Flower Friday: Heroism

“I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It’s so fuckin’ heroic.” ~George Carlin

In what ways can you embrace your ‘inner hero’ today?

We all have one.

It looks different in every heart.

Sometimes it is quiet like a gentle breeze

& others it flares up like a roaring tiger.

It’s all the same source.

Rest in the fact,

you are more brave than you know.

Don’t be afraid to

show the world.

Bloggy Love Day! Meet Leah~ Web Goddess Extraordinaire

1) Introduce yourself:

My name is Leah-Dawn Shaver, but I go by Leah Creates online – and now that’s my DBA! I’m a web and graphic designer, web developer, photographer, and mixed-media artist. I like to wrap this all up in a neat little package and just say that I’m a “creative handygirl”, but I’ve also used such terms as artsy-granola-geek. I live in the beautiful seaside town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire with a bunch of creatures and my amazing boyfriend, Noah J.

2) So tell me a bit about your creative background.

I started making websites the day my family got the internet at home, when I was about fifteen. This was in 1999, and I have been creating websites ever since. (My 10th anniversary is in October!) It was around the same time that I started getting into photography and my own version of “scrapbooking” (which has since evolved into art journaling and mixed media art). I’ve really just continued with everything since then.  I was a self-taught web/graphic designer/developer until 2006 when I went back to college. I am constantly learning and evolving as a creative person, but it’s a skin I’ve really seen myself growing into this year.

Affirmations + Watercolors + Glitter= Bliss

Right now I am thinking about….

So today my post is entitled, “Right now I am thinking about….”. The goal is simple, to share a few of the thoughts in my morning.  Then you add yours. See.  Easy Peasy.

Right now I am thinking about….

*How much I have been enjoying my ‘quiet days’, they have been filled with reading, relaxing, music, movies, cooking, journalling/writing.  Quite heavenly.

*How proud I am of a couple of friends (Leah, Connie) who are striking out into new adventures.  Being brave chicks & ‘rockin’ their dreams.

*That raspberries on my cereal this morning was the best thing since sliced bread.

* I like to wear cute & casual sundresses (even though I am so not a ‘dress’ girl!)

* Even though I work in movies, I still find them magical!

* I’m not really shy (I have perfectionist tendencies).  There is a difference.

* I like my clothes to be comfy & soft.

* I see the good in other people (and choose to focus on that).

* I swear when I am mad.  Why? Hmmmm.

YOUR TURN.  1, 2, 3, Go! *wink*

*SERIES* “Love & A Photo”: Sherri & Jeff

Name:

Sherri: Sherri Martin-Hutchins

Jeff: Sherri’s Man-Servant (Jeff)

Age:

Sherri: 32

Jeff: 36

Lifes’ Work:

Sherri: Bringing people cheer. But for my day job, I’m a freelance web producer.

Jeff: Me for the most part

What city do you live in:

Sherri: New Egypt, NJ

Jeff: New Egypt, NJ

How long have you been together:

Sherri: 3 years

Jeff: not long enough…  maybe 3 years and change’ish

How & where did you meet?

Sherri: We used to work together.

Jeff: We met at work.  We were friends for awhile first.  The job stunk and we both came out of bad relationships.  I think we ended up talking a lot about what we wanted out of life and out of a partner and the answers were very much the same.  It’s hard to find someone who is needy. Ok with you being needy, and still somehow a giver who lets you have space when you need it.  So we kind of knew all that about each other before we ever started dating.  For the record Sherri liked me early on but really stunk at showing it.

What was your first impression?

Sherri: He was so handsome, intelligent, and funny.  A killer combination.  I wanted to spend more time around him.

Jeff: Adorable….  I thought she was adorable.  She was dressed all professional and being smart but no matter how hard she was trying the adorable was just oozing out all over.  It didn’t hurt that she looked all shapely nice too.  I’m a guy we check those things. (the first time I typed that I typed thongs???  Freudian slip perhaps but spell check thought it was ok)

Describe your first date.

