Christmas Card Photos

Posted under Blended Family, Daughters, Family, My Observations, Step Daughter, Wife

 

Now you understand why I’m losing my hair…

 

 

 

 

Cigars and Monday Night Football

Posted under My Observations, Wife

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It just doesn’t get much better than this….

And yes, I’m going with my wife’s blessing.  She’ll just go out and buy more yarn.

 

It’s Not a Psycho Drama…It’s Just an Election

Posted under My Observations, Wife

 

I would love to take the credit for the statement above, but I need to attribute this to Bill Kristol, Editor of the “Weekly Standard.” 

 

He was recently interviewed on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” the other night.  Bill and Jon are polar opposites in their political views and Bill’s statement (see above) resonated with my wife and me, also polar opposites (getting cold in here).

 

Bill Kristol summed up his views pretty succinctly in stating that “If you’re a liberal you should be voting Obama, if you’re a conservative then your vote should be for McCain.”  This isn’t rocket science folks. 

 

And even though my wife and I have voted early by mail (and cancelled each other out)

 

Please don’t forget to vote. 

Potholes

Posted under My Observations, Wife

 

Before I start I need to preface that I am in no way an expert.  But, I have been around the block a time or two.  There are some that say I’m still circling the block, looking for a parking spot.  So when it comes to advice I’m relying on my experiences. 

 

Occasionally I even get it right. 

 

I was asked recently about relationships.  More specifically, romantic relationships.  In giving my counsel I reminded this person that there are three essential things that every relationship must hurdle.

 

The first one is the in-laws. 

 

Think back to your wedding day.  For most, your there standing at the altar with your recently betrothed and the photographer says “Now let’s get some shots with the parents.”  Having them be in your photos is symbolic of them in your married life. 

 

If you’re lucky, they become helpful without being intrusive.  They become people you count on to help support your marriage. 

 

If not they become the boil on your butt that you can’t quite reach.  They’re in your life constantly and with advice galore.  It will be a wonder you survived living without them up until this point.

 

The second one is sex. 

 

That laughing your hearing is God.  He loves a good joke, and the joke is on us.  He not only created our bodies’ differently (thank you, by the way) but he created the male and female mind to work differently as well.  My experience (two marriages) has taught me that the key for this to work for you and your partner is to learn to give and take. 

 

He gives, she takes. 

 

Actually you both need to understand the need for patience.

 

The third is money.

 

Yes, it is the root of all evil and it can be the undoing of a healthy relationship.  Again, that laughing is God again. 

 

Money to men tends to be an emotional decision.  We are usually a prideful gender and we strive for status.  We feel that it is our duty to take care of our families.  We need money and therefore are psychologically attached to it.

 

Women tend to be more analytical when it comes to money.  It is a means to an end.  Money doesn’t necessarily create happiness.  It gets them to a place where they can be happy, be it a new house, or new shoes (lots of them).

 

 

I bring these three items up because they are the pot holes that are easily stepped in as a relationship grows.  When becoming a couple we all look at it with rose colored glasses and don’t see the warning signs.  Before my wife and I married we took the time to talk about money, raising kids, in-laws, goals, work, and sex (that part was fun).  And even now we continue to argue negotiate all of these things.

 

Whether I like it or not.      

 

Spell Checker?

Posted under Daughters, Wife

 

In my short career as a writer blogger I’ve noticed that my family has become my eager conscience / critics’ editors.  I really shouldn’t be surprised.   After all, my wife is a language and literature teacher, my oldest daughter is a communications major in college and my middle child is in Honors English in high school.  I really don’t have much of a chance.  I’m so lucky to have them contribute.

 

I’ve recently written a couple of blogs with my wife.  It was a painful wonderful experience for both of us.  The arguing collaboration in writing those blogs I think brought us farther closer as a couple.  Her spell checking editing skills were only surpassed by her dry witty humor, and yawn fascinating content.   

 

My daughters have also been very distracting helpful when it comes to my writing.  They’ve let me know when I’ve missed the mark with a blog.  They usually send a sarcastic friendly note in my comments section to remind me that I was wrong mistaken.  You’ve got to put up with love them for that.

 

With this kind of criticism support, how can I not be adequate successful?

 

 

 

*** I need to send some link love to Daddy Dan and his “Ask the Bloggers” weekly feature.  Yours truly is on his list.  Check it out.  I’m the one enjoying his cigar…

 

Revisiting the Past

Posted under Wife

I sat at the bar enjoying a glass of wine and contemplating how the afternoon might go.  My phone rang, and it was she calling to confirm the place at which we were to meet.  As I talked with her on the phone I looked out the window and spied a woman also talking on the phone. 

Could this be my date? 

 

We had met through the internet, Match.com specifically.  I had at this point chatted with her through email and had spoken to her a couple of times on the phone.  This was going to be our first face to face.

 

There she was outside the wine bar I had cleverly thought to setup as our first date.  If the date didn’t work out, then the afternoon wouldn’t be a total waste.

 

She stood outside talking with me as I took the opportunity to check her out from afar. Blonde hair-nice, cute figure-cool, sweat pants-what?  Did she not think this was a date?

 

She strolled into the bar and walked straight up to me and introduced herself.  There was a confidence about her.  She seemed to have done this a time or two.  She ordered white, I ordered red. 

 

We talked about everything.  We discussed where we grew up, kids, parents, likes and dislikes.  I’m sure the ex’s were thrown in for good measure. 

 

My first dates rarely lasted over an hour.  Three hours later we were still talking.  So much so that she didn’t even know that her phone had rung several times.  Her mother and daughter had not heard from her in hours and were afraid that she had been kidnapped. 

 

Not the best of first impressions to make.

 

Today, three years later, we went back down memory lane and revisited the same wine bar where we first met.  This blonde woman and I who’ve now spent the better part of these years as a couple, found time to escape teenagers, and reminisce. 

 

She ordered white, I ordered red… 

 

The Pill

Posted under Wife

 

Anyone who is familiar with my living arrangements will know that I’m surrounded by female hormones.  They are constantly raging.  They are living and breathing and they  invaded my home. 

 

Have you ever been in a house were your every word could be your last?   Asking an innocent question for instance “Is that a new blouse?” could bring a barrage of attacks to my manhood. 

 

Then there is the constant complaint of a face breaking out.  The bathroom looks like a spa with skin exfoliants, acne treatments and moisturizers for combination skin (scary, I know this stuff).

 

And then once a month, almost every month, and with four women in the house that works out roughly to almost everyday that someone is reaching for the Midol.  The cramps, the bloating and the gas, oh my.

 

I’ve been told that the Pill is prescribed to help alleviate all this.  I know that it was originally meant for preventing pregnancy, but really the wife and I don’t need it.  (see frozen peas)

 

 

So there they sit in the bathroom, those little white pills along with the five blue ones awaiting my wife every morning.  This is the Pill that will ease her discomfort and to enhance her skin.

 

This is the Pill that will bring partial sanity back into my life. 

 

Now what to do about the other three…