Tagged.....again.... by the same person.

I guess I'll oblige, even though this is called a "hubby tag" and it therefore, should have been Mary writing about me instead of the other way around. I'll try to follow the question format layed out by my sis. I'll tag Amanda, my cousin Deanne, my sis-in-law Jenny, and just for funsies my Dad.

-Spouse's name?: Mary

-How long have we been together?: Since Feb 2001

-How long did we date?: We dated for 4.5 months before we got engaged. We were engaged for 4.5 months. Then we got married in Nov. 2001 and we've been dating ever since, though not as much for the last couple of years... I wonder why?

-How old is she?: Just turned 28

-Who eats more?: I eat more, no question

-Who said I love you first?: Me, but this has a funny story. I really didn't date many (okay... zero) girls seriously before dating Mary so I wasn't very suave in many of the necessary areas of dating. I pretty much didn't have any experience. I really wanted to tell her that I loved her but I also was a little unsure what exactly that word meant and what that would feel like. So while I wanted to say it I also wanted to be careful with how I said it. I don't remember exactly how I said it but I think I used one or both of the following words in describing/qualifying my love for her: "shallow" or "surface". Fortunately she knew what I was trying to say, not what I actually said. Essentially I wanted to tell her that I loved her but I also knew that our love could be much deeper in the future. Luckily she didn't hold me to the actual semantics and realized my meaning.

-Who is taller?: I think that I am, but if she wears any kind of lift on her shoes then I start to feel really short. Regardless, it's close.

-Who sings better?: Definitely Mary. I joined a choir to get to know people and that is where I formally met her, though I had eyed her previously. She has a much better voice and has a lot more training.

-Who is smarter?: Mary is way smarter than me. There is no question about who has more smarts. She's more inquisitive, a deeper thinker, better at writing and reading. I will say that I have a much better memory about things that I learn. She would confirm all of this I believe.

-Who does the laundry?: Mary does it about 80-90% of the time.

-Who pays the bills?: Mary, I couldn't keep track of all of that stuff. Refer to the one about being smarter above.

-Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?: Where did this question come from? Is there some power thing or omen about sleeping on a certain side of the bed? I sleep on the right side of the bed... always have.

-Who mows the lawn?: I mow the lawn and enjoy it. I don't think that Mary would really like to do this much. She prefers to be indoors where the temperature is moderate. Especially here as it gets super hot in the summers.

-Who cooks dinner?: I would say this has been fairly equal since I finished grad school, or at least since we got pregnant. However, let me explain this a little. I usually come home from work say hey to everybody and get several requests from Sarah. I explain that I need to check-in with "Mommy" first. I usually say something like: "do you have anything planned for dinner?", or "is there anything that I can do to help out with dinner?". It needs to be understood that this is not a demand or an expectation. Mary knows that I'm totally fine on any given night whipping up something on my own and that my request is usually just an effort to get things moving on dinner so that the kids can get something to eat. This has been particularly so during the pregnancy when the last thing Mary wants to think about is food. She often has thought a little about it and has an idea about what she wants to make for dinner, but needs some not-so-subtle prompting to acknowledge that we need to actually start making it if we're going to have a non-rushed evening and if we're going to get the kids to eat before bedtime. She often tells me what her plan was and then I get it going or do most of it under her supervision or assistance. I would say generally we do it together on some level but sometimes it's just me or just her.

-Who drives?: I drive, but Mary drives frequently as well. If it's more than a couple of hours we usually split it up, but generally I drive.

Who is more stubborn?: Mary is definitely more stubborn. If we're in an argument I am almost always the one to "give-in" first and approach her for reconciliation. I hate this at times and wish that she would be more willing to approach me but it's the way it is and who we are.

Who kissed who first?: She kissed a couple of guys first. I kissed no one first, except Mary. It was also the same night that I kind of told her that I loved her. I asked permission before attempting the amazing feat. It was an awkward kiss but she taught me the ins and outs of kissing as we dated and courted. However, I think that she's given up on me in this department.

-Who asked who out first?: This is a good story. So we knew who each other was but hadn't talked much. I got her number from a mutual friend and called her up to ask her out. She explained that although she would like to go out with me she already had plans. So, because she didn't ask for a rain-check or a re-schedule, I kind of was a little apprehensive about asking her out again. So a little while later this friend calls up and says he wants to set up his sister-in-law with my cousin (Jimmy). He figures it might be kind of awkward for Jimmy to go out with this married couple and this girl that he hardly knows so he asks me if I want to find a date and come along. I know that this friends sister-in-law lives in Seattle and knows Mary so I say I'll come if said sister-in-law can get Mary to come along and be my date. Mary is totally oblivious to my orchestrating of this "one-way-blind date" and thinks that this is just a pleasant coincidence. So I guess one of Mary's friends asked her out on our first date if that makes any sense.

-Who proposed?: This ones a little confusing too. I think that I proposed, but it's a little unclear. This is a lame story (read: I'm a little embarassed about it and wish I could do this part over) so I don't think that I'll tell it here.

-Who is more sensitive?:

-Who has more siblings?: I do... by one.

-Who wears the pants?: Mary, without question. I have some reasons as to why I think that is but I won't share them here. Also, I think that I'm capable of wearing the pants and would like to more on particular issues, but Mary is way better at it, looks better in them, and they fit her better. I don't think that I'm an anti-pants wearer (like I suspect my youngest brother is), but I think that it just works out for us the way it is. Does that sound like the answer of someone who would like to wear the pants a bit more but doesn't?