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FROM GOOD OLE UNCLE VICJune 2006
Boy has this been a great spring or what? Now, don't go complaining about how hot it is now. It's June, for gosh sake! It's gonna be hot. Most of you young'uns don't remember what it was like to go to sleep with your windows open and a portable fan blowing in your face to keep the air flowing. Thank goodness for AC!
The answer to last month's quiz, who is the highest ranking general in the history of the United States Army? Why, the father of our country, George Washington, of course. He is the only 7 star general in the history of the United States, and will continue to be so infinitum as Congress created the rank posthumously for him in 1978 and then discontinued it.
This week's quiz: Among the many factual errors in his book, The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown called one of Leonardo DaVinci's painting Madonna of the Rocks so he could create an anagram out of the name. What is the actual title of the painting? Turn your answers in to Lisa, in writing or email- lisa.hemovich@brickbodies.com!
Lynne and I have attended quite a few weddings of late. Two involving staff, one involving family, one involving a dear friend and one involving a daughter of a dear friend. And we have several more on the social calendar. So, seeing as how I have been a member of the married genre for 28 years and seeing as how our anniversary is this month I feel moved to write the following:
Uncle Vic's 10 Tips To A Happy Marriage
Tip #1: Laugh. Love is what creates a marriage but laughter is what binds it. Laugh early and often. Have inside jokes. Laugh at each other. Laugh with each other. Play little tricks and practical jokes on each other. I once moved Lynne's car in the parking lot at BWI and drove behind the shuttle bus watching her freak out when she couldn't find it! I knew that Lynne and I would get along when she laughed as hard as I did at Inspector Clouseau when we went to our first Pink Panther movie. Now if she would only appreciate the Marx Brothers a little more!
Tip #2: Never worry about money. Easier said than done but if you learn to appreciate the little things, money is not that important. Of course, you must be practical and have a budget, but don't fret the money. Unexpected things will happen that will stress your budget. At times you will have to make some sacrifices to make ends meet but things somehow always work out in the end.
Tip #3: It is okay to fight but when you fight, fight fair. Words like "always" and "never" are rarely, if ever, accurate. In addition, name calling is unnecessary. It is understandable at times to get mad at a situation but it is unacceptable to make a personal attack on your spouse's character.
Tip #4: Never go to bed angry. One of my favorite Hagar cartoons shows Hagar, the Viking's wife talking to her daughter. The daughter asks her mother how she and Hagar have gotten along so well all these years. The mother states that they have a candle they light whenever they have a fight and that they never go to bed without making up and blowing out the candle. The last frame shows the candle the size of a room! Yes, couples will almost certainly fight, but they must be sure to make up before they go to bed.
Tip #5: Everyone likes a surprise. Surprises can be both romantic and exciting. They keep you on your toes. Surprise parties, surprise trips, surprise gifts. I love to surprise Lynne. One time I told her we were going moose hunting with our good friend Tony deLeede and his wife in Atlanta. Moose hunting in Atlanta! I told her to dress warmly. She felt pretty silly when we and the deLeede's were boarding the flight for Cancun in the Atlanta airport, and she had on boots and a winter coat! But she loved the surprise!
Tip #6: Play games. I don't just mean sports. I mean little games. Trivia games, guessing games, riddles, on-going inside joke games. As you can tell, we are big Inspector Clouseau fans. Just like Inspector Clouseau and his man-servant, Cato, we have a standing attack order in our house that I can attack "ruthlessly and without warning" at any time. Many is the time that I have waited in a closet or a darkened corner of the house to surprise Lynne late at night when she least expected it. It is surprising how high someone will jump while carrying a full load of laundry at the simple word "Boo".
Tip #7: Share duties. There is no "I" in TEAM! And a married couple is certainly a team. Help each other out around the house. Each person will naturally have domestic chores that are his or her main responsibility, but the other person should offer to help whenever appropriate or necessary.
Tip #8: Share friends. It is important to enjoy the company of each other's friends. If two people are truly compatible with each other than they should be compatible with each other's friends. They should not see each other's friends as competitors for their spouse's time. Rather, good friends are an added benefit of a good marriage.
Tip #9: Make each other better. Each person in a marriage should be committed to bringing out the best in his/her partner. That is one of the things that friends do, push each other and motivate each other and help each other accomplish his or her goals. And aren't married couples really best friends?
Tip #10: Communicate, communicate, communicate. This not only means talk to each other but it is a good idea to have a clear understanding of rules and expectations. For instance, in our house it is understood that the last person who gets out of bed makes it. No exceptions. No misunderstanding. You will be surprised how much simple rules can help. Because, after all, isn't a lot of misunderstanding and disappointment due to failed expectations?
Well, that's it, Uncle Vic's 10 Tips To A Happy Marriage. Of course there are more; keep romance in the marriage, be honest with each other, respect each other's point of view just to name a few. But I think these 10 are a pretty good start. Hey, gotta go. Forgot to make the bed!
Semper Fi,
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