Pages

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Men, getting engaged?

A lot of folks got engaged over the Christmas holiday and many more will get engaged during New Year's Eve celebrations. The number one day of the year to get engaged is of course Valentine's Day.
SO LISTEN UP MEN!!!!
There a only a handful of days in a woman's life that she will count as "the best day of my life" and the day you propose marriage to her is right near the top of that list. Her wedding day and the birth of her babies are possibly the only ones that will top the day she gets engaged.
My number one tip and best advice I can offer you is this...know your audience and plan ahead!!!
Is she a sports fan? or is she more of a sunset on the beach kinda gal?
You absolutely must think about what SHE likes and doesn't like before you plan your proposal. And yes! I advise you to plan it. Plan where you'll be and what you'll say. Have a back up plan just in case. If you want it outdoors and it rains, what is plan B? If it's a special restaurant, call in advance (Like weeks in advance. Not the day before) for reservations. What if they're booked? Where will you go instead? And practice what you'll say, out loud. It may come out differently when the time actually arrives but at least you'll have heard it a few times, out loud and you won't be "as" nervous. And you won't choke on your own spit when you open your mouth to speak.
I'm sure occasionally, there are those times when a spontaneous proposal is ok but that is the exception, not the rule. The proposal is just as important as the ring you pick out. At least for the less materialistic lady. Again, is she the rule or the exception to the rule?
You need to know the heart of the woman you wish to spend the rest of your life with.
If she is not a die hard football fan like you are, it's probably NOT the best idea to propose on the big screen (turbotron? what is that big screen/scoreboard thingy called? LOL). See what I mean? How is she going to get excited about it if she doesn't even know what it's called so she can tell her friends about it for years to come? It's only good in the movies most of the time.
Are you 100 million, kabiliion, kazillion percent sure she'll say yes? If you're not that sure, then don't propose in a public setting like in front of all your friends and family or on the big tv, billboard sign thingy at the football game. You do not want to put pressure on her. If she says "yes" just to keep from embarrassing you, she'll have to dump you later and that will suck!!!
Take her Mom, sister or best friend (or all 3 if you can stand to be at the mall with all of them) with you when you pick out the ring. They will know her taste much better than you think you do. If there aren't ANY women you trust to help you pick out the ring, I suggest you keep the following in mind....unless she is a doctor, welder, active duty soldier or other profession where a huge rock on her finger will truly get in the way of things...bigger is better. There are those exceptions that really do just want something simple and understated but in general....go with the bigger rock. And pay attention to the jewelry she already wears. Is it white gold or yellow? Yes, it makes a difference!! Stick with diamonds unless you are SURE she would prefer a different stone. You can't go wrong with a diamond. And when the moment comes to give it to her, don't show her a ring in a box!! Again, that's in the movies. Hold it in your hand as you present it to her. A box is impersonal and blah. I don't know how else to explain it but in the box is just...ugh! Don't do it.
So, bottom line:
Know your lady. Would she prefer the big sign proposal or a quiet romantic spot? Maybe you have a special spot. Your first date? Your first kiss? Sunset is always a good time if you can't come up with any ideas. If you'd like specific ideas you can email me at askauntieann@gmail.com
Take someone with you to pick out the ring. Or go one size bigger than you think. You can't go wrong with a diamond. Know in advance if you're looking for white gold or yellow.
Above all else, PLAN a romantic gesture for the perfect proposal. One she will tell, everyone she knows, for the rest of her life.
As you bend on one knee, hold the ring in one hand while you hold her hand in the other.
Good luck and I wish you many years of wedded bliss!!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

A tip for the single gals....

I'm working on a piece about dating in your 40s. Why? Cuz, well, I'm in my 40s and recently became single again.
Anyway, that's not the point. I just wanted to throw out a quick tip for you single gals of any age. Apparently you ladies are on the phone DURING a date and men HATE it. So don't talk, text, tweet or Facebook while you are on a date!!! Really? Do we have to be told not to be RUDE on a date? Has technology completely stripped us of common courtesy and polite manners? Did your parents raise you in a barn with the hogs? I was raised on a farm with hogs and I still have manners!!!
Come on ladies!!!! Surely you can wait until after the date to tell all your friends "Hey". If you don't like the guy and that's why you're being so rude, just tell him. Or find some reason to end the date early. End it with him quickly, like ripping off a band-aid. It will hurt but only for a bit and then he'll get over it. Better than dragging it out and leading him on.
Wouldn't you want the same courtesy from a man? Would you want to sit across the table from a guy who is more interested in his phone than he is in you?
DON'T BE RUDE!!! That is the number one complaint from men of all ages.