Sherri: We were out at dinner with a group of friends.  After dinner, the restaurant cleared the tables and played latin music.  One of our friends suggested to Jeff that he dance with me, so we did.  We never let go of each other’s hands the rest of the night.

Jeff: It was weird because it was a pseudo date that turned into a group thing and then into a date.  We were going to a happy hour with a bunch of friends.  We knew there were sparks and we had a very awkward conversation about going early and eating first but never really said “hey lets date.”  So we did and then everyone showed up.  There was drinking and dancing to Spanish music.  After we danced we were walking back to the group but Sherri never let go of my pinky finger.  Which was awesomely adorable and then we just kept holding hands.  I guess we were big on the no talking let it happen kind of stuff.  Later when we were walking to a second place I just attacked her face,  mainly because I needed chapstick but she thought it was nice so we have been sharing chapstick ever since.

Tell me about the most funny thing your partner ever did to “impress” you.

Sherri: I’m having a lot of trouble thinking of something he has deliberately done to impress me that ended up being funny.  I think that happened to me a lot more.  He has a great sense of humor.  Lately I have been participating in Jamie Ridler’s Wreck This Journal book blogging group.  Jeff has helped with some of the wrecking.  Just a few nights ago we made a video to post on my blog that involved gasoline, fire, and slow-motion running, all of which was his idea.  Silly me, I was just going to hold a match to a page, but he helped me step it up.  He’s a lot of fun that way.  Oh, and there was the time at the Chinese restaurant where he was pouring me a cup of hot tea.  Apparently the pot and the cup both became outrageously hot at the same time so he dropped them both and tea went everywhere.  A cute pair of old ladies at the next table said, “I hope this isn’t your first date.”  I think it was our third, in fact.

Jeff: There really is no limit to that. Most of the time it isn’t on purpose funny.  One of the first dates we had she invited me over for dinner and then cooked the rice and forgot to put water in it.  We both sort of  stumble a lot, but we enjoy it.  I think just in the first few weeks she threw 4 different food products at me on separate occasions.  She claims by accident.

When did you know it was love?

Sherri: I would think about him when he wasn’t around and think how much more fun whatever I was doing at that moment would be if he were there sharing it with me.  But when he mentioned he had corned beef hash for breakfast one morning, I knew it was love!  I haven’t come across too many fellow hash lovers.

Jeff: The first time I saw her naked.  How could I not love her after that.  Ok maybe before that.  We went to a park and we were having lunch (I did a lot of wooing back then. )  After we ate we were walking back and she just jumped on my back.  She’s little so I got to pull off being tough and manly, but I thought that I need someone in my life who just randomly enjoys life and goes with it like that.  Sherri just is that smart functional grown up who randomly pulls off playful and happy in a very genuine way.

Are you guys more of “perfect twins” or “opposite attracts”?

Sherri: I’d say we are something in between.  In some ways we are perfect twins. We both like to stay home and relax some times and go out for a night on the town other times.  We are both needy and cuddly and clingy yet like to have our own individual space, too.  That’s a hard balance to come by.  We are definitely opposites when it comes to sleeping patterns.  Jeff can get by on just a few hours, but I really like a good 8-9 hours of sleep.  He can jump on the phone or go straight in to work first thing in the morning, whereas I need a little more waking up time to be functional.

Jeff: Both. We are very much twins with relationship stuff and very much opposites with our own lives and personalities.  It’s like sweet and sour candy.  They may be opposites but with a whole world of possibilities they both choose to be candy.  Again for the record she is sweet and I’m sour.

Retell the coolest travel adventure that you have taken together.

