Father-in-Laws.

Who knows your husband even better than you know him? His dad, of course. Especially if your husband is the spitting image of his dad in personality. Lucky for you, if you've got the big bad FIL on your side, life will be good. And when life is bad, said FIL can probably help you figure out how to iron out the wrinkles in life, which is the only ironing he may ever do.

Without even knowing it, your husband has given you an ally; a friend with unlimited knowledge of, well, everything about him. An arsenal of priceless information.
Glorious, right?

Last night, Cory asked me if I was insecure about being short, to which I replied no. I mean, come on. There aren't many guys that don't love short girls. We're spunky. Anyways, not the point. So then he asked if it was offensive when people call me a midget. (***please note- I am not a midget***). So I said yeah, and he asked if I would be mad if his dad said that. Game changer. I mean, I wouldn't like it, but it's Rog, ya know? I probably wouldn't be mad, because that's how he is. A jokester. Actually, when he was in the hospital, I think he did call me a midget. But he was in a hospital bed, so it's not like I could just let him have it! I think I just looked at him and said, "Did you just call me a midget?" He did his little Rog laugh, and we went on with life.

Me and Rog, we have a lot in common. A good sense of humor, the ability to take a good teasing and the inability to handle ignorant individuals. Maybe that's why our relationship rocks. One of my favorite things about being married to Cory is spending time with his mom and dad. Mother in law time will come later; I don't want to steal the thunder from Rog. 

If you've ever met him, he's probably made you laugh. He just does that, without even trying. He's a good listener, even if you're complaining about his own kid! Sometimes he's so stubborn you just want to kick him. He tells the best stories. He's an endless source of wisdom and life lessons. Life wouldn't be the same without him; I honestly can't wait for my future kids to meet him.

To prove I'm not the only girl with a great FIL, I asked some FB friends what they love about their husbands father. The responses mostly boiled down to "he's like another dad to me", "he's a great grandpa to my child/children," "he will do anything for family" and "he intentionally modeled a strong and healthy marriage." Those are just a few of my personal favorites. The point is, if you haven't taken the time to sit down and have a really good one on one talk with your husband's father, I'd encourage you to do so. He's probably pretty great. I spend more time with other people, usually women, talking about women stuff (and complaining about the men), but there are few things I love more than hearing Cory's dad tell me that he's proud of me and that he's glad I'm a part of his family. 

And with that, I'm out. 

Things Girls Do.

Things Girls Do That Guys Don't Understand.

1. Gettin' Our Nails Did

For me, that's a personal favorite. Cory used to ask me all the time why I, and I quote, "wasted money" to get my nails done. I just like it. It makes me feel good. I don't see it as a waste, but rather a reward. And that's all that really matters. Duh.

2. Making The Bed

Not everyday, by any means. I used to make my bed every single time I got out of it, but that has changed. Anyway, if it were up to Cory, the bed would never be made. Reasoning? You always have to get back into it, so why make it? Hm.. I'm sure he likes the way he thinks.

3. Putting On Make-Up

You know that song about the guy staring at the girl taking off her make up and not even knowing why she put it on? They probably really do feel that way. But whatever. They don't understand that we feel like our beauty is enhanced with a little help. Cory was probably scared to death the first time he saw me with zero make up on. Fortunately, he's still alive.

4. Wearing Leggings, Boots & Shirts That Are Big Enough To Be His

Okay, get real. The big shirt probably is his. And he'll never know why you have fifteen jillion clothing items and choose to wear his shirts. Good thing is, he doesn't have to understand how comfortable it is because you know.

5. Paying To Have Hair Removed

Hair, eyebrows, etc. Why do we need split ends cut, eyebrows waxed? Well, they just don't know how cute we'd be with caterpillars above our eyes.

There are bound to be more and I'm sure they'll come up eventually, but there's a start.

Now go get your nails did and your brows waxed. And don't forget to wear your leggings.

High School Love vs Real World Love

Hey, now. Don't read that title and get your undies in a wad. No one said that high school love isn't real love, but it's nowhere near the same thing as real world love. According to me, anyways, since this blog is just full of my opinions.

I think it's safe to say that at some point in high school, we all thought we were dating the one. He was so cute or so smart or so athletic; he hung out at your locker waiting for you after class, carried your books, invited you to sit with him at the next basketball game.. or whatever you thought was just so romantic back in the day. I thought it was just pure perfection when I didn't have to carry my own books, and not just because those suckers were heavy, but because when people saw me and my "boyfriend" walking together, they saw him carrying my books. That was a claim laid down, people. He was mine! After all, he was carrying my books! Then again, I also thought that slicking back all of my curly fly-aways was cute too, so we've all been wrong at some point in our lives.