Broken

When I decided to write a blog, it was my intention to post something almost every day. I knew there would be exceptions, like if we had a birthday or holiday. I did not intend to skip an entire month of posting!!! You've heard the phrases, "Life is what happens while you're making plans" or "life happens" or "if you want to make God laugh, tell him YOUR plans".
Anyway, about 5 weeks ago, I went downstairs for a midnight snack. I was standing with my back to the open fridge door, cutting off a hunk o' cheese and the next thing I know, I woke up lying IN my refrigerator. Yes, IN the fridge!!
I have no idea how I got there or how long I had been lying in my refrigerator. I can't remember the placement of my body or what position my legs were in when I woke up. The only thing I knew and remember is that I was in EXCRUCIATING pain in my right leg. Specifically near the ankle and the knee. This next part is a bit fuzzy too but I started yelling for my daughter. She and the rest of my family were asleep upstairs. When everyone came downstairs, I managed to roll onto my back and tell them I thought I had broken my leg. Well, apparently you only had to look at my leg to know it was broken. The bone above my ankle had not come through the skin but was making a lump beneath the skin that was large enough to leave no doubt that my leg was broken. As far as my knee pain, everyone figured it was sprained or I had landed on it when I fell so maybe it was bruised.
I remember my Mom telling my daughter to call an ambulance. Well, I don't believe in calling 911 unless you're bleeding or dying so I said. "No. Now, just give me a minute. It won't hurt so bad in a minute. Just give me a minute." Of course, I couldn't see the bone protrusion and nobody was telling me there was a bone protrusion. Then there was some back and forth conversation that was just a blur and finally an ambulance was called. I remember hearing my daughter telling the operator "My Mom has broken her leg". I was not happy with her for telling the 911 operator that I broke my leg when maybe it was just a sprain or something stupid like that. I CAN tell you this, I have had 2 natural child births and I have NEVER experienced pain as severe as this!!!
When the EMTs arrived, they were more concerned with the fact that I had passed out than the fact that the pain in my leg was a freakin' 15 on a scale of 1-10. There was one young girl at my head checking for bumps or pain on my head and a young man knelt next to me trying to lean past the refrigerator door to talk to me and assess my neck for injury. He kept trying to figure out a way past the stupid refrigerator door but it was stuck above my shoulder and would not budge without me moving. I offered several times to try to move out of the way, being the polite hostess that I am, but each time I offered, all three EMTs would say, in unison, "NO!!! Don't move!!"
When they finally slid me past the fridge door onto the backboard, they carried me down the stairs to the ambulance. I remember yelling at the one of the women, "Your boob is touching my ankle! Get your boob off of my ankle!" Not something you hear or say everyday. ha ha!
The poor xray tech at the hospital couldn't get any good pictures because every time he tried to position my leg, I screamed. I spent 2 days in the cardiac ward before they sent me home. They referred me to another doctor at a different hospital to have surgery.
I STILL had a broken leg, the most extreme pain I have ever felt and no cast!! IN fact, it was broken in TWO places and both were spiral fractures. But the hospital wouldn't DO anything about my leg because I don't have medical insurance. They did however send me a bill for $24,000!!! They never did find out why I passed out. Thank you Kaiser! For nothing!!!
A couple days later I had surgery. A metal bar was drilled down, from my knee, the entire length of the tibia (shin bone) and a metal plate was secured with screws at my ankle to hold the foot to the leg.
I was surprised to learn that the fibula, the other leg bone that was broken up near the knee, doesn't need any repair. It doesn't support your weight and pretty much doesn't matter. "It will heal on it's own and even if it doesn't, it won't matter.", the doctor told me.
So, long story longer, it's been 5 1/2 weeks since I broke my leg in two places. 4 weeks since I had surgery and about $75,000 in doctor, hospital, xray, ambulance, anesthesia, and surgical supply bills. I'm stuck in bed and bored to tears. I'm hurting much less but still hurting and I can't stand for more than a few minutes without my leg starting to really ache.
Christmas shopping was all online this year. And I found out that Amazon.com is the ONLY online retailer that ACTUALLY ships for free to my state. They all say they ship free if you spend a certain dollar amount but I tried many of them and once I got to the check out, I discovered that they were going to charge me an arm and a leg for shipping. So, I kept going back to Amazon. If my order is at least $25, they ship for FREE!!!! Thank you Amazon for helping me out with my Christmas shopping this year. (This is not an advertisement. I don't know anybody at Amazon and they aren't giving me anything for writing about them. 10-4, over and out)
But, I have been inspired to help others by writing a "things to do when you're stuck in bed" post. So stay tuned!!!
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers.
Auntie
You can always contact me at askauntieann@gmail.com
I'm sorry if you have written and I haven't gotten back to you yet. I'm just now getting back into the swing of things.