To Take His Name... Or Not

So we're married. It's time to decide the name. Yes, I have been debating the name change. I mean is it really necessary?? I've grown quite fond of my name and people can even pronounce/spell it correctly. I even like my middle name. Rayne. It's unique and fun and goes with Hannah very well. I even think my initials go together smoothly. HRD. You can say it 5 times super fast and never get your tongue twisted. It's perfect!! (I know you just said my initials 5 times, it's ok). 

So what should I do? Take his name or keep mine the same. Let's talk about it. I tried to convince him to take my name, but that didn't go very well. As a matter of fact he just walked away and refused to discuss it. I mean how rude is that. At least consider it! If I take his name no one will ever be able to pronounce it. No one knows how to spell it. This just seems like a lot of trouble to go through for the rest of my life. Is it really worth it? Now, for all of Stewart's family, I'm not dissing the last name. You all know what a challenge it is. Can you guys really blame me for having some doubts?! 

If I leave it as is, it would probably hurt Stewart's feelings a little bit. (I guess I'll take that into some consideration) It would most certainly cause some drama throughout the family. And it's not very traditional. I don't take that last one too seriously, because we aren't really a traditional couple. We didn't even do a unity candle at the ceremony. Thank goodness. If I leave it the way it is now, which is perfect, then I won't have to change anything. All my bank stuff, school, and drivers license can all stay the same. I won't have to go through the hassle of changing anything. 

Stewart's suggestion was to change my facebook and start saying it more. Well, it's almost been 2 weeks and every time I hear Mrs. Felkel, I somewhat cringe. I don't know if it's because it makes me feel old, it's so proper, or because it's not my name! I don't even let my nephews call me "Aunt". I hate it! It's so old fashioned. It makes me want to grind my teeth. Yes, I know it shows respect, but they can show me respect in different ways. So, maybe it is just the "Mrs" part. I don't know; but I don't like it! 

So guys, what should I do. Should I go ahead and change my name and every time someone pronounces it wrong or spells it weird make Stewart buy me something. : ) Or do I stick with what's worked my whole life? It's a tough decision. On one hand I'll be showered in gifts, but on the other there won't be any hassles. To take his name, or to not take his name. That is the question.

Death by Laundry

Back story on my laundry past. I like to sort all the clothing. Whites, colors, towels, things with zippers, dress clothes, and delicates. Yes it takes longer but there is no destroying of clothes. For those that don't know me I like clothes from different local boutiques, and stores like J Crew and Banana Republic. In guy terms: the clothes are somewhat thin and they need to be washed with love and care. I have lived away from home since I was 18 so I have been washing my own clothes for awhile. Meaning I have my own way of doing it, so don't mess with it.

Stewart's back story of laundry. Throw all the clothes, towels, and sheets into a large of load as possible. I kid you not. No sorting the clothes at all. No washing dress clothes on delicates. After the clothes are washed, they may or may not be folded. And if there was by chance a miracle that day and they were folded, they most likely were never put away. Piles of clean laundry would be all over the place. His favorite spot: the coffee table. The few times I made the mistake of letting him wash laundry without my supervision my clothes would come back a size smaller, have holes in them (from the zippers of his slacks), or the socks not matching at all. I can't begin to tell everyone how many shirts I have thrown away from holes being in them. Ugh. Very frustrating.

So it was our first laundry day as a married couple. Why you ask has it taken us so long, well I knew it was going to be a huge job, so I waited till the husband had a day off. (Like I would do it by myself) Luckily we have learned the best system for us is for me to sort, wash, and make sure the clothes get in the dryer. He is responsible for folding and putting things away. Problem with this is that these two responsibilities are not his strong suits. What else can I do?! Take the chance of him ruining more of our clothes?? I think not! Another problem, he hates with a passion, matching socks. It's like pulling teeth to get him to take his time and match all of them. 

Now these blogs are not meant to put down my husband. The complete opposite in fact. I am telling the world how he is improving by following my lead. What better way to learn? I'm not saying that I'm better then him. I'm just saying I'm better at laundry. (And probably a lot more things).

P.S. I got him some nose strips for the snoring. Last night, he was not kicked out of the bedroom. Improvement! 