High school seems to be all about finding out who you are, who you want to be. While doing so, it makes sense to want to find someone to be with you. I know tons of couples who dated in high school and got married. One of my best friends got married 5 months after high school and they're going so, so strong. Others were in high school and dated a guy a couple of years older; that works too. Point is, you find out more about yourself after high school than you'd ever think, so how exactly do you know that Mr. Perfect in high school is Mr. Perfect in real life? (That's kind of a trick question, considering they're never all that perfect all the time. You can thank me for the heads up later). Sure, you might know that you were prom queen, a nerd, hilarious, most athletic or flirtiest.. you know these things because the yearbook said it- duh. Oh, and speaking of the yearbook, you were clearly the most popular because way more people signed your yearbook than anyone else's, but back to the point. Who are you after high school? Are you still most athletic or most popular? Who really cares outside of those walls? You have to define yourself in other ways now. Are you hard working? Do you make the best out of stinky situations? Do you go to work on days that you would've skipped school because you don't feel so great? Are you independent?

High school boyfriends can turn into real world husbands. As a romantic, I'm the biggest fan of high school romance turning into wedding bells, trust me. But the truth is, that doesn't happen for a lot of us. For those couples that it did happen for, I am sincerely happy for you! There are so many people outside of the bubble of high school. Cory said something the other day that really made me think; something to the effect of just picking the best of what you've got available to you. See, high school limits your choices. I didn't know Cory in high school. I knew of him, but I didn't know him. I tease him all the time that he was too cocky for me to talk to back then ;) Really, high school can give you the chance to have a relationship that teaches you all kinds of life lessons. Lessons that were learned and you remember them and you would never want to have to repeat that lesson again.

Real world love, on the other hand, isn't about books being carried and going to Homecoming together. Real world love is about helping one another pay the bills, making sure your husband gets fed, washing clothes, buying groceries.. man, sounds boring, huh? But seriously, who hates grocery shopping alone? I do. And I hate having to load the car up and unload it by myself. I love when Cory gets to do that part! That's what it's really about, the little things that make you realize that life is so much more fun with the right person by your side. Real world love is about understanding that you don't have to do things on your own; you have a person. Your person helps you, loves you, calms you, listens to you. I'm independent to the max; I don't like to rely on anyone else to help me, but you know what? It's nice to know that I have someone who is always there, whether I think I need him or not.

High school was about the little things; real life is about the big things. Trust me, your car payment not being paid is a big thing and it's a real life thing. If you're a wife, think about those things that your husband does to make you feel better when you're down, whether it be a foot rub or a get out of cooking dinner card.. small things that you feel are the biggest things at the right time. Aren't you thankful for him? Make sure he knows it!

X.

Jealousy. Isn't that just an everyday, slightly uglier than Arkansas humidity taking it's toll on my hair, part of life?

Every day may be pushing it, but I know that things happen that make me feel jealous, and I hate it. Jealousy is ugly and unbecoming. But there's a short list of things that will just do it to ya, no matter who you are, no matter how great your life is, no matter how awesome your husband is, no matter how many years you've been married, no matter how hard to try to not be jealous; it happens.

What are those things?

Hmm.. Let's see. Ex-Girlfriends. That's the one thing that makes me so jealous, so easily.. and the subject of exes is sometimes much more popular than you want it to be.

Hmm.. you're in luck, ladies and gents, looks like that's actually the beginning and end of my list. Oh, yours too?  Maybe or maybe not. Well, here's the deal. This topic isn't to dwell on the past, but this blog is supposed to be from a young, married girl's point of view, so there it is. Oh sure, there are girls who could waltz right up to your husband and give him a big ole smack on the hind cheeks and squish his cheeks together and just sugar him all over and you wouldn't care. It'd be like his grandma touching him. You don't mind, cause you're not that crazy. But then there are a handful of girls that would just about get the Special Weapons And Tactics team called on you, cause if they so much as look at your man with both of their eyes, it's on.

Don't tell me that maybe one face didn't pop up in your head; it's okay, you really don't have to tell me.

I also hear some girls say that they don't get jealous, they're too confident to be jealous. Then you've got the "I'm only jealous because I care" girls. Then you've got some who are right in the middle of psycho stalker and way too chill.

I'm not gonna act like I haven't had some crazy, psycho moments where I've just wanted to call up a chick and have a "hey, there's an 'ex' in front of 'girlfriend' and you. are. it. so why you tryin' to chat it up with my man" moment. But regardless of the crazy things I've said and done and the crazy things that you've said and done, just remember: you. are. it. You're not the ex. You're the girlfriend. Or the wife. The one he loves;  the guy who gets hair all over the sink and it makes you so mad that you can't handle it? Yeah, him. He loves you, even though you have your insane female moments and talk about girls that he probably hasn't thought about in years. Even though he looks at you like he might be scared to ever make you mad, because now he's seen that you probably are crazy enough to dispose of his body.

