Digital Slave

The last 72+ hours have changed my life.  How, you ask?  I finally crossed over into the digital world and accepted digital cable with a DVR into my life.  Now, a new slave to the digital world has been born.  I cannot even fathom what my life was like on Sunday before we installed this function into our lives.  Not only do we now have 800 more cable channels, including Oxygen where my favorite "Inhale" yoga program runs, but we also have the ability to record any program we want without searching for a blank tape to record on.  Our collection of tapes labeled "Anything" will soon dwindle away and be out in the trash like the basic cable we used to have. 

 

I realized the full functionality of having a DVR while watching a show on roller coasters.  Patrick happened to be BBQing dinner at the time it was on, and I urged him to come into the room to see this particular ride.  "HURRY!", I said, as if the world was going to end if he missed it.  He made it to the room just as it was over, missing the part I so desperately wanted him to see.  "Shoot!", I said in a huff, thinking how awesome it would have been for him to witness the fury this coaster gave it's riders.  All of the sudden, it was like a light went off in my head, and I swear I heard the "ding" as it came on, just like in the cartoons.  "OH-MY-GOSH...you CAN see it because I can REWIND LIVE TV!!!"  That moment changed my life forever.

 

Now I can record my favorite fitness programs and do them in the morning before work, thus eliminating the need to travel to the gym and fight for a cardio machine.  We can record weekly shows while we're out and about, and come back to watch them whenever we please.  We can rewind "time" and then fast forward through the mind numbing commercials that plague our favorite shows. 

 

How in the world did I ever live without this thing?  It's the "Cell Phone Effect", as I like to call it.  New things are brought into your lives and after a while you wonder how it was you ever managed your crazy life without them.  Computers, Cell Phones, Palm Pilots, iPods, and DVRs, what was your life like without them?

New Monogamy?

Bored at work this morning, I was perusing MSN when I happened upon an article entitled "The New Monogamy".  I considered what this statement meant and curiosity got the best of me, so I clicked the link.  After my jaw hit the desk, I was able to finish reading the article.  To sum it up, "The New Monogamy" is where married couples set new bounds and rules to their relationships so that "agreed upon" cheating is okay and helped to keep their partners from straying otherwise.  No, I am not kidding.  There are actually people out there who do this. 

 

Could you even imagine setting up "rules" for your spouse that allowed them to physically interact with another human on a sexual level, without consequences?  Doesn't that completely traipse all over the word "monogamy"?  Monogamy is defined as "marriage to one person", or "having one sexual partner".  Mono = one.  Where is the double meaning word that allows for you and your spouse to run around town doing what was "within the rules" with whomever you please?  In my world, we call that dating and not marriage.

 

To quote a part of the article, Cathi Hanauer, an author, states:

 

"We already know that monogamous marriage is far from a raging success in this country.  In my opinion, if some couples want to try veering slightly from the contract by creating their own rules, more power to them. I commend their courage in thinking deeply about marriage and its shortcomings, and for having the creativity and guts to adjust it to fit their mutual needs."

 

Monogamous marriage is far from a raging success not because people are expected to be with one person for the rest of their lives, but because people jump in with both feet and expect marriage to be easy and perfect.  The point of marrying someone is to build a life with that person that is founded on communication and trust.  When you marry someone, you do have to realize that (gasp), you will be sleeping with that person for the rest of your life.  Oh wait...my bad...that IS the contract you enter into when you get married, isn't it?  I see no courage about looking beyond your life partner for a dose of sex from someone else, I see that as cowardice.  When you enter into a marriage, you are choosing to be with that person, uplift that person, honor that person - so how does "agreed upon" cheating help you achieve that.

 

No matter how much a person says they're "okay" with their spouse having some type of sexual relations with another person, jealousy is not an emotion that can go unfelt forever.  One day, you will see your spouse with someone who is more attractive than you, with better legs than you, with higher breasts and a tighter ass than you, or maybe that person will be more intellectual than you, know more about world policies than you do - and you will begin to feel inferior.  That feeling will slowly mold into jealousy and your trust will be diminished and your marriage will be affected.  So, how is "the NEW monogamy" better than the old?

