Marriage License Is More Than A Piece of Paper

Archive for the ‘Living Together’ Category

Marriage License Is More Than A Piece of Paper

Monday, October 9th, 2006

Before my husband and I finally decided that we’d had enough of the wedding planning and eloped, we checked into what is required to apply for a marriage license. We found a really helpful website, www.usmarriagelaws.com, that told us everything we really needed to know about each state’s laws to obtain a marriage license. The site gives you the fees and requirements as well as phone numbers and locations that you need to contact. I was very happy to see that my state no longer requires a blood test. Needles don’t thrill me.

Before we got married, we lived together for 2 years. We had been a couple for 3 years prior to that and although my husband was the one who ultimately proposed, he didn’t see what the big deal was about being married. In his eyes, if we were committed to one another, we didn’t need a marriage license to prove that. In my opinion, that simple piece of paper was a huge deal and I was starting to really want to have one of those in my possession. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him or I thought he had plans to leave, but I wanted to know that we had taken that extra step.

Once you’re married, it is not as easy to just split up. Sure, divorce makes it pretty easy these days and they can get quite nasty, but when you aren’t married, you can just announce your “break up” and walk away. At least when you’re married, you should have a stronger sense of commitment and work harder to maintain it. At least, that’s the ideal thing to do. To many people nowadays, that marriage license doesn’t mean anything to them. I find that very sad and heartbreaking. I’m not getting married to get divorced. If I had any doubts of my chosen partner, a marriage license would not even exist. I wouldn’t take that huge step if I didn’t want to work to maintain its meaning.

We ended up eloping to Jamaica simply because the wedding plans were starting to become more of a nuisance than a joy and the costs were starting to scare us entirely too much. We married on the beach in Jamaica and came home with a marriage license that had cost us quite a bit less than it would have in our hometown. Do I suggest eloping? Of course not. I’m simply saying that eloping saved us quite a bit of grief and money and we still ended up having that marriage license in our hands. I’m not one of those people who hang their marriage licenses on the wall for all to see, it’s hidden away in our safe so as to not get damaged or lost. But, I know exactly where it is, and what it means.

Posted in Engagement, Family, For the Wedding, Living Together, Marriage, Others, Party, Personal, Special Events, Travel | No Comments »

Original Wedding Anniversary Presents

Friday, August 18th, 2006

Wedding anniversaries are a time to let your partner know that they are special. It’s a chance to show your romantic side. They only come around once a year and heaven forbid that you forget one!

Some people like to be traditional and follow the set rules for anniversary presents, from paper for the first anniversary to diamonds for the sixtieth. It’s a long time to wait for diamonds. It would be an achievement to follow the anniversary presents list every single year. You may want to use your own imagination and knowledge of your partner, perhaps honoring the crystal, silver, pearl, ruby, gold, and diamonds for the landmark years.

The anniversary doesn’t have to be celebrated by anything tangible. Anniversary presents could include a special outing or experience. Perhaps you could organize a trip in a hot air balloon or a hang gliding lesson. You could put together your own romantic day, with a champagne picnic in a row boat on the river. That will probably be treasured more than expensive earrings or cuff links.

If you don’t want to organize something yourself, you can buy anniversary presents in the form of experience days, where the whole day is set up and you just enjoy. There’s everything from swimming with sharks (divorce is less dangerous), to a day in a health spa. If it’s difficult to decide on something you both like, you could take it in turns to choose.

There are some presents that can’t be gift wrapped but make a wonderful statement. Anniversary presents just need a bit of lateral thinking. A tree can be planted in your partner’s name, maybe in a place that means a lot to both of you. You could go beyond earth and name a star for your beloved. That star will carry that name forever and there will be a certificate of registration, so no one can take the name away. When you promised them the moon and the stars, you sort of did it! While you’re at it, you could have a favorite song played on the radio.

If you do want something that your partner can open and you can see the delight in their eyes when they unwrap their anniversary presents, you could buy a piece of original art. Make sure it’s to their taste and not just yours. A painting, a sculpture, or an antique that your partner has mentioned or hinted at! Why not compose your own poem. Romantic anniversary presents don’t come more personal than that. If your talents don’t lie in that direction, buy a book of love poems to be on the safe side. You can always rely on Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Posted in Family, Gifts, Living Together, Marriage, Personal, Special Events, Wedding Anniversary | No Comments »

Once a Month Cooking For Your Family

Saturday, June 24th, 2006

Too busy with your work to cook at home? Preparing all of your main dinners just once a month is a new concept that is catching on in the U.S. You might want to look into the idea because it’ll save you a lot of time during the month. Find out why it’s popular and how you can use it to make your life simple and easy. Granted, there is some work in learning and applying its concepts, but you’ll love the product you get by once a month cooking.

Life is at a fast pace in today’s society, and that’s why finding anything that can save time is so popular. Think of once a month cooking as TV dinners that taste good. It’s your cooking that you’re used to, but with a twist. A lot of others use it because it eliminates the hassle of preparing a meal everyday and clean up, sometimes up to 3 times a day. It doesn’t matter if you’re single, married or retired it fits in with all lifestyles when you use once a month cooking.

The great thing about it is that all of your meals are prepared on a weekend for the next month. Because your food is preplanned you also save on your energy bills. You won’t have to heat your home everyday either, and bring up your cooling costs in the summer.

