
The overturning of the
ban on same-sex marriage in California has
changed many lives and simultaneously sparked a slew of arguments. In fact, as reported by the
Sacramento Bee, a recently wed couple — Rachel Bird and Gideon Codding — are starting their own debate over the wording of the new gender-neutral marriage license, which has changed the traditional reference of Bride and Groom to Party A and Party B.
Bird offered her own explanation, saying: "We are traditionalists — we just want to be called bride and groom," and for this couple, anything else is unacceptable; they refuse to sign the license as-is.

Something borrowed, something blue, and something . . .

As the custom goes, any two people who meet under the
mistletoe are obliged to kiss. When I was little, I always thought it was a kind of creepy tradition (because I thought kissing was so gross), but now that I'm older, I think the idea is actually kind of sweet.
Not everyone agrees with me though, so I was wondering: How do you feel about this tradition?

I love the smell of
Thanksgiving, and in my opinion, it's the holiday that brings family and friends the closest. Every year, my parents host, our immediate family and close friends come for dinner (we don't eat until 6), and we always keep a few extra chairs handy in case someone drops by. We have the same menu year after year, and while the kitchen is bustling, football is on the background, a fire is burning in the living room, and the phone rings off the hook with Thanksgiving cheers.

When it comes to weddings and engagements, I am extremely old fashioned. One of my closest girlfriends got engaged over the weekend after hearing the engagement story, we found out that the ring had been burning a hole through his pocket because he was having a hard time tracking down her dad so they could have "the talk." The sly guy that he is was finally able to ask his
permission to marry his daughter, but his persistence got me thinking about the importance of engagement tradition.