I ran away with my husband to New York City on a fast 3-day trip for his business, and my pleasure. Shhhh don’t tell anyone.
I haven’t spoken to my kids. I’ve been up all night having SEX fun in the city. And I may never come home. I’m enjoying my man so much. I can’t remember the last time we were away together without the kids. Which reminds me, how are my kids? 
Alone at last
Hubby and awesome cousin.
Lychee Martini. Cheers!
By Guest Blogger Susan Houde
While reading the latest issue of Glamour Magazine last night, I came across an interesting article. Titled The Curse of the Just-OK Marriage,” it is based on excerpts from the book Marriage Confidential by Pamela Haag. She addresses the “Post romantic age of workhorse wives, royal children, undersexed spouses and rebel couples who are rewriting the rules.”
Wow, that is a mouthful. Today, I am focusing on the marriage part.
Sunday was an absolutely awesome day. I spoke in the morning at an event called Le Mood – The Festival of Unexpected Jewish Learning and Culture. The tag line for the conference: Dare To Be Curious (love it)! 1000 awesome people came for a day of learning, and broadening horizons. I brought my expertise as a success coach and entrepreneur, and my talk was called: The Role of Chutzpah in Business, Marriage, Motherhood and Life.
Aaaah Chutzpah. One of those universal words in Yinglish!
When I met Soledad O’Brien for the first time in August at Blogher in New York City, I was truly intrigued. She is the CNN anchor we watch daily cover hurricanes, disasters, and important news. Yet, when you speak to her in person, she has this other side. This aura to her. A sweet, fun-loving, and exceptionally charming side. To top it off- she’s a mom of four children. I loved her essence, and so I asked her for an interview. Her response, “I will never forget Women On The Fence. You have my word, I will give you an interview.”
And so here we are. Soledad was on her day off when we chatted. She was leaving the gym, and en route to do some errands as a multi-tasking career mom. Just a regular gal trying to fit it all in.
As I get ready to celebrate my 12th wedding anniversary and 17th year with my husband on Monday August 13th, I reflect back upon why we’ve worked so well. In a way, we have done all the wrong things – we have gone to bed angry before (contrary to what is suggested couples do), we have used hurtful words in heated moments, and have rehashed issues long after they were dead.
Sounds like a recipe for UNsuccess. But that could not be further from the truth. What has kept us happily together for almost 20 years, (and I am only 37, WOW), is a deep mutual love, commitment, friendship (and okay, great sex). When I’m not contemplating murder (yup, it happens), I can honestly say I adore the man I wake up next to every morning. He knows me like no one in this world. He comforts me in my darkest hour. He’s my #1 go-to person in this world. And he keeps our family unit together.
I recently read an article in the New York Times, and it stated that if you want marriage advice, don’t ask someone who’s been together 20 years like us– ask a divorced person. Divorced people often have big regrets, and when asked what went wrong, they all speak of similar mistakes. Mistakes which they say they will avoid the next time around.
If you are a new reader, I wrote a post two years ago that went like this:
“Have you ever looked at your life, your daily routine, your kids, your job, and thought… I just wanna throw on a pair of heels, and dance the night away? I confess, I have.
I was just reminiscing with a girlfriend the other day. We used to live in the same apartment building when we were both first married… us on the 5th floor, her on the 4th. And boy was it fun! We all worked hard during the week and partied on the weekends. We slept in till ungodly hours with no distractions. We hung out smoking in each other’s apartments, watching movies, chilling with friends. It was the life… except… we didn’t appreciate it. We desperately wanted to get pregnant and settle in, trading late night partying for late night bottle feedings.
I am checking in from a day off! Hi Ladies! Today is St. Jean Baptiste- a statutory holiday, but only in Quebec. June 24th (St. Jean Baptiste) and July 1st (Canada Day) are the two days I look forward to the most every year. Why? Because they are not date nights… they are date DAYS! The kids go off to camp, and hubby is home from work. It’s the only time the kids aren’t around, and we get to enjoy a day off, alone, just with each other.
So, today is our Fifty Shades of Grey date day. We planned on going to a hotel downtown for the afternoon to sit by the pool with some cocktails. But, it’s raining, so who knows… Any suggestions?
And if you’ve been married as long as we have, you might enjoy this. It came c/o a friend.
