More thoughts on marriage

You know how when you go to a wedding or a bridal shower you are sometimes asked to write down some marriage advice to the new couple? I never know what to say, really, but I do have an observation which might prove useful. As I've told my sister, Ashley, in the past while lecturing her...."I've learned a thing or two in my time..."

Everyone is a lot happier (both the husband and the wife) when certain personal staple foods items are always available at home. With Jeff, I've learned that this means: skim milk, bread, orange juice, and cereal (all breakfast foods), and protein bars (for his hypoglycemia). For me it would be cheese. Our mutual necessity foods are black beans, rice, and tortillas.

If you are aware of your personal staple foods and are both dilligent in making sure they are always available, then even if there is no time for a nice meal, both of you can scrounge up your own concoction.

Perhaps this seems obvious to everyone else, but it's taken me awhile to learn this. This has really come in handy since I've learned that while I do like to cook, meal planning absolutely stresses me out.

By the way, Jeff and I have decided that the majority of our food storage will consist of white rice and black beans. I can see it now...in the event of an emergency, everyone else will be scrambling to figure out how to grind wheat and incorporate lima beans into a meal, and we, in contrast, will be living it up with our rice and beans. As you can see, our missions have helped us prepare for life in many unexpected ways.