“Mawwiage is what bwings us together today!” - Princess Bride

My one-year anniversary is knocking at the door.  A whole year.  Simply amazing.  Amazing, not because we made it that long, no the husband-man is never getting away, but amazing because of the journey one year has been.  You see, I like marriage.  It fits me well. You discover a whole new world of awesome when you utter the words “I do” and I am sure that there are many more surprises to come as those who have been married much longer can attest to.  But with my anniversary around the corner and today being Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share the reasons on why I love marriage. 

1.     Someone to keep your feet warm.  Yes, marriage is about the cheesy, love stuff, but with a husband also comes a built in furnace.  Feet cold?  Stomach and under the legs are great places to find relief from the chill. 

2.     A WWE match can break out anytime in the living room.  My husband and I wrestle.  Not the sweet tickle fights, not the adorable bear hug, we have cage matches that typically end in bruises and exhaustion.  It sounds awful, but, in reality, it’s awesome.  Especially since I usually win. 

3.     Someone to tell your bad dreams to.  I hate waking up and not knowing if a dream is real, especially when it involves me and lizards.  Words can’t even describe the horror.  Happily, my husband never complains when I wake him up to recount my harrowing tales. 

4.     A human guinea pig.  I like that there is someone willing try to the various taste sensations that I create in the kitchen.

5.     Someone to make you soup when your sick.  Admittedly, Husband doesn’t really MAKE soup (makes killer eggs though), but he is a champ at opening a can, and when I am sick, a girl couldn’t ask for much better. 

6.     Someone who always thinks your pretty.  My wonderful husband never fails to tell me how beautiful and special I am.  However, keep in mind, my husband does have terrible eyesight and without contacts/glasses he is essentially blind, so maybe he is just seeing me through foggy lenses. 

7.     You double the size of your wardrobe.  Oh, the husband-man will not be happy when he reads this.  I am notorious for stealing his clothes, which are just oversized enough on me to provide maximum comfort.  It drives him crazy.  That’s why I do it. 

These are, of course, the silly reasons I love marriage and my husband, but seriously, I really do love it, and hopefully my husband does too.  Happy Valentine’s Day! 

Our Valentine's Day dinner, with my beautiful flowers from the husband-man.  

Our heart shaped pizzas.

Complete with pink cupcakes for dessert! 

When Lisa Frank And “Family Matters” Were Hip

The lucky ones get old, because the alternative is dying young.  Except, in our culture, old is not revered, it is really frowned upon.  However, I am really not thinking about the merits of the elderly, rather today I was thinking about all the ways I am getting older.  Granted, I am not old yet (that’s reserved for those 55+, here’s looking to you AARP member), but I am not exactly young either.  I was mistaken for early thirties the other day, and ouch.  That hurts.

So, here are the nine ways (yes, nine is a random number) I am getting older, or maybe just less young:

1.    Gray Hairs: Dying my hair is no longer for fun.  It’s a necessity.

2.    Early to bed, early to rise:  Staying up late means past 11 p.m.  And getting up early means before 6:30 a.m.  It used to be staying up until 3 a.m. and getting up at noon. 

3.    Forgetting the little things that used to make you smile:  For example, stickers.  There was a time in my life when Lisa Frank was the final say in all things cool.  It took a group of high school girls putting a sticker on my face to remind me that stickers increase awesome.  

4.    Nick at Nite mocks me: I remember when Nick at Nite was reserved for shows like “I Love Lucy” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”  Now it plays “Family Matters,” “Home Improvement,” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” What the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks! I watched those episodes when they first came on the air!

5.    Once your parents, now your…friends?: It’s weird that as I have gotten older how my parents have morphed from evil dictators, into somehow being my friends.  Granted, parents will always have their annoying tendencies, but subjects that were once taboo with parents, like sex, are now just a part of a funny, dirty joke, not a gut wrenching lecture on what makes boys and girls different. 

6.    Happy hour is now a nap: I miss happy hour, but not nearly as much as I miss naptime.   

7.    Holidays gain new meanings: NYE used to be a party and Halloween used to be an excuse to wear whatever I wanted.  Now, I can’t make it to midnight and if I see you out at Halloween wearing only nipple covers and thigh high stockings and try to pass it as a “nurses outfit” or “Snow White” I might think you’re a hussy. 

8.    You have deleted all your “fun” pictures from Facebook: I am not sure if me deleting certain photos from Facebook has more to do with me becoming more conservative in my old age, or more “real adults” getting Facebook accounts and becoming massively uncomfortable with the idea that my in-laws could see a play by play of what I did in college. 

9.    I don’t tweet or twitter or whatever you kids call it these days: I’ve given up with being ahead of the trends.

I don’t have a number 10.  How do you notice your getting older?  That way I can steal your ideas and call it my number 10 J