It's been too long...

I thought for sure after the wedding life as we knew it would die down...wrong-O! Between Nick's promotion at work (but still looking for a career), working on getting the house all settled in, family parties, Nick's godson being born, etc. etc. etc. not to mention trying to make time for each other I've been hard pressed to blog.

But don't worry...I'm right back at it!

We celebrated our one month anniversary! Woo hoo! I can't believe it's been a month already. Part of me still doesn't feel married and then I see the his dirty socks on the bedroom floor and realize "Yep, honey he's all yours."

I've been dying to share our latest debacle. It was one of those mixed bag of emotions full of highs and lows. Here goes:

After the cheese stick incident (which subsequently gave me the nickname Cheese Stick Nazi by Nick's family), Nick continued to insist on snack food in the house. As if he didn't have an ulterior motive he would say things like, "Oh, by the way, PayLow has Jack's pizza on sale five for ten...that's a pretty good deal huh?". Day after day he would give me updates on local grocery stores' latest frozen snack food deals well, I finally caved.

Jewel had a great deal on frozen pizzas during my last grocery trip so I picked up a few to pacify my husband. But believe me this story is so much more than 1/2 inch thick cardboard with mozzarella!

The other night I had just come home from kickboxing. I was pretty tired, but feeling too lazy to shower. I sat down on the couch for a bit. Nick had that look on his face and when he went to share the blanket with me on the couch I knew where this was headed.

Rejection #1

Instead, I went to take that much needed shower wondering why on Earth he would want anything to do with me after I just worked up a sweat for an hour.

After relaxing for a bit, I called it a night. Well Nick was at it again, but simultaneously I wanted to talk (eh, lecture) him about not getting up early enough to switch the laundry or make the bed instead he played fetch with our golden retriever for an hour. Needless to say that killed the mood.

Rejection #2

Angry with me, he decided the best way to spite me was to go eat a frozen pizza at 11:15 pm (knowing full well that eating late is one of my biggest pet peeves). That'll show me! Frustrated and rejected, he took a steak knife out of the block to open up the packaging. Nick jerked the knife through the plastic and continued straight into the side of his index finger.

At this point I was drifting off to sleep when I heard fumbling in the master bath. I heard Nick say, "This could probably use stitches." I of course threw back the covers to go investigate.

Sure enough, Nick was holding his finger trying to stop the bleeding. Thankfully it ended up being a lot better than it originally looked only requiring some peroxide, neosporin and two bandages. He looked at me with these pitiful eyes and said, "This is all your fault you know." Nice try pal. We definitely got a good laugh out of it. And of course I have to rub it in that none of this would have happened if he would just leave frozen, preservative packed food where it belongs - at the grocery store.

© Nichole DeMario, 2010 – 2011. All rights reserved

Still melting my heart.

Since falling into a married-life routine Nick and I have come to enjoy our down time together. The work day is over, we've just enjoyed a nice home cooked meal (or takeout from time to time) and we're ready to unwind.

The other night while cleaning up dinner dishes together (thank goodness he does dishes!) I asked an increasingly usual question, "So, what's the movie for tonight?"

Nick replied, "Well what are you in the mood for?" I simply said, "Eh, you decide."

Nick very, very seriously looks at me and said, "We should decide together." Personally, it didn't matter to me he knows the drill by now:
1. I prefer romantic comedies, but will settle for a good sometimes even raunchy comedy
2. I love tear jerkers between comedies, just for an even mix of emotions
3. I don't like corny, unrealistic action movies
4. I hate gore and most sci-fi
5. Violent, realistic war movies upset me

And we both have too active of imaginations to watch anything scary. So it's pretty simple to please me.

When I asked him why he said matter-of-factly, "Because we're a family."

It stopped me dead in my tracks. I must have looked ridiculous - fry pan in one hand, dish towel in the other, dumbfounded look on my face. I always thought a couple really couldn't be considered a "family". When you address your holiday cards to the newlyweds or empty nesters it's always Mr. and Mrs. Jones or Jane and John Smith. Not the Jones Family. Or at least that was my assumption.

I never thought we would be a "family" until a baby Nick or baby Nichole made their way into this world. It melted my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I didn't want to let on it touched me so much, but it did.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary online simply defines family as, ": a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head".

We are a family. Even just the two of us. We are 100-percent living for each other. His needs are my needs, mine his. We are putting the other first. Every decision we make has the other in mind.

