Really?

So many times in our marriage, at the most logical things in life, Greg was clueless. So many time's he said really? This was the conversation that Christine and I had in the car. How things aren't adding up? Greg and Steve have 2 parent's whom worked hard for everything that they had. Christine and I were of like mind. We were both work alcoholic's for our age. Yet these two weren't into working hard, it was more of the get rich quick scheme's. It wasn't until 5 years into the biggest fixer upper you've ever seen, I'm talking to Bob about having a wall taken out. I asked Bob how come these boy's don't seem interested or know how to do anything when you can do everything? He said, "Elaine didn't want them to have chores. Still naive me  is thinking he has a low self esteem, he's never had the satisfaction of building something with your own two hands. That wasn't it. He was just lazy.

Greg was bouncing check's in his account. I had to explain to him that when you write a check, you have to write it down on your account sheet and subtract it out because it takes a couple of days to go through. His answer, Really?

Sitting in a counselors office. I had been going to marriage counseling on my own. To learn about communicating with your significant other. Things that come up in a marriage like money, chores, etc. I had done 2 series of counseling with two different counselors and group therapy.
  This counselor say's something about housework. Greg say's something and the counselor said so what do you think there's a kitchen witch in there mopping the floor and it's all just magically done in the morning? Greg said Really?

Greg sold his car. I told him don't even look at mine, I work. He said oh I won't. We're only 3 blocks I can ride my bike or walk. I didn't know at the time that Greg really sold his car because he didn't know how to work on it. For 3 weekend's in a row he goes to the auto store and gets oil. For 3 weekend's he's changing the oil. On the 3rd weekend I look in the bag and I ask where's the filter? He said you don't need to change the filter every time you change the oil. I said yes you do or the clean oil goes into a dirty filter and gets the engine dirty again. he told me I didn't know what I was talking about.
  When our friend's came over to study I asked these guys this question. They confirmed what I said. Later I told a woman about this. Her reply, oh you just embarrassed him. Always me in the wrong. Have to watch these pussy oys ego's but what about my truth? What about what I know to be true being told I don't know what I'm talking about?

My car was about four to five years old, and it needed a new clutch. At about 3 years I got new brakes on it. They were grinding, they were bawled and warped. Greg nagged me about how I was taken, it wasn't necessary. A man who didn't know one whit about a car. I've had 5. I was with Jerry and Kevin putting in 3 engines. I knew how to change the oil and tire. I knew how to check my fluids. Everything that was a necessity was a scam. We were in the car getting ready to leave for somewhere, and he says to me after the clutch that my car is a lemon. This is all that I have had to have done in all these years. I explained to him that this is normal wear and tear on a car. I explained all the traveling we do in town and on the highway. He said, really?

I had 2 other houses picked out that were finished. One needed seed put down and part of a fence built. This one was private ownership. Greg was worried about Steve's commission. I'm alway's told to think of someone else, but who pays? Me. Who has to start from scratch and re-do it the hard way? Me. Spin the straw into gold Colleen. Absolutely no quality. I couldn't get him to understand to at least go middle ground in quality, not bottom of the line cuz it will break down earlier and a potential for thing's to go wrong and you end up spending more money and time to either keep it going or replace it.
  Greg's mom preached fixer upper and investment. The other 2 houses that were done were the same price as the one that Greg picked out. The only thing going for it was it had a new carpet, and ugly new white linoleum in a kitchen and dining area. A house surrounded by dirt and tree's, the you add kids and dogs, normal family stuff. I could mop every day and it would last 20 minutes if people were home. He pick's out a backwards L shape house. Separated by 2 doors and 3 walls. He said we can remodel it. I know I like to do this kind of stuff. Yet at the time I thot he still knew how to swing a hammer like his father.

The first thing was the wood stove. He didn't finish the wall for a year. Tanner came over and asked and explained dry wall.
Greg said he would be done running and gunning once we get back and he's working. I went through all this counseling to set boundaries. To communicate and keep the relationship in tact. When Greg made this agreement, I thot no way can he run and gun anyways we aren't planning to live close in and we're working. What I hadn't planned on was his parent's how Elaine didn't even know Greg. All the outdoor thing's they do? A party every Friday, pretty much the same thing. Potluck with lots of alcohol and sometimes games. If we didn't have some kind of social function on the weekend locally Greg would insist every weekend that we are to go to his parent's house.
  Not for the evening, the afternoon perhaps, no it had to be the whole weekend. I've got work to do in this house. I need Greg to watch the girls. No it likely wouldn't be help with anything, because he won't even acknowledge any kind of help I ask for. I left him with four major jobs that I got up to where I needed him or him and his dad to do while I'm at families, all four jobs he changed on me, and on 2 of them he cost us more money.
  I was standing in the kitchen and Greg is over by the pocket door and he's wanting to go to his parent's. We have all this work on the house that needs to get done. I said "no, we have work to do on this house that can't keep getting put off." He's like what? What do you mean? I said "you do realize you bought a fixer upper, your idea. So we don't just have remodeling work to do, we have work to do when something breaks down, maintenance. We have seasonal maintenance to do also to prepare the house for the next season. He said, really?

Alex was four months old her first ear infection every time I went in and picked her up she'd go right back to sleep with her binky. She kept going back to sleep. I was wondering but okay we'll see how this plays out. After the tenth time of me just starting to doze she woke up. I stand up and drop my head back and I say "fuuckk." Greg sits up and yells Colleen how could you that's your daughter in there. "Was he getting up? Did he ever?' Five years later standing in the office reception area after hours, this is the one thing he is complaining about in my parenting. Wes was with us.

The second thing he started in on was the Ford Exploder. He says you just had to have this car. This is 3 years after I bought it. It made no sense at all. I told him not to look at my car. I'm left to drive this 1969 Datsun put together with bondo. The doors didn't shut all the way. You had to lock from the inside. The seat belts didn't lock. I got stranded with the starter more than once with Alex. I drove this for 15 months. I'm pregnant with Kiley. I wasn't going to do another winter in this death trap. I needed that truck. It was a necessity. What am I going to do, put one of the car seats in the bed of the truck.

For some reason Greg brings up these 2 things. Wes said yeah Greg but were you the one getting up? Greg goes really? Then the second subject the truck? Wes said I would never let my wife let alone my wife and child drive that truck. It's the biggest death trap I've ever seen. Greg goes, really?