Traditions Old and New

It's almost Thanksgiving and I will be leaving work on Wednesday afternoon and flying to Boston on the busiest travel day of the year. As I'm standing in the TSA line waiting on the person in front of me to quit arguing over what's allowed and what's not, I will try to think happy thoughts about what I'm thankful for.

I'm very thankful for Rick. I'm thankful for the great life we have ahead of us. Including our plans for a kitchen decorated with lobsters. All we have to do now is decide where that's going to be. And deal with that stabby beard issue. . .

I'm thankful for my family. Especially my Dads. They have been my rocks and voices of reason. Love you guys! I'll miss you on Thanksgiving, but I'll be sure to call and say hello.

I'm thankful for Rick's family. They have done so much to make me feel welcome. I'm really looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with them.

What are you most thankful for this year?

Now, on to the traditions. Rick and I love watching movies together. So, naturally movies play a big part in our holiday traditions. Every Christmas Rick watches The Shining. Every Thanksgiving I watch Harry Potter. This year we've added a new movie to the Thanksgiving lineup. . .Thankskilling. Yes, Thankskilling. Worst acting ever. Lamest plot ever. It's so bad that it's good. The killer turkey is hilarious.

One Christmas tradition that Rick has started sharing with me is exchanging Christmas stockings. I collect stockings and it's just not Christmas without a stocking full of little treats. I love finding things to fill Rick's stocking all year long. Then I go and find the perfect stocking for him. The stocking exchange is often more fun than gifts.

Rick will be coming down a couple of weeks before Christmas to spend a long weekend. Every year I take Oscar and Ducky (a.k.a. The Boys) for a ride through The Festival of Lights at Bull Run Park. This year Rick will be joining us. The Boys love car rides and they always sleep like little angels in the back of the car on the way home.

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Stabby Beards and The Art of Compromise

Andy left a comment on her birthday post that really made me stop, think, and smile.

Any couple, married or not, will understand (or eventually learn) that one of the crucial elements to a successful relationship is what most people would call "give-and-take". For Andy and I, this has never really been a problem in our relationship. We are almost always on the same page, which for us doesn't necessarily mean we always agree, but it does mean that we are very comfortable being jointly spontaneous, open-minded, and flexible enough to alter our "best-laid-plans" for a better option.

Case in point, Andy's birthday weekend. Despite our initial plans, there were no martinis, no cake, and absolutely nothing accomplished as far as wedding plans or preparation. The majority of our weekend was actually spent burning through Season 4 of Dexter, drinking beer, napping, shopping, and eating homemade pizza and delicious Thai food. (Trust me, we're not complaining. It was a fabulously fun weekend.)

The same can be said for virtually all of our wedding plans. From the very beginning of this process, our decisions have been the product of discussion, brainstorming, and occasionally, substantial compromise. The best example I can think of for this is the music. We each chose certain songs that the other didn't necessarily love, but in the spirit of compromise, we looked at the meanings and reasons behind the choices and arrived at a comfortable understanding and flexibility. We really do make a great team.

It is in this spirit of compromise and flexibility that I am completely comfortable with the idea of certain aspects and routines of my own life being altered for the greater good of the partnership. Behold, my traditional winter beard:

This is a video I made for Andy for her birthday, as she had expressed enthusiasm about me growing my annual beard. I was fairly certain that, although Andy has commented in the past that my beard is good and looks cute, the idea of having it anywhere near her own face was not exactly thrilling to her. She's been a pretty good sport about it so far, though. This is nothing new, by the way. Andy has consistently been a good sport and, as I've mentioned before, very willing to be flexible and leave her preconceived viewpoints behind when it comes to things like eating lobster, or attempting to watch some ridiculous-sounding TV show or movie that I recommend.

Anyway, back to the beard... in the interest of compromise, I have promised Andy that if she still dislikes my beard by the time she comes up for Thanksgiving with me and my parents, I will not hesitate to remove it. No resentment, no regrets, and it will be good practice for a skill that we are already well-versed in, especially when the time comes to make joint decisions far more monumental than any beard could be.

Wedding Salute to Regretsy.com Part 2

I confess that this first picture is not from etsy.com, but I had to throw it in somewhere. No comment required. Yikes!

This is described as a "wedding dress with goblin hood". "Goblin hood". Nice.

A guy "giving me the finger" as a way to ask if I will marry him is a sure way to ensure I say no. . .and then run away. Far away.

I want to grow old with Rick, but this is taking it a bit far. Maybe it's just me, but this would not be my idea of a great wedding card.

Happy Birthday To Me

Martinis and cake. A good birthday plan in my book. I decided to take a birthday day off tomorrow so I can spend my birthday with Rick. Yay!

We hope to do some work on our save the date cards this weekend in between cake and martinis. Rick has been playing around with different designs, so hopefully we will decide on one and get the printing and mailing started.

I also wanted to thank my dad for the many (am I really THIS old?) years that he has kept an important birthday tradition alive. Every year he calls me at the exact time I was born to wish me a happy birthday. I look forward to that call every year.

Cheers!