Marriage is so much more than talking about exes. They really have no part in your life, your conversations. It's good, important even, to have exes. You learn lessons about yourself and other people that you might not have learned without that person. But then, like every other part of the past, you leave that person in the past, and carry those lessons learned with you, to the future.

So, next time you see someone who has had a romantic history with that guy you love, don't get all crazy and cross-eyed. Instead, remember that he chose you, you chose him, and life is good. Trust me, you'll feel so much better about yourself.

Now, go tell your husband you love him.

Date Night.

In a perfect world of young married life, every couple would set aside one night out of the week to go out together and enjoy themselves.. pure bliss. They would call it date night. On date night, no one would worry about the bills, feel guilty about spending fifteen dollars to see a movie that will probably be out on DVD soon, and nobody would dream of not noticing how beautiful (or handsome) their wife (or husband) looked. Too bad, huh? Too bad that date nights do exist, but they're nowhere near perfection. Too bad that as a wife, or maybe as a female, I can't look at a movie ticket without thinking "Redbox is so much cheaper." And if you do what I do, do what I do next. Think back to how you spend your weekdays. Do you have one of the nasty J words? Yeah, I said it. J-O-B. If you do, stop feeling guilty! I'm not saying blow all your money, but stop feeling guilty about the movie you see once a month, the dinners you go out to because you hate cooking and don't want to are too tired from work to make a delicious meal, the purse you bought yourself because it's been a year since you had a new one (a year is a long time in the life of my purse). 


Just stop. You work, you make money. You deserve to have a little bit of happiness. That's what a movie and some potato soup from Colton's brings me anyway- happiness.

Back to date night. 

Whoever came up with the idea of a date night; brilliant. It's not their fault that when I hear date night, I think of a horse drawn carriage, little black dress, handsome date in a tux, candle lit dinner, gifts of diamonds, etc. Probably because in One Tree Hill, Nathan tried to pick Haley up in a horse drawn carriage, greatly increasing my expectations. (If you haven't gotten the hint yet, I love OTH and highly encourage you to veg out on the couch and watch it for dayzzz).

Reality of date night: it's a night to get away from the house, enjoy some time with your spouse (or boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever), not have to cook dinner and have some fun. Number one tip: try not to get into an argument on date night. Try not to get into arguments, period, but especially on date night. Why? Because it's date night. It's really hard to be romantic and lovey dovey when you're fighting over the radio and temperature in the vehicle. Hold hands on date night. It's really hard for Cory to be mad at me when we're holding hands. But sometimes we fight because he won't hold my hand. Like he needs two hands to push the buggy in Wal Mart. Go figure.

Also, if you go on date nights every night, it's no longer date night. It's not special. It's the norm. So, keep it special. Once a week, once every two weeks. Heck, if you're me and Cory, once every six months. We eat ice cream and watch Netflix on the reg, so life is pretty great. It would be hard to have a date night top watching One Tree Hill and eating Rocky Road, would it not? 

Date night doesn't mean drive to Vegas or go sky diving.. just do something that you and your S.O. enjoy, even if it's just bowling. Golfing (I hate golf, but hey, maybe some man is lucky enough to have a golf loving wife). Watching lame movies (Cory thinks every movie I pick is lame). Maybe going on a picnic. Looking at the stars. Whatever you're doing, you're doing it with someone that you love. 

Date nights don't have to involve spending a lot of money, because face it. Sometimes we're just flat broke. No money for movies. No money for steak dinners. No money for renting ugly shoes to throw a heavy ball down a lane. No money period. That's where picnics and stargazing come in. If Cory asked me to go lay in the truck bed and look at the stars, I'd probably think he was on drugs or think that he wanted something huge, like a new truck or something. Nonetheless, I'd do it. Free and cute. Just the way I like.

Date night.

Keep your expectations simple: have fun. Wherever, whatever- just enjoy yourselves. 

And then, do it again.

Date nights forever. 

Work It Out.

First, for all of you that think it's been a while since I posted, just know that I did post.. and then accidentally deleted it when I was trying to delete a draft. So that was a good day.

Second, the title of this post is two-fold. Work it out. As in, exercise. Also, as in arguments.

Arguments.. easier to work out than the body most of the time. According to me, anyways. I'd rather think of a jillion ways to end a fight than increase my heart rate.

Is that just how life is when you get married? Life is busy. You work, he works. It seems like surely the time that you have off together should be spent together, not doing other things like working out. Right? WRONG.