Sleepless in Louisiana

First off, I must say that I have some unusual sleeping habits. I sleep with a sleep mask every night. I got in the habit when I went to visit my dad and I haven't stopped. Not only do I like a sleep mask, I only sleep with the same kind of sleep mask. So I try to stock up as much as possible. I also have to have a fan on when I sleep. I blame my mother for this because she listens to one every night and has cursed to listening to one as well. Why is it a curse you ask? Think about it, when you go out of town most hotels do not have ceiling fans. (I prefer a plug in fan beside my bed, but a ceiling fan works in desperate times) Also, it's a pain in the butt to travel with a fan. Yes, I have tried, my need for a fan at night is that severe. Saying all this, poor Stewart has grown used to these things over the years. We bought a fan for me a couple of years ago and he always kept an eye mask around. Thank goodness.

There's no polite way in saying this, but my husband snores. And not only does he snore, you can hear it throughout the house. Now that we are married, there is no catching up on sleep after a weekend stay. There are no naps at my own house Monday afternoon. There's just a very loud man snoring beside me. Now, people have told me that I will get use to it over time. Guess what, that's not going to happen, because he drowns out the noise of my fan! The one noise that I have to have!! About a year ago I tried earplugs and once again I couldn't hear the sound of the fan.

You're asking yourselves now what my solution was. I'll tell you. The man is sleeping in the guest room. Yes, that's correct I am kicking my husband out in the middle of the night to sleep somewhere else. Why does he have to sleep somewhere else? Because it's easier for him to move his alarm clock then for me to move the fan, my cell phone, etc. Excuses, I know. But I have married a man that is kind enough to move to the other bedroom.

Yes, I do feel bad about kicking him out, but I need sleep too. I do like sleeping beside him, but I am not a morning person, let alone a morning person that tossed and turned for the past 4 days. Let's just say that sleeping on the honeymoon was miserable, because there was no kicking him out. There was just me sleeping with a pillow over my head, glaring out the alarm clock hoping to goodness that it was closer to morning then it was.

Lesson kids, find out if the man you are marrying snores. Next thing to find out, is if he minds sleeping somewhere else. That is going to be key in your survival to marriage. Because let's face it if mama ain't getting sleep, she sure ain't happy.

Big Spending

We made two major buys yesterday: groceries and a dyson vacuum cleaner.

Groceries are a necessity in life obviously. But who knew that it would be so expensive buying for 2 people. Yes, Stewart and I have bought groceries before but not when I was living here full time. I plan on cooking a lot, so we bought lots of different things for me to cook. Lots of chicken, of course, since that's my favorite thing to cook and his favorite thing to eat. Stewart also didn't have a lot of the everyday stuff. Like lunchmeat, snacks, condiments, etc. So this was a huge buy on our part. But it will be worth it. After seeing how much it costs, I will for sure be cooking as to not waste anything.

We needed a good vacuum cleaner. We have two dogs who shed a lot and then there is me. Some of you may not know this but I shed a lot. It's almost concerning how much I shed, but it's just because I have really thick hair. Bottom line, we needed a great vacuum cleaner. We had lots of gift cards to Target, so I of course researched before we went and found one that I wanted. But it was a major discussion between Stewart and I because that would be the end of the gift cards. After it was bought, I immediately regretted it. We could have used that money on so much more stuff. Like groceries, movies, dog stuff, the list is endless. But as soon as we got home I just vacuumed a small strip of our carpet and I was amazed. The hair was crazy and it was completely clean. I love it!! I was also reading the box and this is a good asthma and allergy vacuum cleaner. We also have friends that have kids and lots of nieces and nephews, and I was always worried that the dog hair would affect them. But not anymore! Wonderful buy on our part. No regrets.

Now, that I'm married I know I'm going to have to watch my spending. And just these two major items sent me into a shock. But this is the price we pay to marry young. And once again, I have no regrets. Now I'm off to cook!

The Beginning

Most people know how Stewart and I met; but for those of you who don't try to save your laughter. Stewart was my Senior band teacher in high school. No, we didn't see each other when I was his student. But yes, I did have a major crush on him. I came back a couple of months after graduation to help him with band camp, and as the saying goes, the rest is history. We dated for 3 years, and then he proposed to me.

We were married on June 18th, and flew out the next day for our honeymoon. We had a blast. A little home sick but we had a lot of fun. The wedding itself was amazing. The planning portion of it was crazy. And days before the wedding I was a disaster. Needless to say, it was a stressful process, that I don't regret. It was an amazing wedding. We are truly blessed with friends and family.

This blog is for everyone to read about our lives and how we make it through both the newlywed bliss and struggles. This is an amazing adventure that we are on and we want to share it with everyone. Stay tuned for the next update.