20 and Counting!

This month Rick and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. Big doin's for some, a drop in the bucket for others, an unheard of accomplishment for still others. (Please refrain from laughing out loud until the end as you view the following photos portraying our fantastic early 90s fashion, gigantic wedding party, big hair and slick mullets...we know you dressed like this too!)

For us it was a Wednesday night during a silly busy week. We toasted our togetherness with glasses of sparkling wine and roses and smushy kisses nonetheless. And then we got right back to the business of living. You see, we celebrate being a couple every day. We don't schedule date night to remind us that we should still be in love, we practice that one all the time.

I can remember my mom saying that she and my dad never fought -- they discussed issues. Sometimes they would discuss things over and over again! Contrary to that philosophy is the Rick and Mo negotiation tactic. We fight.

But, we fight honestly and openly. Most often we banter back and forth and steam a bit and then spark another round...and then we let it go. But, always, always, always, we fight with each other. We don't tell our friends and family about how mad we are about something if we haven't been honest with each other. Its solid advice, feel free to take it to the bank and save it for a rainy day...or just spend it freely on your own relationship.

Truly I think the secret to surviving more than 20 years of marriage is that we like to dance with each other. Let's be honest, there are very few people who would want to take on the challenge of dancing with either one of us. We insist on spinning and twirling and whipping each other all about the dance floor. Really, I think we were destined to be professional swing dancers, except that we are really too lazy to learn all of those precise moves (and seriously, can you imagine Rick flipping me over his head or under his legs, while I'm wearing a swing skirt - the horrors!).

At any given moment if a band, a DJ, or the radio playing in the next room strikes up a tune that either of us recognizes we are bound to grab the other and start twirling. Recently we realized how horrifying this can be to the younger generation in our midst. I was surprised to learn that our moves are not "cool" and that we are considered something of a hot mess by the kids in our family (they are only 7 and 8 years old, so I will forgive them!).

Its the cross that we must bear in accordance with our marital vows. Once you've been married this long, nobody expects cool any more. Yet, I think we've still got it. Hopefully we'll be able to hang on to it for several more decades to come.

Everyone should be so blessed to live out their lives with a person with whom they can always fight fair and who isn't afraid to spin them on the dance floor. Someone who will still turn out the lights each night with a simple "I love you." And, really, really mean it.

I Just Want a Pan That's Still Round!

My pans are warped. Sure, I've had them for about 15 years. But, they are pans for goodness sake! They are made out of a fantastic steel and about 10 other metal derivatives, according to the sales pitch I received when I bought them. How do they warp?

I remember washing the pots and pans at my parent's house as a child. They were so bright and shiny with their copper bottoms...nothing fancy or ultra or improved about them. I'm sure they were the basic model at the time that my mom and dad married, more than 55 years ago, since they were a wedding gift.

My mom was famous for burning the vegetables at dinnertime. So, these pans were sure to have a few scars from that abuse. But, they sure weren't warped. The lids fit. And, they were still in my mom's kitchen several years ago when we emptied her house after her death. I wonder where they are today...

My fantastic arsenal of cookware was the finest my money could buy at the time. I remember how proud I was of their heavy duty weight and clear, shatterproof lids. I bought all the requisite accessories -- spoons, spatulas, a giant fork, and even a coated whisk -- to prevent any ruptures in their fine, non-stick, Teflon skin.

And yet they warped!

The manufacturer said that they could be washed safely in the dishwasher. Sometimes I took them up on this luxury. Other times I washed them by hand.

I asked a manufacturer's representative about this anomaly. It was suggested that I shouldn't have placed them in the dishwasher. And, after all, they are almost 20 years old! Luckily they have a new series of pots and pans to offer me that are even more improved and fantastic than those I owned!

It's not just these darn pans, which my family will continue using until they literally fall apart. It seems to be a trend in manufacturing today. Shiny wins!

I enjoy sparkly new as much as the next person. But, honestly, I'm getting a little perturbed by the underlying theme that I'll be too distracted to notice that manufacturers are crafting and selling crap at premium prices. I don't shop at a dollar store, and I expect my purchases to reflect that.

Will it help if I start packaging up all the "stuff" that I've purchased that fails to live up to even its miniscule warranty? I'll send it back to the goofball product managers who built their projections for merit increases on immediate sales and not long-term brand commitment and satisfaction.

Is there a single consumer products brand out there that cares about what they make beyond squeezing it into the smallest possible packaging to maximize shelf-space? If yes, please point them out to me. I'm waiting...with my warped pans in hand!