Sherri: Definitely Italy.  We went there last summer for two weeks.  We hiked, we strolled, we made friends, we laughed (a lot), we ate (a lot).  We rented a boat in Capri.  We rode a local bus to Tivoli.  We looked cautiously at Vesuvius when it sounded like it might erupt.  Fortunately it was only a thunderstorm rolling over.  We exchanged vows in Rome, something we had arranged the week before we left on our trip for Thursday, July 24.  On our way to Rome Wednesday, July 23, we called the coordinater and asked if we could switch to that night instead.  We checked in to the hotel, spent an hour scoping a location, then got dressed up and met the officiant. A couple we met on our tour bought me Gerbera daisies at a corner stand.  We also gave them our camera to take pictures and ended up with amazing photos.  It was all perfectly last minute!

Jeff: We have many adventures but Italy was the best so far.  We got married in Rome and it was very us.  Awesome and simple.  We ran through all of the touristy stuff because we still wanted to do and see everything but didn’t want to spend the entire trip touring.  We mixed in day trips to out of the way places and relaxing days like at the spa in Florence or at the beach in Venice (Lido).   It was awesome.  I licked all of the monuments and Sherri still married me so……there’s that.

How do you share your creativity/gifts with the world?

Sherri: Right now I’m reminding myself about my own creativity.  I don’t have much out in the world, but I write a blog called Life After Web. I’m really excited about photography at the moment and brainstorming ideas on what to do with it.  Aside from that, I’m really big on hand-written snail mail.  One of the greatest simple joys in life is opening a mailbox to find a personal note amongst the bills.  So I randomly send cards and postcards to people.  Stickers are often involved.

Jeff: I sometimes draw or paint or stuff like that but I think mostly it’s more in my philosophy.  Which I hand out freely.  I have theories on everything and my brain spends most of its time working on them.

What was your first disagreement about?

Sherri: It used to be Jeff wouldn’t necessarily show up where he said he would be at the time he said he would be there.  It wasn’t intentional, he just wasn’t very good at estimating how long it took him to get ready, get distracted, get back on track, and drive places.  I used to be a very punctual person.  Over time I’ve learned that punctual is often overrated and Jeff has gotten better with his estimations.

Jeff: If we ever disagreed I must have missed it.  I am somewhat oblivious at times but I tend not to spend too much effort on disagreeing with Sherri.  I save it for other people and as cranky, manipulative, and opinionated as I can be Sherri gets papal dispensation from it.  If we disagree it’s philosophically and we banter more than argue.  I know she gets mad at me when I’m irritating or late but we don’t really argue about it.  She tells me, I agree that I’m an idiot and apologize for my unwillingness to change.  I told her when we started dating that I was rum raisin.  Everyone loves chocolate and strawberry but rum raisin you either love or hate and even if you try to pick out the raisins the flavor is still the same.

What do you do after a ‘fight’?

Sherri: One of us sticks our tongue out (almost like a dog does when he’s happily panting).  When one of us does that, the other one has to do it, too.  It started once early on when Jeff put his tongue out because of something un-fun we were talking about (probably work related).  I stuck my tongue out back at him and he laughed.  It’s been our rule ever since that if things get unpleasant, that’s how we break the mood.  It’s hard to be angry when you both have your tongues hanging out like idiots.

Jeff: We don’t fight much at all really.  We have a system. I get to be right and she has no choice… no we just don’t fight.  I like her more than my own ego and I think she does too.  If we start getting edgy with each other we stick our tongues out.  It’s hard to argue when that happens for some reason.  The other person just looks goofy and you have to let it go.  We also never shut up so we talk through almost everything before it becomes an issue.  Like saying naked when I know her family will see this someday.  I told her.  She said noooooo and I did it anyway.  That’s how we roll.

Have you faced any adversity? If so, and you care to share- what…

Sherri: All the time- ha ha!  I’ve learned there is always going to be something.  It may be big like family health problems, it may be small like different ideas about parenting.  It may be money, it may be work, it may be a perpetually broken dishwasher.  No matter what, there is always something going wrong.  Hopefully there is always something going right, too.

Jeff: Not really.  I think the transition from supporting friends to “Us” was a little testing.  You never know if when all the smoke settles if you still have things in common and the last thing I ever wanted was a life-long co-miserator.  We made the move to happy together very easily though.

