White Rabbit Day

My old friend, J, used to call me at the crack of dawn on the first of each month. "White Rabbit Day!" he'd yell, before I had the chance to mumble a hello. Today is the ultimate White Rabbit Day, the first of the new year. I'm a little sad that J isn't around to tell me that anymore, but I'm happy about many other things. Last night (New Year's Eve) was the first time in about a year that my husband and I have been able to go out without the kids in tow. I missed it so much! We only had a couple of hours, out drinking at a local club, but it was bliss. Recently, things hadn't been that good between us. My husband runs two businesses now, hoping that soon his day job would earn enough money so that he could quit his unscrupulous night work. Unfortunately, so far that hasn't been the case. I hadn't realised how stressed out he's been, having been concerned more with my own stress (and the fact that I hardly ever get a break from the bedlam of housewifing duties!). So it was nice that after a couple of drinks, he opened up, and we talked better than we have in a long time, about what we both want for the new year ahead. Admittedly, my husband and I have different agendas: being a foreign national, by husband hopes that one day we will all move permanantly back to his own country, while I would prefer that we keep our main home over here in England, and finally move to the house of our dreams. In order to keep peace, I agree to certain things in order to get what I want in the long run. My husband is a difficult man to position: I have to plant a subtle seed of suggestion, then wait patiently for however long it takes, until finally he says: "I've had an idea! How about we...(do what I had originally, subtly suggested)". I can't just say, "I want you to do this" because he's too stubborn for that to work, unless of course, it's something he really, truly wants to do for himself! But that side of him is a major part of why I love him so much; it makes life much more interesting to have to work for what I want from him, rather than have it handed to me on a platter. So while we were talking about the house we're building abroad next to his family home, it was lovely to hear him actually say that we may well buy a house here in England this year, so we can get out of this tiny, dingy council flat! I may well have to keep working at him to ensure the promise is kept. Once we get the money together, he will probably have that twinkle in his eye that says "new car beckoning..." and endless phonecalls from his brothers to ask when he's going to finish building our house and buy a business over there. So I've made it one of my new year resolutions to find us a decent, English home and seal the promise. I've been through a lot since we got married. It's the least I'm owed now...