It’s finally Friday, and for once, you don’t have to work this weekend. That’s right—two full days off. Around here, that qualifies as a long weekend.

You start planning big: sleep in til 7 AM. (which might as well be noon when you’re usually up at 3 or 4 to make it to work by 5). Sounds like heaven already.

You figure you’ll spend some much needed time with the wife and kids. Maybe finally fix that one thing she’s been asking about. You know, the one you “rigged” repaired six months ago with duct tape, a glue gun, and a couple of mystery screws from the bottom of your tool bag.

Before you know it, it’s time to clock out for the weekend, and you can’t wait to wake up at seven, and actually surprise the family by still being home.

You wake up early anyway (because that’s just who you are) and decide to make breakfast like it’s a national holiday. You yell, “Good morning!” so loud the kids think it’s Christmas. Before long, everyone’s crowded in the kitchen with that smell of southern-style gravy, homemade biscuits, bacon, and eggs filling the air. You even clean up afterward because, let’s face it, your wife’s been running the house and holding everything together all week.

After breakfast, it’s time to tackle that long-overdue project. You get the kids to “help”. One hands you the wrong tools while the other claims they’re cleaning their room (translation: disappeared somewhere). Then you realize, of course, you’re missing that one part you need. So, you load the kids up and head to the hardware store.

You hit that one hill fast enough to make them giggle, because nothing beats watching your kids laugh. At the store, you toss them in the cart and race down the aisles like a NASCAR driver. The oldest rolls their eyes, but you know deep down they love it.

You grab what you need, grab a quick bite (you say it’s to “give your wife a break,” but let’s be real, you’re just hangry), and then it’s back to work. By dinner, your wife has somehow cooked, cleaned, bathed the kids, and kept everything running like clockwork while you’re still out there “finishing up.” You look at her and think, how the hell does she do it all?

You finally get that project done, it only took six months and 47 hints, but damn, it feels good. You’re the king of the castle now… until you remember the other 40 projects waiting. But hey, that’s next weekend’s problem.

You finish the night wrapped up with your wife, tired but content. You feel like you’ve actually lived for a couple of days instead of just worked.

Then comes Sunday. You’re up at 7 again, doing yard work, catching up on chores, and spending time with the kids. Just when you finally sit down, your oldest hits you with the classic: “Oh, I have a school project due tomorrow.”

So it’s off to the store again for supplies, and by bedtime, you and your wife are still up finishing the thing. You get maybe four hours of sleep before it’s time to start the grind all over again.

But you know what? It’s worth it. Every bit of it. Because this crazy, exhausting, beautiful life is yours ,and you wouldn’t trade it for anything.

To My Hunny Bunny

If you’re reading this, thank you. You’re my superhero. You keep our world running, make my lunches, keep me sane, and somehow put up with my half finished projects. I love you more than I can ever say with my limited vocabulary.

To My Blue Collar Brothers

Take a minute to thank your wife. Seriously. They carry the load we don’t always see, while we’re buried in the job and the bullshit that comes with it. Without them, none of this works. But mine is the best lol.