Progress - Making Small Steps

Keep watching, we aren't going anywhere. At first, doing this blog was an assignment for a college class I'm taking, but now the class is coming to an end. Mallory and I have had an interesting experience doing this every week so we have decided to carry it on and see how it goes. Doing this has helped us vent our frustrations in a way other than arguing. The blog has helped each of us see things from the other person's side although I will say there are quite a few things I won't budge on.







Mallory's Side:
Giving the world an inside peek at the inner workings of my marriage has been an interesting experience. This blog has given Daniel and I each a chance to vent out frustrations about one another in a way other than the typical arguments most couples have. It is something we can look back upon and laugh and hopefully as we continue doing this, I can get Daniel to eat his vegetables.






There are still so many things that we need to settle between the two of us and hopefully this blog and all of you reading can help us. Like who is the better driver, how the household chores should be divided, and quite a few other things. So keep checking in on us as there is more is to come.

Has this blog helped you in your relationship issues? Do you have ideas on topics we should cover in future posts? Let us know on Facebook & twitter. Also, ever wonder how I deal with everything that drives me nuts? Patience is key but beer also helps. Check out my other blog on one of my favorite hobbies called Bay Area Brews.

Dating Fronts - The Best Acting Job

People are huge liars when they are dating. We do this so we make a good impression on the person and they come back for seconds. You can deny this as your reading, but you don't get dressed up in your good skirt or put on a fancy collared shirt for just any reason. All of us want to impress somebody else so that we can build something with them.

What we don't realize is that all these seemingly little fibs add up and we decide they aren't important any more once we're married. I know how this is first hand. There are quite a few things I did that I do not take the time to do anymore and Mallory is the same way. If you told me that I would be the one in my house doing all the cleaning years ago, I would be livid. Today it still annoys me but it is the way things happen.

Mallory's Side:

Things are different once you get married. Once you have that person, you don't need to impress them anymore. The chase is over. Daniel used to be a lot different before we got married. He was attentive, charming, and chivalrous. Now, he is pretty much the opposite. I'm probably not the same either but that is just the way the cookie crumbles. You fall in love with the person and as you get to know each other, you both grow and change together. Then comes the true test: whether or not you still love that person once you see their true colors. So far, I think Daniel and I are doing alright. I mean, we have known each other for a while so I think I have seen every possible side of him. 

The fact is we return to our normal ways once we build a stable relationship. Once this happens, you actually learn what the other person is like. If you think they perfect, don't be fooled. It takes everyone a while to open up. 

Do you really believe that you don't put up a front? Is there an annoying habit you don't share until you've been dating awhile? Let us know on Facebook & twitter. Also ever wonder how I deal with everything that drives me nuts? Patience is key but beer also helps. Check out my other blog on one of my favorite hobbies called Bay Area Brews.

Exercise - Running Away from the Obstacle

Unless you want to be 900 pounds, exercising is something you have to start doing as you get older. Knowing this I have been ramping up my workout routine lately. I have been running and going to the gym more often. Mallory has not been a fan of my more active lifestyle and has been making fun of almost everything I have been doing. 

I bought some new pants to wear while running and now I always hear how ridiculous I look because the pants are too tight. Then, there is the fact of how I run. Yes, it may be a little weird but everyone runs in their own specific way. Mallory says that because I fling my arms around, she won't be seen running next to me. The biggest issue is that I tend to sweat quite a bit when I exercise, so much so that she won't go near me until I shower. Sweating is just a natural process so I don't see the big deal. 

Mallory's Side:
Daniel has taken his exercise routines way too far. I can understand wanting to stay healthy but he  is exercising to often. I don't understand why he bought these new pants to run in. They don't do anything and he looks ridiculous in them. They are the same pants that athletes wear under their uniforms. Daniel is not an athlete. He is just someone who has fallen into the trend of going to the gym. The only good thing about him working out is him taking out dog for a run. It exhausts our dog so he is not running around the house the rest of the day trying to get us to play with him.

With all the ridicule I have been getting, I am surprised that Mallory gives me praise for taking our dog running with me. It is not much but hey it is a start. Do you have tight pants you wear to the gym? Are you embarrassed by your workout partner? Let us know on Facebook & twitter. Also If you like this page check out my other blog Bay Area Brews.

Food - Tasting the Dilemma

Food is a pretty big part of everyone's life whether they admit it or not. Our taste in food has developed over the years and is not something that can be changed easily. I am finding this out first hand because Mallory and I have completely different tastes in food. When I am thinking hot wings and beer, she is thinking salad. Now, I don't do salad. To me, that is something that was put on the earth for turtles and rabbits to eat. It is not food.