Describe your love journey in 3 words.

Sherri: Absurdly crazy happiness

Jeff: Little Big Spoon (it’s one of her nicknames.  She’s little but she likes to be the big spoon.  Taking the time to know all of that about someone is a big part of who we are together.)

For the marrieds, how has life changed since you got hitched?

Sherri: It hasn’t changed much except now we have a perfectly good excuse for being cuddly and disgustingly cute.  We are now what we were before, only better, because now there is no pressure.

Jeff: I have totally let myself go.  I don’t even wash anymore.  No punchline that’s it.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite beverage?

Sherri: Just one?  Hmmm.  I suppose it would be ice tea.  Always refreshing and comforting.  To really quench thirst, though, a tall glass of ice water is the only way to go.  Ooh, and fountain cokes.  Those are the best.

Jeff: I have no idea…..  I like them all and in great abundance.  So does Sherri which is the first person I’ve ever dated who can go through 3 or 4 refills in one sitting.  I guess if I had to right now I would like a Snapple green tea with apple in it.  Later I’ll want a Gatorade and after that some Yoo-hoo.  Yoo-hoo is the best name though.  If Arizona green tea was called Yoo-hoo that would be my favorite hands down.

If you want more info about or to sign up for the Love & A Photo Project go here: Love & A Photo: A Glance

Flower Friday: Make a wish

While your at it,

Go HERE and post your wish.

Wishes are real.

They require courage

& flourish with hope.

Wishes need to be cultivated.

Take the time.

Book Review Redux: Reclaim Your Dreams

So here you go. A review.  Jonathan threw out the challenge to twitterland that people who wanted to review his book could get a copy for FREE.  I never back down from a challenge!

Lucky for me I had already bought a copy (I always seem to have stuff like that happen, it is funny really) BUT I like this book so much I wanted to do the review anyway.

Little back story.  I enjoy giving you guys history before I launch into why something is fabulous.  It is my firm belief that relationship is key when taking on recommendations.  I came across Jonathan’s blog, ILLUMINATED MIND, about a year ago.  It was one of the first blogs I visited that bucked conventional living and had tons of useful content to inspire & live your ‘dream life’.

I saw that he was selling an e-book that was called “Reclaim Your Dreams” (at the time I needed a bit of a kick start) so I bought it.  When I opened the book, I was very excited because I am such a big fan of his site.  The book did not disappoint.  It had the flair and content of his blog but able to get detailed and break things down more specifically.  The book is interesting because there are 2 parts (he uses a good analogy in the preface about gardening):

PART 1: Jonathan takes you through stuff that could be blocking you.  I know for me this is a topic that I always need help with.  Just what keeps you from living your best life.  He shines a light on those scary hangups & “cloggy bits”.  There is also some discussion of just how to get past those things.

PART 2: Here is where he will take you through how to live those dreams. Manifestation.  Really practical and achievable.  If you feel like you lack some of the tools to make your dreams happen, he will give you some suggestions & tips to support you with that.

This e-book is a quick read but it packs a punch.  He fills it to the gills with great insights plus additional ‘assignments’.  Each chapter has an ‘exercise’ and ‘points to meditate on’; these are great because it’s not just about having the dream but acting on it. Action is needed.

Having these aides really pointed me in the right direction- breaking it down into bite-sized pieces I could handle without getting bogged down.  Very nice indeed. There is nothing harder than trying to take on a new ‘program’ and it overwhelms you with “stuff”, Reclaims Your Dreams does none of that.  Simple & Powerful, like the writer. Very no-nonsense.

This book is wonderful and will be a great support & reference for when you need help moving from your ‘life in a box’ to ‘living free’.

If you want to check it out, get a free chapter to sample.  He offers the book for sale here (you can also get MORE book info & hiring him as a ‘kick-your-butt-into- gear’ life coach on this page).

