The transformation

A very strange thing has happened since Darren and I got married: we've started becoming each other.

This realization came when we were visiting my parents' home in celebration of Alex's 5th birthday. We were playing a card game with my Grandma Spaz, mom and dad. The final scores were shocking! Dad lost (no surprise there) and mom won (also no surprise), but the big deal was that Darren beat me! This is the first time such an event has taken place, if you don't count the chess games we've played and for those I feel no shame because I still have to ask which way the "castle" and "horse" move. I've always held to the fact that my Dutch roots make me a better card player (as you can read about in this post); Darren now claims that he has become Dutch by marriage (as you can read about in this post).

But this morphing is working two ways. On two separate occasions within the first few days of being back in Canada, I have given Darren, the mapster, correct directions when his instincts would have led us astray. This did happen again yesterday during our road trip in London, but my husband would probably dismiss that one by saying that since I lived in that city for a year, I should know my way around. So I'll enter into evidence the first of these instances:

About 2 weeks ago, as we were pulling out of the Burlington Sleep Country parking lot, Darren failed to heed my instructions to turn left at the intersection. Following a semi-lengthy discussion about which way the QEW, 403, lake and downtown hamilton lay, he finally made a U-turn and headed the right way. --rejoicing, or should I say gloating, followed--

Now, this may seem like nothing, but early on in my driving days I had to convince myself that getting lost added fun to the adventure since it happened so often. I can get lost even when I have a good map and clear directions in my head about where I'm going. I can get lost going to a place I've been before. Or should I say I used to do all these things...back in my single days.

In the final evaluation, I think I'm getting a better deal than Darren is. I've picked up a useful life skill AND gained a real card opponent! Darren, on the other hand, came out even: what 'face' he loses by turning the wrong way on the highway he gains back by beating me in a game of cards. Yay for me!