One thing we have agreed on is to take turns making dinner. I usually make something delicious like Hamburger Helper or Oven Fried Chicken, but Mallory insists on trying to make me eat soup. The problem with us making what we like is that the other person usually has to tough it out and eat food they don't like until it is gone, because I hate to throw away perfectly good food.

Mallory's Side: 
Daniel likes to say he is not picky at all but that is not the case. He is one of the pickiest eaters I know. He eats the same thing over and over again and rarely tries anything new. If I want him to try something I like, I can't tell him what's in it or else he will not it. He has some sort of vendetta against vegetables. He tells me I can buy vegetables to eat with my dinner but since I'm only one person, they usually go bad after a few days because he won't even try them. 

What's your Taste in food? Let us know on Facebook & twitter.
If you like this page check out my other blog Bay Area Brews.

Decorating - Framing the Issues

I have always thought that when you are married you are supposed to share everything. Apparently, I have been lied to a good chunk of my life because when it comes to decorating and deciding how our house looks, my voice gets muted. Mallory thinks that just because I'm a guy, that I should just sit back and let her make all the choices. I just can't do that. I have to look at this house all day so I want to have a say in how it looks.

It is not like I want to put bikini posters everywhere. I just want to hang some items from my favorite sports teams as well as some beer signs I have collected over the years. In my opinion, they look really cool hanging on the walls. Mallory won't have any of that stuff on the walls and tells me if I want them up they can be in the garage. I think we will continue to go back and forth on this subject, because as much as I dislike house decorating, not having a say in how my house looks is something I hate more.

Mallory's side:
Daniel should just leave the decorating to me. I just want to make our house look nice and presentable, not like some bachelor pad. When I buy something for the house, I usually talk to Daniel about it ahead of time to make sure it is something that he likes. In fact, he even picked out the coffee table and end table for our house. I don't see why he complains so much because he actually gets his way quite a bit. Our house looks nice and he knows it.

Do you care about your homes decorating? Let us know on Facebook & twitter.

Bed Making - Covers the Problem

Keeping a clean room is something I have always had knocked into my head. Growing up, if it wasn't neat, I wasn't allowed to do anything until it was. The biggest thing that says a room is clean to me is a made bed. Between my parents and boot camp requiring "hospital corners", making the bed for me has almost become second nature. The problem is Mallory doesn't agree with me on this and never wants the bed made. This drives me nuts, because I usually have to remind her to make it.

It's not like making the bed is that hard; I mean it literally takes like 5 seconds. All you have to do is straighten some blankets. I just think it looks nicer. If somebody showed me their bedroom, the last thing I want to see is a dirty looking bed. My thought is if they keep their bed like this, then other stuff probably isn't getting cleaned either. Right now, Mallory and I are at a stand still on this. We are agreeing to disagree. She will continue to forget and I will continue to annoy her by reminding her to make it.

Mallory's side: 
I don't see what the big deal is. I don't think I should have to make the bed in the morning if I'm just going to come back home later in the day and get back in it. Nobody is going to show up in my house the middle of the day and walk into my bedroom. I can understand making the bed if I invite someone over, but on a daily basis, I think it is pointless. It takes a lot more than 5 seconds especially when your dog jumps on the bed and under the covers.

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TP - Toilet Paper or Titanic Problem

Okay, imagine this. You're walking home when you get hit with the "You Have To Go" feeling. You run home, get inside, and throw everything you're carrying down in a fast trail to the bathroom. You then drop your pants and sit down, only to realize there's no toilet paper. This is something that has happened to me on more than one occasion.The fact is my wife, Mallory, leaves me hanging in this department quite frequently.

The first issue I have is when we buy toilet paper, she doesn't put it away in all the bathrooms. The entire package of toilet paper will end up under the sink in the bathroom we don't use. Then the other issue is when a roll is finished, it doesn't get refilled. This causes some difficult situations because sometimes I leap before I look. I thought I figured out a solution to this issue by keeping a roll of toilet paper next to the couch. Mallory thinks that is gross and that the roll gets dirty and needs to be thrown out. Hey, I'm just trying to make sure I can "go" without issues.

Mallory's Side:
Daniel makes this a much bigger issue than it really is. He likes to leave the toilet paper on top of the toilets, so you don't have to get it out of the cabinets. I think that is disgusting. The top of the toilet has all sorts of germs on it and putting toilet paper on it is gross. And, it just doesn't look very nice. I want the bathroom to look clean and sterile, not sloppy and messy.  Also, Daniel really has the tendency to "leap before he looks" as he calls it. He may leave the toilet paper next to the couch, but he will not remember to bring it with him to the bathroom until it's too late.


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