Day 13: Dear Abby...

The best piece of advice I've ever received came to me during my premarital counseling.

B. Drum told us:

You don't have to like each other every day and you don't have to love each other every day, but you have to make the conscious decision to do one or the other. Every. Day.

Day 8: Quotably Annoying

In the same way that I didn't have to think very hard to come up with my favorite quote, I certainly don't have to think to come up with a quote I despise so much it makes me feel very stabby.

"The only man who is worth your tears, will never make you cry"

Who came up with that? And can I get some of whatever they were on?

Seeing as this is a quote clearly directed at girls/women it is an inherently flawed ideal. Sure, no one wants to be with a guy who makes them cry all the time, but more often than not don't all girls cry for no apparent reason?

I mean, sure, anyone "worth your tears" should probably try their best to avoid making you cry. I'll give you that. That is a very good quality to look for in a partner. It is not, however, always something the other party does on purpose. Paul has made me cry before. Never out of spite mind you, but I cried just the same. Many times, he doesn't even know WHAT he did to start the water works. That's not his fault.
That's just how girls and guys are wired. I'm wired to cry if he tells me what I made for dinner tastes like licking the inside of a dumpster, and he's wired to not understand that it's not that really the dirty socks all over the floor that is upsetting to me. It's an underlying issue that's making my mascara run.

Also? I know more girls who cry harder when they are happy than they do if they are sad, hurt, or angry. So if you follow the logic of this quote, if your guy proposes at the top of the Empire State Building and you burst into tears of joy, you should tell him no, because he's "not worth your tears". I know that's not the spirit in which this was written, but it's a very valid argument anyway.

Anyway you look at it however, I'm really sick of hearing it. It's Dora the Explorer levels of obnoxious.

Day 7: Quotably Quotable

I love quotes. Mostly, because I can usually find someone else's words for something I can't say myself. There is usually a perfect quote for every situation.

I came upon my current favorite quote a couple of years ago. Through some random search of the Google. When I stumbled upon it, I can't say I thought about it too much. Just a fleeting thought of "that's so true", and I didn't think of it again until September of 2008. When my beloved grandmother passed away.

Even then, I didn't remember it right away. It wasn't until my phone rang while I was in Gram's apartment taking a few of her things as mementoes that Bill Cosby's words crossed my mind again.

The caller asked me what I was doing.

I don't think "pillaging Grandma's house" was the expected answer.

With that, I give you the quote that has since bolstered me through many many things.

Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it. ~ Bill Cosby

For Your Entertainment

Quote of the day:

One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.
— Sigmund Freud


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And now the story of how I forgot the name of my cousin who is basically my little sister...


We had to cancel our trip to the states for this summer. It totally sucks, but circumstances are outside our control. When I told the girls, Zoe said "So we won't get to see Jesse?"


Insert blank stare from the mommy.


I had no idea who Jesse was. I told her of course we'd see Jessica. She is still coming to daycare, and I asked her when she started calling her Jesse, since the daycare kid prefers to be called Jessica. The look Zoe gave me was hilarious. Like I had officially lost my mind. I couldn't think of anyone named Jesse or Jessica that she wasn't going to be seeing if we canceled our trip. 


I then had to ask her if she was talking about Bim-Bim. She said "DUH MOMMY!" As though I was supposed to know all along that she was talking about the Jesse that she had NEVER in her life prior to this conversation called Jesse. Not once had I heard her say the name Jessica in reference to the person we now lovingly call Bimley. (Or turdface depending on my mood.) 


I am a GENIUS.


I did inform her that she should only refer to her as "Gerard's wife" if she's given up on the Bim-Bim nickname that she assigned her 3 years ago. I confuse easily. 

We would all do good to remember...

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. ~ A.A. Milne