February 20, 2009
The other half
So Heather over at Dooce has a post up where she did a “meme” about her marriage to Jon. Like her, I quickly get tired of the “meme’s” (they’re all freaking over Facebook at the moment) but the idea of doing one about our marriage? Right on!
What are your middle names?
My middle name is Elizabeth and Ben’s middle name is David.
How long have you been together?
We will be married five years this August; we dated for a year before that.
How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Hmm, let’s see - I met Ben in December of 1999 but we didn’t start dating until 2003. Which, sweet baby moses, means I’ve known Ben for 10 years. 10 years and 5 of those have been “married” years. Most of my family never thought I would find anyone willing to marry me. Hell, I didn’t think I’d find anyone who’d marry me. Cause I’m sort of a bitch.
Who asked whom out?
Hmmm…sort of a mutual thing I think. I was pretty sure he was going to ask me out and if he hadn’t I would have asked him.
How old are each of you?
Oh how I love this question. I’m 33, he’s 46. That means he’s super old; something I remind him of on an almost daily basis. The year I was born was the year he started shaving.
Whose siblings do you see the most?
I’m the second of three children and Ben is the first of five children. With the exception of one of Ben’s siblings, none of them live even remotely close to us. Up until the last year or so we saw my brother the most but recent events have resulted in more visitations with Ben’s sibling who lives here. Huh, that sort of makes it sound like his sibling is in prison. Which I can assure you is not the case.
Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Mornings. No, seriously… mornings. I am wretched in the morning and after five years, Ben’s patience for my morning wretchedness is, not surprisingly, wearing thin.
Did you go to the same school?
Living in different provinces and growing up a decade apart means no.
Are you from the same home town?
No. I was born and raised in Napanee, Ontario and Ben was born in New Westminster and grew up in Westbank, BC. Before he met me, Ben had never heard of a “Giant Tiger” and before I met him I’d never heard of an “Overwaitea”.
Who is smarter?
Ben teaches physics for a living, he has a masters degree, he can do long division in his head, and he knows how to make the perfect tuna wrap. I can type 100 words per minute, french braid my hair without looking in the mirror and frequently trip over cracks in the sidewalk. Ben’s definitely the smart one.
Who is the most sensitive?
Yeah, that would be me. Ben has the thickest skin of anyone I know. Of course, he has to have thick skin to be married to me. I’m sort of a bitch.
Where do you eat out most as a couple?
There’s a tiny little sushi restaurant tucked away in a small strip mall on the south side of town. We go there often enough that the owner and his wife treat us like old friends. It is the best sushi I’ve ever tasted.
Where is the furthest you have travelled together as a couple?
Edmonton. Pathetic I know but we’re planning on changing that.
Who has the craziest exes?
It’s a tie.
Who has the worst temper?
Once, when Ben and I were first dating, I borrowed his car and while attempting to park it in the very narrow parking space in my apartment building, I scraped the side of it against a cement pillar leaving very noticeable and very permanent damage. When I confessed, Ben said (and I do quote), “No problem honey.” and never brought it up again. Ever.
Once, I stopped at a Wendy’s restaurant and picked up some take-out for Ben and I. After ordering a burger with no cheese for Ben and asking not once, not twice, but three times to confirm they didn’t put cheese on it, I arrived home and discovered that they had, indeed, put cheese on the burger. I lost it. A steady stream of the most horrendous and vile curse words spewed from my lips for over half an hour. I wailed, I ranted, I stormed about the house, I banned them for all of eternity and eventually - I called the Wendy’s Restaurant so I could personally unleash my putrid hatred all over their stupid pimple-spotted faces and then threw the phone against the wall in a final fit of rage when the line just rang and rang and rang.
So um, I guess that makes me the one with the worst temper.
Who does the cooking?
Ben. I can’t, don’t and generally won’t cook. And due to a few unfortunate burner fire incidents, I am, in fact, forbidden to use the stove when Ben isn’t home.
Who is the neat freak?
That’s a complicated one. I would say Ben in that he tends to be better at putting things away when he’s used them and prefers to have items placed neatly in their designated areas. However, it bothers me more when the house is messy. See - complicated.
Who is more stubborn?
I am stubborn. But if I am the princess of stubbornness, then Ben? Ben is the EMPIRE of stubbornness. What I’m trying to say is that if there was a stubborn contest Ben would win it blindfolded with both hands tied behind his back.
Who hogs the bed?
Me. But it’s not my fault; I have to make room for my Smokey kitty cat. He likes to sleep beside me on the edge of the bed which means I have to sleep in the middle of the bed. We bought a king sized bed for the cat. True story.
Who wakes up earlier?
Ben. He’s not what we refer to as a “good” sleeper. On a typical night, if he goes to bed around 11 he’ll sleep maybe four, five hours and be awake by 3 or 4.
Where was your first date?
I can’t remember. Not surprising since half the time I can’t even remember our anniversary.
Who is more jealous?
Neither of us are ever jealous. Is that weird?
How long did it take to get serious?
We were serious from the start. We’d been friends for so long before we started dating that once we did actually start dating and the first kiss went smoothly with no awkwardness, I knew he’d be the man I married.
Who eats more?
Despite the fact that I outweigh him by about 100lbs, it’s actually Ben who eats more. He’s been blessed with a good metabolism. Asshole.
Who does the laundry?
I do. In fact, one might suggest that I am a control freak about the laundry.
Who’s better with the computer?
Depends. If it’s a word processing program, or email or solitaire then me. Of course, I’ve witnessed Ben build a computer from spare parts so you probably think he’s better with them.
Who drives when you’re together?
It used to be Ben but more recently, I’ve been driving more because of my new job. He probably enjoys this as I have a tendency to both nag at him to drive faster and shout advice about his driving skills when I’m a passenger. See, I told you I was a bitch.
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