letter « Mrs. Conception

Leaving New Jersey

November 12, 2007 at 10:36 pm | In Places | Leave a Comment
Tags: letter, New Jersey

Our eight month relationship is coming to an end. I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about you. First of all, I was pleasantly surprised by your rural beauty. While I knew you were known as The Garden State, I did not realize this meant an abundance of fresh fruit stands would be available right in my neighborhood, or that I could watch entire families of deer grazing right across the street from my apartment. And the geese! Sometimes I feel like they outnumber the humans.

I had fun exploring your different areas, from the kitschy Atlantic City to the broken down and Springsteen-centric Asbury Park, from the tough towns of North Jersey to the hallowed halls of Princeton University. I especially enjoyed Red Bank’s Count Basie Theatre, and you were the best place for a couple of Sopranos fans to be during the tumultuous series finale era.

Atlantic City

On the other hand, I find you very grumpy. Living in the shadow of the Empire State Building and the Liberty Bell seems to have made you bitter. It gives you road rage and does nothing for your customer service skills. Cheer up! You have an identity all your own. Washington crossed the Delaware from New Jersey! Thomas Edison invented here. Clerks got filmed here! You are somebody, Jersey, you are somebody.

Also, your traffic is a little crazy. The jughandle? Is that really so necessary? Can’t we make a left turn just once? I guess it works for you, but to a stranger like me, it’s kind of frustrating.

Anyway, it’s been nice knowing you. I’m sure I’ll be back someday. I’ll try not to be just passing through.

Your friend,

Mrs. Andrews

4 Months of Marriage

November 7, 2007 at 12:46 pm | In marriage | Leave a Comment
Tags: husband, letter, marriage, NaBloPoMo, wife

To My Husband,

I am thouroughly enjoying being married to you. We have made it through a third of a year – not bad for a couple of people who were committed to staying single forever. This newlywed thing is underrated. If I had known it would be such a good time, I wouldn’t have waited five years to marry you!

Us, Santa Monica, August 2002

I think after four months we have settled into a good rhythm and our marriage is working out pretty great. Our conversation in Scranton really seemed to bring a lot of peace into our relationship. It was worth it, even though we missed most of the Dunder-Mifflin Stockholders’ meeting. I don’t even remember the most of the details of what we figured out, but life has been nothing short of joyful ever since.

The one bad moment was when you scared me to death by falling in (out of?) the shower. Let’s try to prevent that from happening again, okay? Since you turned out to be fine, it’s kind of funny now, but I will try not to laugh at you – I sure don’t want to temp fate and have you crack your head again.

I am enjoying all of our married travelling. I am most happy that we went to Charleston to celebrate our wedding with your relatives. I was dreading it, but it was actually nice.

Us, Charleston, October 2007

I am glad my parents got to see where you come from, and I am glad I got to meet Lila, finally. I am not sure Johnny Drama is glad he met Aris, but it sure was hilarious!

Aris & Drama

I am also having a blast just sitting around together - watching a movie each night, doing arts & craft, mocking CNN, and figuring out what we would name all of our kids if we had twelve of them (Steve Martin Andrews and Admiral Andrews are still some of my favorites). Forging new paths or just hanging out, all of it is just the best.

I am excited for all the possibilities ahead of us. I know in twenty or forty or seventy-five years, we will look back at this time in the very beginning of our marriage, and we will have so many happy memories. We will remember sketching with colored pencils and picking our own pumpkins, seeing your first Broadway musical and getting a wink and a smile from Natalie Portman. I will remember how you bought me the Star Wars and Gone With The Wind Christmas tree ornaments from Hallmark. That was perfect. I hope you have some perfect memories, too.

Thanks for everything you do for us. I am grateful for the life you have shared with me so far. I cannot wait for all the adventures (and nonadventures) to come. Just be careful in the tub!

Love,

Your Wife