Love and Marriage go together like a horse and carriage...

THE AMAZING RELATIONSHIP TESTING SHOW!

The only good reality show on TV is the Amazing Race. Survivor is past its prime, and everything else is just crap. Although The Apprentice isn't bad... it isn't what it was the first season. The Amazing Race is incredible. Teams running around the world racing against each other, completing challenges for $1,000,000. Plus, the audience sure does learn alot about the different countries they travel to.

However, the thing that most amazes me about the race is the contestants. You've got siblings, dating couples, married couples, parents and their children, gay couples etc. all a mish mosh of groupings on the show. These people set out to win $1 million and "test" their relationships. Granted most of the testing is done by couples who are dating, but the whole point of testing the limits of their relationship is pretty silly if you ask me. What sort of relationship goes through the incredible stress of racing around the world every day. Granted relationships have stresses... but can you unequivocally say that your relationship has such stresses as trying to win a roadblock or pick the right detour and get a camel to run a race course? Don't think so. So why are you testing your relationship's maximum stress levels? Truth be told, these "couples" end up perhaps not being together after the race because they get on each other's nerves so much, they come to the conclusion that they aren't meant to be together. That is a load of horse poop.

The couples that I admire, are the older ones that have been together so long and run the race as if it is a game, not a test of their lives together. Which was why I was saddened today to see the older couple get eliminated. They raced for fun, cheered each other on in a positive way, and in the end, know that the race wasn't a test of their relationship, but more of a challenge for them to succeed at together.

Relationships...

are hard. They require dedication and work. Men love to be needed and Women need to be loved. That is something I've learned so far in my paltry 27 years of life. Imagine what knowledge I will amass in another 27 years. Probably not too much. The key to successful relationships is communication and that is a hard thing to do effectively. I'll readily admit that I'm a lousy communicator when it comes to relationships. Why? I'm not the best when it comes to on the spot sharing of my feelings/emotions. I can't satisfactorily communicate my feelings at the time when they need to be communicated and so my better half ends up winning all the arguments or just gets the silent moody treatment from me. Don't really know why that is. I guess I'm perhaps afraid to offend or say something that will get scrambled and misconstrued. So then later on, when I am able to accurately convey what I want to say and how I felt, it is pretty much too little, too late. Argument is over, and then at that point, I'm just rehashing old things which really doesn't help. I hate bringing up old arguments or things people have done in the past. The past is the past. Let it be.

So back to relationships. They are tough. Not always sugar and spice, but I always say that as long as you love your significant other, then that is all you need to fight for the relationship when the chips are down. Sometimes it may seem that it isn't worth the fight, or sometimes you may feel like you are the only one fighting, but trust me, as long as you can honestly tell yourself that you love the person you are with and that you can't imagine life without them, and that you see yourself growing old with them by your side, then you need to fight... and fight hard dammit!!

Stress & Relaxation

I had a lousy work day today. A job I was working on in November kind of turned sour today and because our client was breathing down our necks, my boss decided to breathe down mine. I understand his position, but boy did I feel lousy. My only bright moments today were getting my income tax refund, and getting a wedding gift from Tanya's mom's friend. Two return plane tickets from YVR to Paris. Wow. We were so utterly amazed and excited. Such a generous and kind gift to give. We're hoping to cash the tickets in for a summer trip in 2007... we'll have to see. I've already started thinking about where I want to go. Obviously the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, etc., but hopefully we'll have time to travel the French countryside, perhaps get to the Palace of Versailles, Normany coast, Nice, French Riviera. Wow. Amazing!!! We are really excited and very grateful for the tickets and the chance to travel to France. Kind of made all the bad stuff go away. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. As Mike Myers as Wayne does when things are kinda crappy, just smile and put your thumbs up!!!

Wayne's World!! Party Time!!

Excellent!!