Rock You Like a Hurricane

Tonight is one of my favorite celebrations of the holiday season- Kevin's company holiday party. This is now my third year attending, once as his girlfriend, once as his fiancee and this year as his wife. We get to have a well known Chicago museum closed just for us, with dinner, cocktails and dancing in swanky evening attire. It feels like a totally glamorous wedding where you don't have to buy a gift.

....Until this year....

This year, Kevin and his social committee have decided that they would like to do something different for this party, and thus, an 80s theme was born, complete with an option to wear 80s formalwear to the event. So, in the spirit of all things hilarious, and ready to make an idiot of myself, I have borrowed an '83 peach, lacy, ruffly prom dress with bows and a wider girth than my wedding dress was. Now, if you've been paying attention to this blog at all, you know this is not quite "me". I tend to be more of a hoodie and converse kind of gal. i just hope I can properly rock out to Dirty Diana and Like a Prayer in all that taffeta.

My dashing husband will be rocking a mullet wig. We're either going to make him employee of the month or the village idiot. I just hope we end up looking something like that couple....

Cheap and Glorious

No, this isn't a post about sex. Just making sure you aren't disappointed later.

What this is a post about is far more mundane, but also fabulous in its own way. While thinking about the direction I want to go with this blog, I've been looking at a lot of other marriage blogs, and I have to say, a lot of them are boring. Once, I even found myself reading about (I kid you not) do it yourself guest baskets for your guest bathroom full of tiny guest samples of lotions. I've also found many, many posts about babies, cooking, house re-doing. What I haven't found a lot of are blogs about what it's really like to really, honestly go through the process of keeping the girlfriend hotness while becoming the wife. Even though I just got married, I didn't morph into Martha Steward when I said "I do" and I don't plan on it. However, I've broken down and made a cheesy list about something I'm interested in hearing about from other people. I promise, no potpourri needed.

Back when Kev and I first started dating, we spent (and still do) a LOT of time and money out with our friends at the bars. Being in the vast minority of people in our circle of friends who were dating, we were often forced to be wingman a lot for some sad cases. (Example: Waitress comes to table, friend says "What do you have on special, besides, of course, you?" ....dead silence)

However, with a condo to save up for and grad school nerdery pressing in on us, we've lately been forced to cut down on our spending for fun things, which has forced us (in a good way) to start getting more creative about our date nights, and I know many co-workers who are struggling with the same thing. Below, find a list:

Cheap and Glorious Dates
1) Sweatpants, bottles of cheap champagne, and videogames. (Note: this is best not attempted while playing Mario Kart for the Wii.)
2) Cooking something complicated with many steps and spices
3) (stolen from my friend Erica) Tournament of board games (winter) Tournament of sports (summer) in a best of 5 best of 5 format (e.g. best of 5 at each event gets to claim winner to the event, must win 5 overall to be champion: twister, yahtzee, trouble, catchphrase, and twilight the boardgame)
4) Drinking Jeopardy (partner beats you to the answer? wrong answer? drink)
5) Playing with puppies. Anywhere.
6) Sitting on the stoop, making up stories about the people that walk by.

What else goes on this list? It's winter....