And no, the midweek flick is not a life or death decision, but symbolic of all the decisions we have to make together in the future. It's a symbol for the sacrifices and comprises ahead that we'll now make as a family.

© Nichole DeMario, 2010 – 2011. All rights reserved

The trouble with towels

It seems dish towels and hand towels have created a wedge between my husband and I. Yes you read correctly - dish towels and hand towels.

Let's start in the heart of the home, the kitchen. For as long as I can remember my mom folded her dish towels in thirds and hung them from the stove handle. Whether it's the best place or the safest place (being fabric in close proximity to heat) I don't know, but that's the way it was done in my house.

Nick's mom always kept her dish towels folded in half by the sink ledge. While it makes perfect, logical sense for a dish towel to be near dishes I just don't like it there. Maybe it's because I'm clumsy and always end up knocking the towel into the sink mid doing dishes?

So the other day Nick and I were in the kitchen. He was by the sink and I was to his right by the stove, about three feet of countertop between us. I reach for the dish towel and he stops me. "Where are you putting that?" I replied, "Right here, where I always do." So he smiles, coyly, walks over and snatches the dish towel from the stove handle. Hands on my hips I said, "You are not putting the dish towel where your mother puts the dish towel." Ever the witty man, he comes back at me with, "You are not putting the dish towel where your mother puts the dish towel."

After this back and forth playful banter went on for a couple minutes I finally said, "You want it there? Fine. Then you can do the dishes." (I really don't care where the towel goes, sometimes I truly like picking on him!)

I thought the dish towel debate had been ended. Husband -1 Wife - 0 (although I will argue I basically forfeited). Well a few days pass and I'm on the bar stool side of our peninsula when Nick reaches over for the dish towel sitting on the counter (the one he just used after drying the dishes! YAY!), folds it into thirds and hangs it on the stove handle. "Why are you hanging it there?" I asked. He smiles, "I know you like it better here."

I have to admit, I was impressed. I underestimated my husband's intelligence. He quickly realized that doing a load of laundry, running the dishwasher and vacuuming can earn him some serious points! And this little move definitely racked them up.

But wait, that's not all! Yes, just when I thought he was getting it my husband went and negated it all. Months ago, when we were registering we both agreed we loved the idea of having a neutral, very clean looking white bathroom (with our mutual favorite color green as the accent). The other night I'm laying in bed and I look over into the master bath. Nick's mumbling about needing new gym shoes as he's scrubbing them with somethin. Tired, I respond mindlessly and get situated for bed.

The next morning I go into the bathroom and realize I should have paid closer attention. Nick decided his shoes were so important he had to scrub them with my new, fluffy, wonderfully soft, perfectly snow white hand towel!

ERRRRRR! I growled, literally, outloud. I took it downstairs and whipped it into the washer. Three loads of whites later and I can still see the damage. Yes, I know I could have just gone back to the JcPenney Home Store and picked up another hand towel, but it's the principal of the matter!

Men ugh.

© Nichole DeMario, 2010 – 2011. All rights reserved

Grocery shopping synonymous with hell!

As most newlyweds tend to do, my husband and I have started running our errands together. Save time, save gas and spend a little quality time together. It sounds all well and good in theory. What's cuter than your 6'3" hubby pushing the shopping cart through the local grocery store trying to decide which brand has the better deal on Swiss cheese? That cute vision can quickly become a nightmare!

First of all, I have to acknowledge the fact that I HATE grocery shopping. I know the germ covered cart I insist on wiping down with antibacterial wipes gets me going. Aside from that, I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe because it takes me three hours to pick up essentials? Ya know - bread, milk, cheese, toilet paper, etc. After I compare calories, cost, one-ply vs. two I feel mentally drained. But I can't bring myself to order groceries online through a convenience company.

Well now I thought wonderful, I have someone to drag along with me. Misery loves company! Another rookie mistake. It all started off with sparkling wine. My husband and I just visited Michigan's wine country. We purchased nine bottles of our favorite Chardonnays, Cabernets, Demi-Secs and Merlots. We came home with six. We are in no need of any more bottles to add to our collection, or at least that's what I thought.

Nick decided we really need a sparkling wine. We don't have any and apparently everyone needs a bottle of sparkling wine. I said I really don't think we need any, we have enough at home. Not the answer he was looking for so he sulked into the next aisle.

