How do I love thee….. Let me count the ways! I am blessed. One of the most important things for me as a working oilfield wife (OFW) is having a husband who stands behind me and supports the fact that I work outside of our home. In order for me to be successful at my job, I need his help with our home, our daughter, and all the appointments and activities that map out our days. When my husband comes home he really takes the wheel and does it all! I seriously feel so lucky and blessed to not only have found a hard working man who provides for our family, but also a man who has no problem jumping in to help even on his “days off”!
Housework. One of the hardest things for me to keep up with when my husband is on his hitch is housework. Working outside of the home, combined with two dogs and a toddler I often feel housework is nothing shy of trying to rake leaves on a windy day! The evening my hubby gets home every two weeks he greets his girls with the long overdue hugs and kisses and immediately jumps right in. If I am cooking dinner he asks if I need help, he unloads the dishwasher or starts on dishes from my cooking, or he gets started on setting the table. He has no problem jumping in and never pulls the “I just got off work” card, because he acknowledges the fact that for his two weeks at the rig, I worked just as hard at home as a single working mother. He vacuums, does the laundry, mops, grocery shops, and even changes sheets. I am blessed with a man who helps me in our home!
My husband will forever be WORLDEST BEST DADDY in my eyes. One of the biggest challenges for me as a working OFW is getting our daughter ready in the mornings, getting her to the sitter or preschool on time, and even making it to ballet, swim or gymnastics in one piece and in the proper attire. When my husband is working it is hard! Everyday has its own classes, requirements and activities and it can be a bit challenging without Daddy home! I absolutely love the fact that my husband loves his Daddy role when he gets home. He actually asks to give our daughter her nightly baths, read her bedtime stories, do her pigtails, and shuttle and supports her at all her activities. Last night, I even told him I’d take her to ballet and he could stay home and relax, I get home from work, barbeque chicken in the croc pot, peanut was already in her tights and tutu, and he wanted to go ballet and watch with me! My oilfield man would never admit to it but I think he even enjoys picking out our daughters clothes, tagging along on school field trips, and filling out preschool book order forms. Looking at all that my husband does as a father when he is home, makes it no surprise to me that our daughter waits by the window on Tuesday nights every two weeks waiting for her “prince”. I am blessed with my daughters incredible father!
I love his love. Being apart half the month every month can take a toll of the romance on a marriage. When it comes to being home and on days off my husband always goes the extra mile in the “husband” category. My husbands days of definitely does not mean he takes days off from being an amazing, loving, romantic spouse, in fact it means he turns it up a notch and goes the extra mile! When my husband comes home from his hitch the last thing he wants to do is ditch me to hang out with the guys or go out, in fact he is the “date night” planner almost immediately when he gets home if not before. I really love the fact that he makes me feel extra special when he is home, knowing he cannot even see me for the other half of the month. I get up every morning at 6 to get ready for work, and still even after four years, if its his first morning home, or last one before he heads back to the rig, he gets up with me, makes my coffee, plugs in my blow dryer and flat iron, makes my breakfast to go, and walks me out to the car. I am always telling him to stay in bed or relax, but to him it is worth it because when I work I don’t get his two weeks off with him, instead I get two Saturdays and two Sundays. The sweetest thing my husband does almost daily when he is home is write sweet little notes and stash them in my purse or inside my iPad. Some OFWs may say they are spoiled or well taken care of, I think that I am just simply blessed!
Every marriage, every relationship, every lifestyles is different. Some people may think my husband does too much when he is home, but then again some people think it is ok for the OFW to do it all even when her man is home. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again that my husband and I are an oilfield team. I expect him to relax on his days off, but he expects me to let him help out because he knows I do it all alone when he is gone at the rig. I got the extra mile to support our oilfield lifestyle and so does he. I for one do not think it is fair for any guy to come home out of the field and not give some help, some love, and some time off to his OFW. If it is one thing I have learned the few years I have lived this lifestyle its that the opinions and the circumstances could not vary more from one oilfield family to the next! I’d love to hear about all the incredible awesome things all of your oilfield men do for you to show his appreciation when he is home! After all, behind every oilfield man, is an OFW!
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