Think about how many times you’ve opened the refrigerator door only to find forgotten food that has molded – wasted. This won’t happen with once a month cooking. Food is preplanned according to you or your family’s appetite. You’ll save money too by not going out to eat all the time. That is part of the appeal of fast food type restaurants it’s fast. Your meals will be quick too when you use the idea of once a month cooking.

Your menu plans should include a balanced meal throughout the month. You’ll need to learn either how to include dishes like casseroles that have a variety of nutritional elements, or prepare several dishes for one meal. You’re lucky if you have a large freezer to store up your prepared once a month cooking meals, and if you don’t, large freezers can be bought that are affordable. Space might be the only thing that would limit you, but if you’ve got a garage, just place the freezer out there when once a month cooking happens at your house.

If you can’t afford a freezer or you simply don’t have the room for one, there are a few places that will let you do once a month cooking. Some restaurants will let you stop in and cook, but you’ll need to work out a schedule with them. Many churches have classes in this type of cooking. A benefit is you can exchange recipes, and learn how to cook a variety of meals.

Family having dinner together is a great way of spending quality time. But most of the family do not have time to prepare dinner daily. Once a month cooking frees you up for life yet allows you to spend time with you family. Enjoy your family dinner!

Posted in Children, Family, Living Together, Marriage, Others, Party | No Comments »

Do You Need a Birthday Party Checklist

Friday, June 23rd, 2006

Birthday parties are an exciting occasion for younger and older people alike, but trying to make the day special for a loved one can be stressful. By using a birthday party checklist, you can dramatically cut down on last minute decisions, mistakes, and forgetting important parts of the party.

You can purchase birthday party checklists already made to help you throw a perfect party, or you can make a birthday party checklist yourself. It may sound overwhelming to make the checklist yourself due to fear of forgetting something. But if you begin making the list early and add on things as you remember them it will be much less stressful.

The first thing to think about is the guest list. Who should be invited, and how can you contact them to invite them? Jot down the names of everyone who you feel would want to attend and then choose a method of contacting them. This can be done via telephone, email or traditional invitations you drop in the mail.

Once these details are put into place, you can move on to the actual birthday party planning. The first thing that should be on a birthday party checklist is the food menu you plan to offer for the party.

Will you be barbequing and if so what kind of meat will you cook? Or maybe it’s a simple party where food is not a necessity in which case you will just need to work out the details involving the cake, ice cream, and drinks.

Next on the birthday checklist should be decorations. Balloons, streamers, banners, and signs all need to be thought about, including their color theme. If you know the favorite color of the guest of honor, consider incorporating that into the decorations.

Another thing to add to the birthday party checklist might be what kind of games will be played at the party. Children and adults all like games, so it doesn’t hurt to plan some for any kind of birthday event, no matter the age.

If you plan to have entertainment, put it on the birthday party checklist too. You will want to make sure you have space set up for the entertainer, you have the entertainer booked, and you follow up to confirm the entertainer will show up. Clowns or face paintings are a great form of entertainment, as well as magicians and musicians.

By using the suggestions previously mentioned and coming up with some of your own ideas, you can create a birthday party checklist that when followed, will offer an amazing birthday party experience for anyone, friend or family.

The author of this great article is an event planner. From birthday party for tens of people to major companies’s events involving over a thousand guests.

Posted in Children, Family, Gifts, Living Together, Marriage, Others, Party | No Comments »

How About Classic Family Photos

Thursday, June 22nd, 2006

Photo taking? How I hate it. Remember those good old days when the whole family would get dressed up for those classic family photos? We all enjoyed and suffered the nit-picking of our parents on those yearly occasions when we all posed together. It’s certainly a blast to dig up those memories of teen insecurities and zits, which made us the people we are today. Okay, maybe not so much.

We can’t avoid them no matter how hard we try. They’re family photos. Although as children we typically don’t care for the brutal process of uncomfortable cloths and a fake smile, as parents we learn an entirely new take on the process. We all want good family photos to capture those times that pass us by all too quickly. It is one of our few methods of keeping touch with those memories and joys of our past. I recall as a child, or actually a teenager, which is more traumatic, having family photos taken every year.

At the time, I had no appreciation for the occasion. I only knew that for some reason, unexplained, that my parents were making me dress up in cloths I wouldn’t typically wear and pose for pictures. It seemed like such a hassle. Now, being a parent myself, I can certainly appreciate the desire for good family photos. This should be made an annual event amongst families. It’s a great way to capture that particular stage in our lives.

My wife and I now take regular pictures of our family to capture those special memories. I am one of the lucky ones, because my daughter loves to have her picture taken. I just have to be prepared for a lot of protruding tongues and funky grins. It’s all in good fun. You will actually appreciate these family photos earlier than you might think. I already look back at pictures and reminisce on those times that passed all too quickly. I am more than glad that I captured them when I could. I think it’s always good to preserve these memories since we obviously can’t get the times back. Life moves so fast, you have to take action.

As a child my father told me if I was ever home alone and the house caught on fire, get out, but if you can, toss out the chest of photos with you. It’s the only thing we can’t replace. Of course I thought this was one of the weirdest things I had ever heard. Now, as a father myself, I completely understand and agree with what my father was saying. It is a good idea to keep copies of those family photos in a box or chest, which is available if something should happen. We have to protect those memories of times we can’t get back. It’s good to get them but not at the expense of your safety!

Posted in Children, Family, Living Together, Marriage, Others | No Comments »

Archive for the ‘Living Together’ Category