He made it through the remainder of the trip with minimal pouting, until we stumbled upon an aisle filled with some of our worst, most notorious vices - frozen pizzas and appetizers. I know, terrible for you. Chalked full of preservatives and empty calories. But sometimes you just gotta have some! Well in an effort to fill our freezer and pantry with more wholesome foods I made note that we didn't need the personal pizzas with 670 calories a serving and no we didn't need the box of mozzarella sticks for nearly $4 a box for 6 measly, greasy cheese sticks.

Nick was not a happy camper. I got caught up in calorie counting and price comparing, as I tend to do in grocery stores, I realized Nick was being awfully quiet for someone who had to have cheese sticks.

I looked over...Nick had deserted me, took off with the cart and all! I searched high and low, down each aisle, going back to the frozen section thinking I'd catch him stocking our cart with the mini-pizzas and cheese sticks! But no such luck.

So I gave up and headed to the door thinking he could just meet me at the car when I see him checking out at the register like everything was just peachy keen. I walked over in a huff, holding my breath and gave him the meanest glare that totally said, "How dare you walk away with our grocery cart, not filled with all the things you want and make me search for you!" I refused to talk all the way to the car, when he looks over at me with this pitiful, childlike voice and says, "All I wanted were some cheese sticks".

Married couple fight over really stupid things #1 out of 1,000,000+ I'm sure. Lesson for the day: if you must run your errands as a team, make a list before you go to the store and do not under any circumstances deviate! Otherwise you could be battling over wine and cheese in Aisle 13!

© Nichole DeMario, 2010 – 2011. All rights reserved

A word to the wise

As any intelligent woman knows one key to great looking skin is to properly remove your makeup.

Well after one very late wedding night of...knitting, I decide eh, it can wait until morning. I'll wake up, remove the remaining lipstick and fix my raccoon eyes before Sir Snores A LOT is even out of his REM sleep cycle.

Bad move Mrs. very bad move. I wake up at about 4:30 a.m. to a pulsating, burning eyelid. My eye is practically caked shut with Maybelline Falsies mascara. As I pry open my eye and try not to curse too loudly in an effort to leave my sleeping husband off in dream world, I finally see the result of my laziness.

Bloodshot...red...puffy...irritated...sensitive...OUCH!

As I should have all along, I wash my face, remove the remnants of the nights' smokey eye look and dig desperately in my purse for eye drops. I crawl back into bed and catch a few more ZZZ's hoping I'll look pristine and perfect later in the morning (and make my new husband think I always look this way in the mornings).

I knew you were hoping for a victory for the new bride. Nope. I spent the day in glasses, using the recommended amount of eye drops every four hours.

It's heart wrenching stuff people! Makeup removal is no joke! So remember no matter how late you're up knitting (or working on your needle point if that's your thing) remember to always remove that makeup or pay the consequences later.

© Nichole DeMario, 2010 – 2011. All rights reserved

Allow me to introduce us

Well hasn't this been a year of firsts? My first (& only) marriage, my first house, my first time living "away from home", first time living with someone other than family...and now my first blog. These are all firsts shared by my husband (still getting use to calling him that) too, minus the blog.

A little background on me, Nichole, and my significant other Nick. (And yes, I strategically planned that while I was dating. I would stop at nothing until I found a Nick that fit! And yes, we are naming every one of future children with the prefix "Nic"...kidding of course).

We grew up in the same town in Indiana. A little more suburban, a little less corn where we're from. We were in the same fifth grade class. It wasn't until junior year of high school that we really crossed paths again. With 3,000+ students in our high school that wasn't a difficult feat. We officially began dating May 8, 2004.

After graduation in 2005, we went on to college. Nick stayed local, majoring in business administration with minors in pre-law and communications (Note: has a job, searching for a jump start to his career in case you're hiring). I commuted to Columbia in Chicago where I majored in broadcast journalism with a concentration in television. I now work in communications, freelance and now blog.

I know, real exciting stuff here. High school sweethearts, yada yada yada...We persevered, went through our fair share of hiccups, but came out on top.

But the real deal, as previously noted, we share a lot of firsts. Being a newlywed is completely new territory for us. Living together - uncharted waters. I feel so sure when I'm with Nick, but this new adventure whoa! It's thrown me for a loop and we've been married 9 days (5 of which were spent on a honeymoon).

So here it goes. Our life, our trials and tribulations out for the world to see. Join us as we embark on our life together. This is Confessions of a Newlywed: Surviving Wedded Bliss.

© Nichole DeMario, 2010 – 2011. All rights reserved