One thing I HAVE to mention is that Jonathan has a beautiful and talented wife named Ev’Yan who also has her own creative pursuits.  You can check it out at Apricot Tea. She is a supremely talented jewelry maker and fashionista.

Bio: Jonathan Mead is interested in creating a social movement of liberation, based on people living on their own terms. In his spare time he studies Jeet Kune Do and other ass-kicking strategies. He’s currently researching how to get paid to exist.

Spin time & A surprise

Aren’t we super lucky?!?! They made an adorably cute box that you can put these in (if you choose).

I wanted to put my own spin on it.  So here I go:

1) print the affirmations

2) gather the printed affirmations (aren't they pretty!)

3) cut out each affirmation, lovely little circles of joy!

4) take time to get 'clear' about your project

5) The next step is a secret project I am working on & will reveal next Tuesday!

Stay tuned….

Being the new kid in school

Being stuck in a pattern is never fun.

Lately, with the start of this blog & other things that are going on in my life right now, I noticed that I am having huge amount of anxiety (along with the super exciting feelings of creating new stuff).

My anxiety shows itself by being what I call ” new kid in school syndrome”, you know that awkward feeling that comes up when you are new and everyone around you is staring & seems to be seeing all your vulnerabilities- (side note: Not to mention you are usually NOT wearing the coolest outfit that day).

So, I have this right now.  I am putting myself out there in some really new ways, and I am intimidated. Everywhere I look there seems to be someone who does it more eloquently or funnier or more creatively.  UH OH!   The comparison trap rears its head.

Yucky. The comparison trap (when I speak on this it will only be my thoughts, nothing guru here).  Now where does this come from? In my case, I notice it hits when I’m out of my comfort zone. I like the new. I’m all about the new. The new makes me feel good because it is all about creating & discovering. The “stuck” (as the ever amazing Havi calls it) happens when that voice in side tells me “I am not good enough” or “look around she/ he did it better than you did”.

I am on the path of dealing with the yuckies.  Exploring ways to walk this journey with gentleness & love towards myself.

Last night though, it hit me hard.  I found out some news that got heaped onto the already existing feelings I was trying to work through. So what did I do. Ran for food (funny coming from a skinny girl, i know, but we do it too). After eating tons of chips & ice cream, geez- I was a foodie on a warpath.

I sat down in my room and breathed in deep.  Then I listened.

What I heard broke my heart a little bit.  It was like a soft voice rose up and said to me “You are good enough, Melly.”

Then I slowly took myself through a little journey of my “stucks”.  The BIG monster one is “new kid in school”. It pushed its way to the front.

My stuck= I am surrounded by some creative powerhouses & I feel like I can’t keep up.

I would like to say that I spoke to my “stucks” and everything is fine & dandy. Nope. What did happen is I listened. Slowly and gently I will work on this stuff.  From a safe place.

One thing I think about as I write this is:

“Isn’t it funny it comes on the heels of telling people to do their own thing, who cares if its been done before, the world NEEDS their voice?”

**Whether you are dealing with “stucks” or skating along on your path, don’t forget. BE GENTLE with YOU.**

*SERIES* “Love & A Photo”: Claudia & Paul

*Name:*

Claudia & Paul Robinson

*Age:*

Claudia: I just turned 39.

Paul: 34, she’s a true Mrs. Robinson in every sense of the name.

*Lifes’ Work:*

Claudia: Mother, Wife & Photographer, and not always in that order and sometimes all at once.

Paul: Lineman, I’m the guy you see hanging from a bucket, tangled in the wires, making sure your power stays on. I experienced Katrina in LA, talk about coming home with an appreciation for what you have, regardless of how limited it may have appeared before.

*What city do you live in:*

Claudia & Paul: Yarmouth, Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

*How long have you been together:*

Claudia: It will be 11 years this August.

Paul: Too long. KIDDING! KIDDING!

