The Skinny

At work we take turns writing The Skinny column that runs in the Life and Style section every Wednesday. This week was my turn and here's a sneak peak at what I wrote!

The Skinny:

I am a newlywed. It’s fun, really. I love having someone that makes me laugh, someone I love being with and someone who always knows what to say to calm me down – I am what my mom calls “intense.” I love cooking for him and cleaning up after him. I enjoy decorating our apartment and talking about how energy efficient we are with our hybrid car and 13-dollar utility bill.

But don’t be deceived; newlywed bliss is not without its hardships. First of all, there’s the stack of duplicate/bulky/just plain unneeded wedding gifts to return. Our return pile is not nearly as cumbersome as others I’ve seen, but we still aren’t sure what to do with our 6 salad bowls, 4 cheese graters and 2 waffle irons.

Second: The whole legal name-change thing. There are Social Security, IRS 8822, United States Passport, United States Postal Service, and State Driver’s License forms that I need to drive around and pick up. Then I need to fill them out, provide a certified proof of marriage and return them to the right place. And then hope I didn’t mess up somewhere along the way. Such. A. Hassle. I could save myself and estimated thirteen hours and pay an online service – like www.missnowmrs.com – thirty dollars to do it all for me, but do I really want to submit such personal information to a Web site? I’ve got an identity to protect!

Third: Insurance. Luckily my hubby’s job provides full medical and dental coverage, but not without – you guessed it – yet another round of paperwork and signatures. The good news is, after this is all over I’ll be an expert on filling out paperwork. Not exactly a skill one can boast about on a resume, but I’ll take it.

And last, but certainly not least, the love of my life leaves the toilet seat up.

-- Jessie Evans