Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Livin' the Love Boat

A few years ago my husband and I attended a Gary Smalley marriage conference. One of the first things we did at the conference was to take a "personality profile" test. The information we gleaned from this test was nothing short of life changing! I understand my husband and myself in a whole new way!

Gary Smalley compares the four basic personalities to positions on a cruise ship:




The Captain---likes to give orders and expects others to follow, in charge, can be gruff and no-nonsense....





The Social Director---loves to have a good time, all about the party and making things fun for everyone, wants to be the center of attention, can be a bit flaky.......



The Steward---caring, compassionate, doesn't like to call attention to themselves, a peacemaker, is a good listener....
(did anyone else have a major crush on Gopher?)





The Navigator---A bit "anal", likes to have their "ducks in a row", intelligent, a planner.....
(I am quite certain there was no navigator on the Love Boat)....




Of course most people are a "blend" of two or more personalities but usually one is most prominent. Here is what I discovered:

I am a Social Director/Steward married to a Captain/Social Director.

So what exactly does that mean?
--It means that just like the Love Boat we are sailing this sea of life with no Navigator! We tend to concentrate on the voyage not the destination.
--It means we have a great time but have no idea where we are going or how to get there. (This might explain how we ended up with 7 kids!).

Unfortunately things like retirement plans and savings accounts are on the Navigator's map and as far as we know it it has been thrown overboard in a corked bottle. So if you happen to find it washed up on shore somewhere be sure to let me know, I'll be the one handing out party invitations and my husband is the guy handing out orders.............

Anyway, last week my husband "the captain" decided to call a "family meeting". His goal was to get all of the kids (and us) on the same page and discuss our summer vacation plans. He put out orders that the meeting would begin at 6:00pm and that all of the kids should be there. Here is our family meeting in a nutshell:

---Dad made oldest daughter mad and she never showed up.
---College daughter had finals at school and couldn't come home.
---Two youngest daughters made plans to sleepover with friends.
---Quin was in the middle of winning a Star Wars video game and couldn't be bothered.

That left us with the two teenagers!

Note to self: NEVER, EVER attempt a family meeting with teenagers without a navigator's map written agenda. They WILL take over and lead you on so many rabbit trails you come back mentally exhausted!

By the end of the night very few people in our family were speaking to each other and our vacation plans are still "up in the air." Of course it is Tuesday now and all fences have been mended (at least temporarily).

Ahhh, this kind of drama is exactly what kept the Love Boat sailing for over 10 years! I can't wait to see what's on next week's episode.......





12 comments:

Nicole said...

personality tests are always interesting to me. I believe what comes easy for me is The Steward. All the others I have to work a little harder at but want to improve at them. Have a great day!

luvmy4sons said...

Okay. So, good. then my family is normal. I just felt such relief at hearing the reasons why not everyone could make it. Being a home schooler I have been used to us ALL doing events together. It has been an adjustment for me to have fragmented family events! The busyiness of teens is exhausting on my mind. I am a Captain and Socialite combo. Loved this post. The honesty is refreshing!

Angela Baylis said...

It's kind of hard being a "Navigator" married to a "Social director". But, this social director waits for the navigator to make ALL of the plans! Ouch... maybe I am a bit of "The Captain", too! Anyway... I think a cruise would be nice! I loved that show and really enjoyed the video since it brought back a lot of memories. Good luck getting something planned. I love the thought of all of you at a meeting!
Cute post, Kelley!
Love,
Angie xoxo

Paula V said...

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I LOVED the Love Boat. Wow...they have just about everything on youtube.com now, huh? You clip at the end show even more clips to watch on the LB.

Your story is a hoot...though I'm sure it didn't feel like it to you. You can't have a daughter post college...you look soooo young.

I would be a mix between Navigator/Steward. Yes, I am the anal, analytical, perfectionist planner.

Enjoyed the post,
Paula

Susan said...

Kelly,

This was so much fun! Well, sorry about the meeting, but gosh, sounds like my house for sure!!

I used to LOVE that show, hey it was fun clicking on and hearing the song again.

You always make me smile♥

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

I'm everyone but a steward...I think. My husband is more prone to being a steward, so I think our staff is covered. How come the ship always seems to be sinking?!

Cute post and even cuter blog!

peace~elaine

Kathi said...

This was so cute. I loved The Love Boat. I feel a lot better now. Thank for sharing this.

Kathi

Joyful said...

Kelley....sounds like your family is going through episodes of "Facts of Life", "Growing Pains" and "Full House". Thanking the Lord for the "Family Ties" that bind you together and know that "Happy Days" are still ahead.

For the record....I thought Gopher was cute too!

Love & prayers,
Joy

Tori said...

thank you for stopping by my blog. i enjoyed trying to figure out which of these personalities describe me. i know i've got too much "navigator" and it gets the best of me sometimes!

looking forward to coming back for more fun inspiration.

Jackie said...

Oh! I am exactly half steward, half navigator. And hubby is director/navigator. Guess we're missing some good ol' social director in our lives! But we still manage to have fun, so it works.

Amy Wyatt said...

Too funny! You make me smile. Maybe the Ship's doctor was really the navigator. Thanks for the blast from the past. I hope you guys get your vacation plans settled.

Blessedw5mom said...

I love the love boat analogy! Guess I should go read some of Gary Smalley. And love the clip ... they just don't make shows like the Love Boat anymore. I can't even type "love boat" with out hearing that theme song ;-)