“Mawwage. Mawwage.” Jenny of My Favorite and My Best

I love Jenny like a fatkidfrenchie loves Macaroons. She is funny, talented, and always rill. She and her husband also created one of the most visually appealing childnuggets on the interwebs, just FYI. If you don’t already read her blog, I don’t really know what you are still doing here because you should rush right over. But maybe read her post first.

Thank you, Jenny! I superlove you!

xoxo

Baileymost days i hate my husband. ok maybe not hate.  more like if-you-just-weren’t-in-the-house-and-in-my-eyeballs-so-much-i-could-stand-your-face-right-now.  so…no…not hate per se.
look, the fact of the matter is i have been married for 10 1/2 years.  together for 12.  we got married bc we were in love.  i wasn’t knocked up or anything.  fiona came nearly 5 years in.
but after awhile love changes.  it grows and it wanes.    the quirky little things you loved about that person inevitably become the things that drive you to drink.   most people would agree that when you know…you know.  i knew.  i still know.  but that doesn’t mean i don’t want to chop his head off with a scythe from time to time.

but our story is full of double rainbow almost triple rainbow what does this mean awesomeness:

i worked at a bar/restaurant called caramba cafe in atlanta.  i was a waitress.  mike came in one night and sat at the bar with a girl named jill.  i knew right away that they weren’t together.  a girl just knows these things.  coincidentally my good friend, also a jill, was visiting me at work.

mike was drinking tecate with lime. kinda douchey.  but man was he cute. he had dimples and good teeth.   i knew pretty instantly that i wanted to do it with him.  but probably also have a relationship with him.  truth is i pretty much knew that i was going to marry him.

a conversation several days later would prove that fate was at work on our behalf.

caramba cafe:
my perspective.

me: hey jill that guy is hot. and he tooootally likes me.

jill: yeah. he is checking you out.

me: i don’t think he’s “with” that girl, do you?

jill: fuck if i know.

me: yeah, no…he isn’t.  he can’t be right? cuz he is practically doing it with me with his eyes and dimples.

jill: i guess.

(you should know that i was wearing jean cut offs and a thrill kill cult t shirt)

me: oooh!! he’s leaving…ok…when he leaves if he turns around to look at me it’s a sign that we’re getting married.

jill: you’re retarded.

(mike walks out the door and around the back, stops in front of the window, turns…looks at me and waves.)

meanwhile…. a conversation is happening simultaneously…
mike’s perspective:

mike:  i really think that the right girl is out there for me jill.  she has to be funny, smart and cool.
like that girl.  she’s cute.  and she’s checking me out.  like really checking me out..

jill: whatever mike. you are too picky. your “girl” doesn’t exist bc you are too picky.

mike: no...that girl is really cute and….weird. she is making funny faces and looks slightly retarded when she does.  what a nerd.  i like her.

jill: whatever. ok. ask her out. let’s go.

mike: no…when we leave i am going to turn around and look back and if she smiles at me…that’s it. she’s the one.

and scene.

yes that did happen. every bit of it.

but it get’s weirder….

cut to a few weeks later :

on one of our dates we went to a park (we may or may not have done it in the park behind some bushes) and started talking…

mike: what is your most memorable christmas?

me:  when i was a kid we would go to iowa where my grandparents lived.  we would always go to the froeschle’s farm.  they were my grandparents’ best friends.

mike: i know some people named froeschle that have a farm in iowa.

(now, if you’re like me you realize that you couldn’t find a more random name to know than if you opened the phone book and just pointed)

me: no.  no you don’t. who? chris? kathy? luke? marion and dick??? those froeschle’s???? are you fucking with me?

mike: no!!!  kathy froeschle now kathy anderson is my mom’s best friend and her daugher, gretchen…is MY best friend!!

me: i know gretchen!! we swam in the horse trough together!!  (no judging)

at this point i was thinking- what are the odds that when i was a little girl in missouri, growing up, taking trips to iowa to see my grandparents that i was hanging out with my future husband’s best friend? so gretchen was playing with me in the horse trough and then going home to tell her best friend (my future husband) that she hung out with me?!?!?  do you get the jesusmagicpower that this is?
you just can’t get any more dianetics-the-secret-second-coming-of-jesus-dan-brown-and-his-religious-epiphany-books-holy-shit-sack-meant-to-be-awesome than this….

once we decided that we were obvs meant to be together we got engaged.