 

Maybe I am old fashioned, or maybe I'm a prude, but I entered in to marriage with my husband because I WANTED to be with only him for the rest of my life.  I find nothing more exciting or intense than the relationship we share.  Those who seek to redefine monogamy or marriage will end up never having the feelings I have for my husband.  And that is a fact.

Early Wake Up

While laying in bed last night, Patrick suggested that we both get up at the same time in the morning and enjoy 45 minutes of togetherness over breakfast as we start our day. The thought of waking up at 5:15 on purpose was a little tough to swallow, but needless to say, I did it anyway.

We stood around in our pj's, making eggs together and waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. I eagerly downed my coffee as I waited for the burst of caffiene induced energry to wake me up, and I realized that I wasn't even really that tired. His suggestion may just turn into our "early morning" tradition. Our lives have been abnormally crazy these days with all of our extracurricular activities and it's nice to just sit together and enjoy our company before our hectic day begins.

Whatever am I going to do when we leave this billet and he's gone all the time? We're more than 2 years away from that, but I'm sure it will creep up on us fast.

Warm Breezes

The past 5 days have given us a glimpse into summer complete with sunshine, 85 degree temps, and warm breezes from the south.  I can honestly say that I would not trade living down here for anything right now, and although the temps will drop 20 degrees tomorrow, the 5 days of paradise was well worth it.  I was able to drive around town with my windows down, with my flip flops on, as the wind blew tangles in my hair.  My radio blasted 90's music and I sang "The Humpty Dance" at the top of my lungs while sitting at a stop light.  Sometimes it seems as if life cannot get better. 

 

On Friday we went out to dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise to celebrate Shannon's 28th birfday.  The weather was so nice that they had the garage style doors opened and there was seating on the patio for the first time in months.  The frozen drinks helped to keep me in the "tropical" atmosphere, that is, until my burger came out bleeding all over my bun.  That ruined my appetite and set my stomach up for disaster for the rest of the evening. 

 

Saturday we went to the gym, ran errands, walked the dog, took naps and then went to a BBQ at Marshall and Natalie's.  It was a lot of fun, as usual, and there were more people to meet this time.  Sunday was church and Youth Group by myself since Patrick had duty.

 

Tonight we'll be headed to have Mexican at El Mariachi's so we can sip margaritas on the patio and feast Mexican style while we wait for the temperature to fall back to normal.  What a nice time we had living it up Summer style in the middle of March.

The High Seas...

It's hard to admit this in writing, especially when I know that people can read this particular journal and I'm putting myself out there, but this is my journal, right? I'm gonna write what I want to.

I have become SO consumed with getting pregnant again that it's taken over my life. I have become so bad that I have refrained from shopping (my favorite pastime) because I didn't want to buy anything JUST IN CASE I got pregnant again and couldn't fit into it. I mean, we're talking, I wouldn't buy a BRA because I was afraid I wouldn't fit into it in a few weeks. Well...we see where that attitude has gotten me. I am STILL not pregnant - and I'm tired of living my life around the JUST IN CASE. Is it irony that we try for years to prevent such a thing from happening and when we want it the most, we can't have it? Or is it an odd game our body likes playing with us as a payback for all the years it's been pumped with hormones to PREVENT it from happening? I haven't decided which it is yet.

Nonetheless, I have decided to take back control of my life and focus on something else for a while. This thing I'm going to focus on is our next CARIBBEAN CRUISE! We're going to sail the high seas again in January 2007 for a Western Caribbean cruise on the Explorer of the Seas. I know it seems far away (10 months to be exact), but it gives us plenty of time to pay for the cruise and focus on how much fun we'll have.

Our cruise in 2004 proved to be one of the best times we've had in our marriage. It was JUST US and we were able to do all the things we wanted to do, explore tropical islands, lay in the sun...everything we wanted to do and more. What better way to spend a week with the person you love most in the world? Plus, it's definitely a bonus that for formal night, my honey will wear his Bravo uniform and be the sexiest man on the ship (well, he's the sexiest anyway, but that uniform makes me DROOL).

So, I'm refocusing my life and my time on things in the now and not what COULD happen in the future. I'm pretty proud of myself considering how neurotic I've become with the whole baby thing. This is just the thing I need! TROPICAL PARADISE, HERE WE COME!