I had that mindset for a little while. It was almost like I felt guilty for spending time doing something other than being with Cory. On a typical day, he wakes up at the crack of dawn, I wake up later than that, we both go to work, I get home around 5:30, he gets home between 6:30 and 8:00.. we're ready to eat, bathe and go to bed. Who has time to spread love and kind words and work out too?! We tried to work out together, but his legs are the length of my body, so we don't run well together. He's just too fast. So there went that. Besides, running is my favorite form of exercise and it's not his. It just wasn't a good fit.

So once I decided I was too busy to work out, I just kinda went with it. Working, crafting, eating, cooking (hamburger helper and the like, of course). 

Point is, I got tired of looking in the mirror and seeing something that I knew could be better if I would make time for working out. I was using getting married as an excuse. 

So, newlyweds, (and not newlyweds) your husband loves you. Big or small, short or tall, they love us all. But are you loving yourself enough to be the healthiest version of you that you can be? 

Maybe I'm completely rambling, but I feel like I see this happen all the time. Life (& marriage, sometimes) gets in the way of being healthy.

So, I'm working out. I'm running. Not every day. But Cory doesn't complain, I can tell you that. He's probably thinking "Hallelujah, praise Jesus. Bout time that girl got her run on." 

He never complained about me gaining weight; they won't if they're smart. But he's not complaining about the 20-30 minutes I spend running either. 

Hey, do you. Work out. Find your girl time. Be the best you.

3 Things My Husband Has In Common With Nathan Scott.

Alright, y'all. Cory has specifically requested that I not write personal things about him, though I can't imagine why he wouldn't want the whole world to know every charming thing about him that I know. 

Actually, considering I know now only charming things, but embarrassing things, I might be able to understand..

Anways, sharing common knowledge facts can't be something that will get me into trouble, surely.. 

If you aren't familiar with One Tree Hill, I can't be responsible if you don't understand the references, and the fact that I'm totally fan girl-ing right now. That being said, here goes.

1. High school jock

"In season one, Nathan was introduced as the selfish, jock basketball player for the Tree Hill Ravens."

I'm not referring to "jock" as a bad thing at all. It's endearing really. They ball hard, they play hard- and sometimes it's not just the game of basketball that they're playing. Not to say that my now charming husband is a player, oh no. Quite the opposite really. Like Nathan Scott, Cory has outgrown that game. Now he plays the game of "Try Not to Anger Your Wife Today." It's much harder and requires much more mental strength. On a day to day basis, his stats are going strong.

2. Pretty Boy

Funny story, but long before I came along, Cory took some classes with a couple of my cousins. He didn't know that, of course, considering the size of my family is approximately ginormous, and trying to find a Dixon in a classroom is like trying to find a bobby-pin in my hair: pointless. Moral of this story is that my sweet little cousins didn't know his name, so they referred to him as Pretty Boy. I think Cory finds this nickname offensive, perhaps, but for the life of me, I have no idea why. It could completely be the fact that I'm married to him, but I certain agree that he's the prettiest boy around! (If you don't know how this relates to Nathan Scott, allow Google to help you out. Like now.. he's pretty pretty as well). 

3. He's a Lover and a Fighter

For you faithful One Tree Hillers, you know that Nathan and Haley faced and overcame many obstacles. For you married ladies and gents, you know that's just a part of life.. and marriage. There were so many points that they could've just called it quits- we all could. But we don't. Because what is life without the one you love? We could probably all agree that Nathan said it best- "What I'm feeling is definitely not normal. And to be honest with you Haley, I don't ever want to be normal. Not with you." Don't get weak in the knees and jealous of my life, Cory hasn't made it to saying those exact words just yet. Point being, Nathan fought for Haley, and I have no doubt Cory would do the same, not just because he'd be without clean undies, but I think that for some reason or another, he loves me just as much as fictional Nathan loved fictional Haley.

Okay, so maybe this post was just a little reminder to myself that love on Netflix and love in real life aren't the same. Maybe it was to remind myself that no matter how good it seems on Netflix, those people don't face the day to day struggles that real life married couples do. Nathan and Haley fought over her riding off on tour to be a rock star. Cory and Cindi fight over who gets to take the car in for an oil change. Nonetheless, I encourage you to find yourself a close to perfect TV star and compare him/her to your husband/wife, not to see who has bigger muscles or more money or anything shallow, but for this reason: you realize how many cute, quirky attributes your real life partner has, and you know what makes them so great? They're your real life. 

"You can drive at sixteen, go to war at eighteen and drink at twenty-one. So how old do you have to be for your love to be real?" 
-One Tree Hill