there are days that i wish i was still that single girl.  but this is normal, i think . it’s scary to think of the finality that is “for the rest of your life” or “til death do you part”.  but i can’t imagine my life without him and the family we have created together.  that notion is really scary.  he’s a good person and an amazing father.  i am lucky.  marriage is really super hard.  it gets harder before it gets easier.  it’s always a work in progress.  but totally worth it.

my wishes for you and pete:  a happy home with very few fights, lots of romantic gestures and to always come from the same place regarding money and family.

love your favorite and your best,
jenny

29 thoughts on ““Mawwage. Mawwage.” Jenny of My Favorite and My Best”

  5. So glad you two found each other and, yeah, there are days you want to punch your husband in the face. It happens. But I totally know what you mean that the really scary part is not being able to imagine life without the family you’ve created.

  6. BAILEY…. YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!

    I just finished packing and will be jumping in the car and on my merry way a.s.a.p.
    See you soon – SO EXCITED

    LOVE YOU – eli

  13. I love your story!!! I love reading all your stories, but your skillz mixed with this type of lovey-dovey pukefestawesomeness is rad (haha just for you).

  18. A work in progress, that’s all we really are, with the requisite ups and downs that inevitably come. That was such a great story, Jenny. I love your honest, shoot from the hip, no holds barred way of telling it like it is. Thanks for generously sharing.

    xo-nelya

  19. i cried!

    love reading through all of the wedding posts & seeing so many of my favorite ppl’s stories in 1 place.

    jenny- your life sound like a movie

    love yas all,
    lauren

  22. wow… that gave me chills jenny… and made me tear up a little. I’m the most cynical person you could ever talk to about love and marriage but you have an awesome story. congrats babe

  23. Jenny is totally right on, my luv. I’ve been married for 26 years next month. It gets kinda weird when the kids are growing up… don’t EVER EVER EVER trade your love for your husband for your kid’s love. Big mistake. He will wander, trust me. If your kids notice the love between the two of you, all will be as it should. Keep your husband front and center. Meanwhile, it’s the “family” dynamic that gets tough. Keep your husband close and as best friend as possible. Don’t ever NOT check in with one another. Share everything. When your kids eventually grow up and go out on their own – THIS, my friend, is when it gets G R E A T! You will hopefully get back to why the two of you hooked up in the first place and you guys can just cruise and schmooze from there on out. Be one another’s best friend. Laugh ALOT. Live life with him with joy in your heart. Keep a sensk of humor at all times. This is most important. It is mountains and valleys but he is your rock and you his. Keep this and you will last a lifetime and only want more of it <3

  26. THAT was the best story. ever. All the advice here is so sound and real…will be married for 14 years in two weeks…and can totally relate! I love seeing Jenny over here…Bailey’s amazing blog and her sense of humor seem like the cute little sister to MFAMB. At least in my mind that’s how I think of you two awesome ladies! Happiness to you both Bailey!
    Congratulations!!!!
    xx

  27. Great great post! My husband and I will be married for 2 years next month. The beginning of our marriage was hard – ridiculously hard. So the married and living together part of our life was a major adjustment – it’s always so comforting when people are able to be open about the fact that marriage is hard and that sometimes you want to leave and go live some crazy single life again and that some days you really don’t like your husband, because so many people I know like to pretend it’s all easy and great and that every day is so wonderful and reminds them why they married the other person.

    Because the truth is in your post – some days totally suck but for the most part marriage really is wonderful and it is definitely worth it.

  29. It’s nice to hear others talking about “the other job” aka marriage. My husband and I will be married 11 years come this October 23rd. There sure has been ups and downs, but hey doesn’t life give you that anyway? It’s nice to know there’s someone in the seat next to you on that “roller coaster” called life. I agree there have been days that I wished I could just turn my husband “off” (hey if anyone finds the off switch on their hubby please let me know where it is)? It would be nice to turn off the kids and the cats and the dogs too, once and a while! But seriously, I couldn’t imagine life without my partener, my friend, my husband. We are raising our 3 girls ages 14, 9 & 5 right now. I agree with Donna that you have to stick together as a united fore front, because if you don’t the kids will surely take advantage. I love my children… I’d give my life for them, but I do daydream about when they are all grown up and my husband and I can “date” again and travel to places we couldn’t afford with the kids. Even on my worst days I would not change anything; I truly love my husband and my kids, they make up a part of who I am. So, although I don’t personally know you Bailey I wish you all of the luck and love going into your next phase of life. Remember there will be days that you too will want to “kill” your husband but then you’ll remember just how wonderful he can be and why you fell in love in the first place, then you will smile.

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