From Shoulders to Butts

It's a good thing I don't embarrass too easily... or that when I am embarrassed I can usually handle it well by laughing it off. Its become a very important coping tool since being married to Doug. (Going on 10 years this year... wow!)

So after 10 years of marriage with my sweet, kind, and sensitive hubby, and 16 years since we first started dating way back when... this story shouldn't come as a surprise.

I am in charge of an activity we are having for the youth in the church tonight. We are doing our own version of the mock Olympics with different relays and competitions that really bring shame to the real Winter Olympics, but will be fun for the kids in our ward. One of the competitions is called a balloon train, where the kids line up like in a Conga line and hold big balloons between their stomach and the back of the person in front of them. Our idea is to have them not be able to touch the balloon with their hands and their team has to walk through some sort of obstacle course without dropping the balloons from between them.

A month ago I was typing up the outline for our YW leaders, explaining the whole process of each event. For this balloon train, I wrote that each kid should place their hands on the person's shoulders in front of them so they can't use their hands to hold the balloon. When I was done with the outline, I ask Doug to proofread it and help me iron out a few wrinkles in our plan. When we had it all done, I emailed it to the other YW leaders.

So a few weeks go by and we are at our meeting last week to discuss our plans for the activity. One of the leaders, Katee, timidly asks "Can I make a suggestion for the balloon train? Can we have the kids put their hands on the person's shoulders or waist in front of them?"

I said "Sure! That was the plan to put them on their shoulders"

"Oh!" Katee says, "Because on your outline you wrote to put their hands on the butt of the person in front of them."

I laughed. "Really?"

Then everybody started making comments - "Yeah, I read that too..." "I saw that and forgot to ask you..." "I think shoulders is a better idea..." "Well, we know what you were thinking about when you typed this up..."

I check my copy of the outline that I brought with me. And sure enough, there it is in black and white for the kids to "Put their hands on the butt of the person in front of them."

By this point, I am sure I am bright red, but I am laughing hysterically. I apologized profusely, still laughing... and wondering how in the world did I possible type that? It was pretty funny. (Good thing I can laugh at myself eh?)

So we move on with the meeting. About 30 minutes later we are discussing a different activity and I have an epiphany... DOUG PROOFREAD MY OUTLINE BEFORE I MAILED IT OUT! I knew at that very moment, that without a doubt, he had changed my outline from "shoulders" to "butt" and allowed me to send it out without telling me.

Of course, I stopped the meeting and announced my enlightenment to everyone. I swore that this is totally something Doug would do. They all giggled and looked at me like I was kidding, but I knew for certain this is what had happened.

When I came home, I started to ask Doug "Soooo, remember when I was typing my outline and I had you proofread it...." And he started to giggle...

I gave him the evil eye and continued "Did you change the word shoulders to butt?"

He is laughing now. "You didn't notice that? Did you email it out to all the young women?"

"No, not the Young Women, but to all the leaders. And nobody said anything until tonight!"

More laughing by both of us. I told him what happened at the meeting, feigned shock that he would do such a thing, then punched him in the arm. He laughed some more.

So like I said... I shouldn't be surprised, but he did catch me off guard. Good one. I hope he remembers paybacks are a "#%@!" Just you wait Doug!