2012: Marriage Resolutions

I just realized I type half of these blogs before I’ve had any coffee! I’m realizing it today because I’m sitting on the train willing my eyes open and my fingers to move. Maybe it’s the cold or maybe it’s this cold I feel coming on. Likely it has more to do with the fact that I watched The Bachelor last night. It aired Monday night, what took me so long? Well, since you asked, I was determined to make it not be the first prime time show I watched in 2012. Technically, if you want to be technical about it, Keeping Up With Kourtney and Kim or whatever it’s called was the first prime time program I watched in 2012. I didn’t watch the entire episode. For example, I didn’t find out what happened to Mr. Scott’s impulse buy baby grand piano. (Did it go back?) I got caught up wondering where a man buys a double breasted lavender sports coat and what motivates that man to then put it on in the morning. Mid-thought Keith changed the channel and I was too caught up to notice. That doesn’t count as actually watching it, right?

Purple, you are a great color, but I prefer you on bridesmaid dresses not men's outerwear.

Sooo 2012, we’re off to a good start. You’ve taught me interesting things about men’s fashion. Secrets I will likely keep from my husband for fear he may believe in them. Wait, he was sitting right next to me. It may be too late for us. Oh boy, it’s time for that coffee. Let’s move on.

The other night I asked Keith to help me make some resolutions for our marriage. Marriage takes work, but not just from one person. So we put our heads together and here’s what we came up with.

We should not change into sweats as soon as we walk through the door. This was Keith’s idea. Perhaps he is not attracted to my old college sweatpants with holes and bleach stains. Perhaps he does not like the several layers of fleece, blankets and wool that I burrow into every evening. Ok, Keith. I see what you’re getting at and I think you’re right. I talk about respecting each other and what respect do I show you when I dress like a homeless person every night? But I love to be comfortable when I’m at home. No shoes, no bra, no problem. I think Kenny Chesney said that. I can buy fancy lounge clothes. Shopping can easily solve this resolution.

Focus more on our shared interests. Last year Keith and I became very involved in our personal interests. I started this blog and Keith and his brother got into real estate. They are two house-flipping geniuses destined for riches and HGTV fame. But we’ve been pursuing both of these interests in addition to our day jobs and it takes up a lot of time. We spend many nights side-by-side on the couch doing our own thing. I think it’s great that we have our own interests, but we need to remember to take time for those that we share. Drinking wine and dancing (see above) come to mind right away. Also watching baseball, but sometimes when the Sox play the Yankees shared interests are lost. So we’ve resolved to take up dancing lessons again. We took them before our wedding and had so much fun. Going to class every week was less about our first dance and more about the time we spent together. Bonus: You get to be really close for an hour straight, which always made us leave smiling.

Cook together more often. Keith and I cook a lot. Keith cooks some nights while I blog or answer e-mails and I cook other nights while Keith is working late. I like to cook, but it’s more fun to do it together. Our kitchen is small and we usually bump into each other a lot, but I still really like sharing this activity with Keith. And I want to try more challenging dishes in the kitchen! Last night the chilly temps had me screaming some something warm so I tried this easy Beouf Bourguignon recipe I found in the New York Times. I served it over mashed sweet potatoes and it was amazing! It really was easy, too. Bon appetite!

I’m sure there are a lot more Keith and I can resolve to do better. I’m sure we don’t always fight fair and sometimes we can both be a little stubborn. I know we’ll work on all that, but I’m happy to have some fun goals in mind, too.

Tell me, have you made any couple resolutions this year? What do you want to be better at?