*How & where did you meet?*

Claudia: At a bar. I was recently widowed and found myself drowning my sorrow in a glass of whiskey when I looked up and saw him walk in. I knew pretty much everyone at the bar, it was one of those ‘Cheers’ kinda places for the down and out, so I was curious. I asked the bartender about him and she gave me the 411. We bantered back and forth and hit it off right away. A few drinks later, a massage and a pool game, and it was love at first hangover.

Paul: If she says she let me win the pool game, don’t listen. I won fair and square. The truth is that we made a deal that the person that won the game got to take the other one home. When I adopted her son a few years later, the Judge at the Courthouse asked him if he knew how his parents had met. My son didn’t even blink, he looked at the Judge and said, “Mom won Dad in a game of pool.” The Judge signed the papers there and then, probably because he wanted us out of the room so he could finally laugh his ass off.

*What was your first impression?*

Claudia: God, he’s 6’2, tall, muscular, dark and handsome. He had on tight jeans and cowboy boots and since he’d just come out of the ARMY a high and tight, he was so different than the regular guys that frequented the bar. So strong and self-assured. I was smitten. Instantly.  I found myself wishing I had dressed up, I think I had a man’s shirt on that night. Hot, huh?

Paul: She had jeans on and a plaid lumberjack shirt with work boots. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail and I think the only make-up she had on was lip-gloss. But god, she smelled good. And she had this killer attitude. I had just got out of the ARMY, I wasn’t looking for anything, but she wasn’t just anything. She just seemed to ‘be’. She had moxie.  She was funny as hell, too. And short. Cute and short.

*Describe your first date.*

Claudia: At the time I was working as the Assistant Manager of a hotel on the water. As a bonus I managed to get three first class tickets to Nantucket Island on the Hyline Cruise. Paul, myself and my 15 mos. Old son, Kyle, went over for the day. It’s probably one of the best memories I have of the beginning of our courtship. My heart had been so hard, so cold, so cynical for so long that it just felt amazing to let it crack open and feel again. When Paul hoisted Kyle up on to his shoulders, or splashed with him in the puddles until the only dry clothes either of them had were underwear, I knew I had something special. Yeah, I was scared to death to love again, but Paul made it so easy, made it feel so right. He wanted to take care of us, and until that day, I’d always been the one doing the ‘taking care of’.

Paul: We spent the day on the Island. It was the first time I had a chance to really get to know her son, and see her in action as a Mother. I confess I hid the fact that she was a widow and a single mother from my parents and friends in the beginning, afraid of what they would say, but after that day, I realized it was who she was, what made her Claudia. She wasn’t about primping and fawning, she didn’t have time to do that. She was this amazing mother with this super kid, who still managed to make me feel like a King when we were alone, and that day kinda made me realize I was exactly where and with the person I was supposed to be. I got shit from my friends, but she eventually worked her charm on them, too. My parents LOVED her.

*Tell me about the most funny thing your partner ever did to “impress” you.*

Claudia: Buffet tickets. The very next day after we met. He walked in to my house and told me, rather than asked me, that we were going. I had honestly assumed that he’d just been another one night stand and I’d never seen him again. Prepared myself for that really. When he walked in the door and propositioned me with these tickets I felt relief and I couldn’t stop laughing. C’mon, Buffet for a second date? That’s awesome.

Paul: Her first thanksgiving. She’d never cooked a turkey before but so very badly wanted to make it a family thing for us all and to show me she was ‘wife material’. She didn’t know there were giblets in the turkey to be removed, and she assumed a turkey took as long as chicken. I think we had spaghetti in the end, and we laughed so hard at the horribleness of the meal. That was the last time she made something crappy. 11 years later she’s the most amazing chef. We still laugh about her dinner though, every Thanksgiving.

*When did you know it was love?*

Claudia: God, it’s so cliché, that whole ‘love at first site’ thing, but I honestly believe there is a thread between humans, invisible, that tightens and pulls when two people who work well together, meet. I saw him and my heart stopped and took notice. When he kissed me the first time, nothing else in the world existed. I kinda knew. But it wasn’t until I saw him interacting with my son…yeah, that’s when I knew for sure I’d found my other, better, half.

