Beware.... I'm going to ramble for a few moments.
It was nearly 9 years ago that I met my wife, Kathy. A year later, we married. I believe a year, maybe 2 is all you need to determine if that person should be your mate. Kathy and I are, in her words, "2nd-time-arounders".
We met online and lived less than two miles from each other. It was mid-March, 2000. In October, I proposed. Did it in a non-romantic way. That's one of my regrets. Fortunately, She has forgiven me over time and we married in March of 2001.
Yesterday was a fun Valentines Day. It was filled with Roses, Chocolate (she gave me), and coffee. Wrapped it up with dinner at Chili's due to the fact I had a $50 gift card. We are being more frugal than previous years and have made a game out of it. Altogether I spent less than $50 cash and gave her a dozen roses (Fresh Market), 1 pound of Chocolate/Raspberry Coffee (Fresh Market), a card (Walgreens), 5 free McCafe coffee cards, (from my client McDonalds), Morning Coffee at Starbucks, created a Valentines Picture Collage (about 3 hours work), Church, and then dinner out using a gift card I received for participating in a market research study last year.
She had asked for just a couple of things, a single rose instead of 12, the morning coffee experience at Starbucks, and the pound of coffee. It's always good to give more and to be creative about it.
Recently I have been focusing on the blessings in my life that I take for granted. Which has increased my awe at life and God, and made the annoyances less annoying.
I also found a blog that can help all of us to become better. It's called the Art of Manliness. Here's one of their latest posts:
The Art of Manliness Weekly Roundup
Posted: 14 Feb 2009 10:59 AM PST
Here’s some interesting links I found while surfing the interwebs this week that might be of interest to AoM readers:
Specialization and Decline (@ financial sense) An interesting essay that compares today’s Western economies and culture to ancient Rome’s. The author argues that the more complex an economy becomes and the more decadent a culture becomes, the more susceptible it is to collapse.
25 Ways To Earn Money When You’re Broke On The Road (@ brave new traveler) If you plan on taking the great American road trip or going backpacking in Europe, here are some ideas on how you can make some scratch while you’re on the road. I actually have a friend who did number 8- farm work- while he was traveling in Europe. He picked strawberries to make some money and he said it was one of his best memories of his trip.
Walden, and 99 other Free Online Books Every Student of Humanity Should Read (@ universities and college) A great resource where you can read some literary classics for free. Many of the books on the 100 Books Every Man Should Read list are actually available for free online.
GlennSacks.com Glen Sacks is the Executive Director of Fathers and Families, a non-profit father’s rights organization. Glenn has been fighting for family court reform that will undo the bias the system has against men. Needless to say, he has stirred up some controversy with his social commentary on the way men are treated in family courts or portrayed in the media.
Joseph Palmer: Persecuted For Wearing The Beard (@ jon dyer’s blog) In 1830, Joseph Palmer of Fitchburg, MA was persecuted for wearing a beard. Here is his story.
ManHelper The Folks at Womopo are re-launching their site as ManHelper. It’s an online men’s magazine that provides tips and tricks for life, relationships, and money.
Classic Art of Manliness
If you’re new to the site, you may not have seen all our posts. Here’s a few classics from the archives.
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