his family.

My own words fail to communicate how much I admire him for the sacrifices he's made, the gray hairs he's earned, and the legacy he will leave his family for generations...

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting...

Unlike Walt Whitman's captain, mine is alive and well, and he's brought us safe to port.  This is the end of our beginning.  And I can't wait to see what's next!!!

Thank you, Kyle.