Paul: It took me a little bit longer to admit to love. I liked her, was crazy about her, but I was only 23. I was wild, and still plundering and pillaging with my college and ARMY buds. She was 29. A woman with a child. Already married once. She was wild too, but obviously her priorities were a little different than mine. I think once I realized she didn’t care that I still needed my friends and my guy time, didn’t want to take that away from me, in fact encouraged it, and eventually even adored my best friend (and vice versa), that I knew I loved her.

*Are you guys more of “perfect twins” or “opposite attracts”?*

Claudia: Opposites. Definitely. I am a worry wart, a consummate control freak and totally type A. I wear my emotions on my sleeve and use a loudspeaker to express them. Paul is the most laid back, relaxed, live and let live kinda guy you could find. He keeps me sane.

Paul: Opposites. She’s a nut case. And I mean that in a good way.

*Retell the coolest travel adventure that you have taken together*

Claudia: I’d have to say our trip to upstate NY in the pouring rain on the back of the motorcycle. 4.5 hours of cold rain, truck sluiced waves of water on the highway, pit stops at rest areas to dry our hair, people staring at us like we were insane. It was awesome. You survive that kinda excursion and you can do anything together. I earned my official ‘biker bitch’ badge that day.

Paul: Yeah, I have to agree. She was a GREAT sport. I was totally surprised at how well she handled that! It could have been a nightmare. Instead she laughed the entire way.

*How do you share your creativity/gifts with the world?*

Claudia: Photography and writing. Mostly behind the lens of my camera. I love seeing the world and then capturing it. My memory blows. I’m going to be one of those doddering old ladies who loses her way all the time, capturing my life with photos ensures I’ll remember some of it.

Paul: I’m not creative. Not at all. Unless you consider finding routes to travel on a motorcycle that include spots she can take pictures of, creative. She’s the creative one. I’m the cheerleader. With hairy legs.

*What was your first disagreement about?*

Claudia: Money. Lack thereof or how to spend/save it when we do have it..

Paul: Sadly, she’s right. Any fights we have has to do with money, savings and investments. Money sucks.

*What do you do after a ‘fight’?*

Claudia: Sex. Make up sex. Sweaty, bed rocking, hair pulling, angry makeup sex.

Paul: Amen. Are you mad now by any chance?

*Have you faced any adversity? If so, and you care to share- what…*

Claudia: Cancer. Me. Scary as hell. I’m a survivor, and I say that with pride, but I would never, ever have managed to beat it were it not for his strength and unconditional love. When you think you’re about to check out, perspectives get altered and priorities fall in to place. He was and is my rock. And of course there are the adversities that any married couple faces, the ups and downs that flesh out a marriage. We’ve suffered and survived a few doozies during the 11 years we’ve been together, and I’m sure there are more to come, but if you really love someone, really want to spend the rest of your life with them, you learn to pick and choose your battles early on.

Paul: Fear makes you strong. It was a very scary time. But it made us stronger in the end. Adversity is unavoidable in any relationship. If any couple claims otherwise they are lying and sailing the river denial. Without a lifejacket.

*Describe your love journey in 3 words.*

Claudia: Road less traveled.

Paul: Rock & Roll.

*For the marrieds, how has life changed since you got hitched?*

Claudia: Of course. You begin to think for more than yourself. I becomes we. Sometimes it comes naturally, other times you wish for me I time. Part of the journey is being able to blend and separate, create a balance.

Paul: The ability to just get up and go is impeded. You have a family to think about. You look at the motorcycle in the garage and remember the days of a backpack and nothing else, you and the road. Now you have to make sure you’ve got a map, tampons and…kidding. She said it right, you have to find a balance between who you were and who you’ve become and respect the space between the two, giving and taking as needed.

*Bonus Question: What is your favorite beverage?*

Claudia: Cabernet Sauvignon. Without a doubt.

Paul: Ginger and Jack. NO fruit.

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