Ain't Love A Kick In The Head...

Sing it Dino...

It's our first wedding anniversary, and I've been trying to sum up in a neat little five paragraph blog post what that feels like.  Should I wax poetic on the virtues of marriage, maybe a poem or limerick, a catchy little song on how fabulous my husband is?  Nope...none of that will do.  So I'll do what I do when I am overwhelmed, either by tasks or my too many bubbly, happy emotions...I'll write a little and make a list.  One of the great ideas from the contest was to have Larry write something too (Thanks Trish!) so, I had him make a list also.  Ten things he's loving about being married, and ten things he is not loving.  Ha!  Had to be fair....we all know every day isn't a bed of roses, especially the first year.  Add on a little more stress by being apart for six months, then throw in a newbie traveler with a slight slant towards the shy side, and a long time bachelor.  Good times!  Despite the tiny snags, and really they have been tiny, just getting used to living together has been surprisingly easy.  It's been more fun than I could have imagined, and I really do love being married.  It's just the coolest friggin thing!   My first four moths here were harder than I let on.  I'm just now feeling like this is our home, and I feel pretty at ease in my surroundings. The expat guide book given to us from Larry's company says I'm right on track....a good little expat!   I'm taking baby steps towards getting out and meeting friends.  One of the biggest "a-ha moments" for me was a very kind email from a former Sing expat.  It took her six months to get a groove too.  Just hearing that let me let go, and not put so much pressure on myself.  Guess what?  the next day, I made plans with a new friend.  Things are opening up, and I'm getting un-stuck.  This is me in all my glory...I get stuck, get a shove, let go, and move on to do some good stuff .  Either making a  big change, or changing an old pattern, and hopefully finding out a little bit more about what makes me tick.  Larry has been the patient constant through this latest stuck period. He offers advice, encouragement, and knows he cant fix it for me.  He listens too, even though his eyes glaze over when I talk to him about hair product, or sheet colors, he digs in for the important stuff.  I couldn't ask for more, and it has been so easy being his wife and loving him.  Don't get me wrong, he can be a royal pain the patoot. Sometimes he's a pain in the patoot, just for the sheer fun of it.  He'll gleefully push a button or two, just for kicks. But he makes no apologies for who he is, and when he is wrong, he admits it...albeit grudgingly, but he does. I know if I come to him with something important, he will listen, take it in, and though he may not agree, he'll come back to me with a reasonable reply.  I really dig that about him, his steadiness and logical side is very much like my dad, and you know what they says about girls marrying men like their dads!

Ok, here's Larry's list:

TEN THINGS I LOVE/LIKE ABOUT BEING MARRIED TO PAM

1. Having her in my daily life
2. Laughing together
3. The gloaming with her
4. Seeing new places and new experiences together
5. Going to Giant together (a store here in Sing, kinda like a meijers or K-mart)
6. She exposes me to new music
7. Man, can she cook!
8. She makes me smile, she isn't afraid to be  a dork.
9. She makes stuff smell good
10. Her gracefulness ( see, right here, he's being a shit, but because he is cute, I will let it slide...)

***********************************************************************************

TEN THINGS THAT DRIVE ME CRAZY ABOUT BEING MARRIED/OR PAM

1. Sharing my soda or tea.
2. Bookclub night ( he means I sometimes get up early to talk to my Michigan bookclub)
3. "No honey, you don't have to get me a gift" ...I am not a mind reader, lady!
4. Giving details...one word answers are a thing of the past.
5. Dinner at 6.
6. "I was thinking..."  this causes terror...
7. You call that dancing, 313?
8. Bali, bali, bali ( he means my incessant plea to go to Bali.)
9. Hearing what Dr. Oz has to say, and how it will effect my life...
10. She sometimes makes me watch Oprah.
11. She leaves the caps loose on everything and the cupboard doors open.  Hey!  Only 10, wiseguy!!

************************************************************************************

Ok, my turn:

TEN THINGS I LOVE/LIKE ABOUT BEING MARRIED TO LARRY

1. Waking up next to him.
2. His need to always have at least a finger or toe touching me through the night.
3. The gloaming with him.
4. Cruising around Sing and other places we travel together.  The "us against the world" feeling.
5. He makes me laugh so hard sometimes, I can't catch my breath.
6. When he flashes people who stare at us with his key chain flashlight.
7. His thoughtfulness...under the hard shell, he's a total mush ball.  
8. His creative side...he blows my mind with his photography.
9. Ryan and Annabella.  A cool part of the package.
10. His Larry smell.  I'm a sniffer...what can I say?
    

***********************************************************************************

TEN THINGS THAT DRIVE ME CRAZY ABOUT BEING MARRIED/OR LARRY

1. Oh my Gosh...the GAS!!!  the dark underbelly of marriage!
2. I need details, spill it.
3. Boxer shorts are not "everyday" wear.
4. Trying to limit my "tools" in the kitchen...you can't stifle greatness!
5. The obscene amount of pillows he uses, and the little fort he builds to sleep in each night.
6. His fascination with B movies, and the ablity to sit through them.
7. Not wanting to eat at a normal hour. We're compromising on this one.
8. Not sitting at the table to eat.
   
9. The sunflower seed/dip snuff thing.  Messy!
10. The cheese police...if it's not put away in a timely manner, I am issued a citation.
    

So, there you have it.  My neat, tidy little post.  We had a great weekend, the weather was crappy, so instead of traveling like we had planned, we stayed home, went to a fancy shmancy dinner, saw a movie, and just grooved on being together.

Here's a wedding picture we just got from his brother, Gary, and a picture from our fancy dinner at Morton's.

I also wanted to say another quick thank you to my parents and our familes for the kick ass wedding reception...after the dust settled and I finally got here, it has really hit me how cool it all really was...you guys all went above and beyond, and we really did love it all.  Such great memories! The centerpieces, the cupcakes...so fun and sweet of you, Mary and Sue Dews! And really Mom and Dad, thanks for pulling it off, and making it so special...it meant the world, and we truly appreciate it.  A million, gazillion thanks!!

Love you and miss you all!

xoxoxo

Pam