How I "text" your mother

Sorry for the cheesy play on a really bad sitcom. If you like it, please don't take this personally, but I think it's fitting.

Todd and his family are probably the most fantastic people when it comes to recognition. Not the type where they pass out a metal or bake you a cake (although Judy does provide cookies and brownies regularly that are delicious.) They do things such as hand written thank yous for dinner or "letting them stay with us" and phone calls to see how you are doing after a big triumph at work. Truly old fashion, genuine, personal and consistent whether a huge feat or smallest hurdle. This has rubbed off on my soon to be husband but in a completely different, and reflective of the times format, that of SMS!

3 things have spurred my fascination with this. The first, Todd called my mom the eve of our engagement to check up on her and asked "Susan did you ever think you would find out your daughter is engaged via text message?" Short story so you all don't think I didn't call my own mother first! After Todd proposed, I snapped a photo of the ring and MMS it to my mom. There are a few reasons for this but the main is shock value! Imagine, lunch with your daughter stuffing yourself with the most delicious BBQ chicken pizza, and then 20 minutes later bam, LIFE CHANGER! What's great is when I called to ask if she had opened the text "of some guy on US1 doing something crazy" she couldn't figure out how to operate the phone and began chatting about the football game and how amazing the wood delivery was!!! LOL!!! Then of course the freak out because my dad nor Todd had let her in on this.

Second is Judy, my future mother-in-law sent me a text on Sunday that inquired as to my first full day of being engaged! How thoughtful!!

Lastly, as I look at my cell phone bill and number of text messages I see a theme! Between the hours of 7am and 4pm Todd and I speak less than an average of 5 minutes a day. I feel like we communicate better than many couples, but only talk 25 minutes a week! How is it possible that the person I feel closest to, that I know more than anyone in the world, that I'm marrying for goodness sake I only talk to for 25 minutes!! And if you were to ask my manager, he would tell you that Todd began our relationship with texts, mostly about the Cutters, way to a girl's heart I tell ya.

But here's the deal. I think we utilize the texting revolution in an old fashion way. All in all there are about 25 texts on average a day, about 5 words and usually "How is the day going?" with responses like "Great" or "Crushing it" or "I love you" followed by song lyrics(for fun)! Just out of reach enough to miss, but close enough to keep us coordinated. Sounds old fashioned if you ask me. Do you remember before there were cell phones and email? Men and women went to work and didn't talk until they came home. My parents have been married 35 years and still stick to this.

I know that the immediate satisfaction of gen x and y come up frequently. In fact I think this breaks up some couples. Too much texting, too much facebook, phone calls, twitters and tweets, where you went to the bathroom, the color of your bra, what is on your mind?(FB), what are you doing right now(myspace)? But the fact is technology, the Internet and the likes have presented its own set of challenges and made life wonderful as well. I think as long as we keep the human element and our wits about us, all it can do is enhance the organic experience.

With that, I will leave this post with the advice of a stranger.

As Todd and I celebrated the start of our lives together that night at Casa Monica, the couple adjacent to us left with this advice as they finished celebrating their 29Th Anniversary:
She leaned in and without a moment of hesitation or thought and said here is what makes it last

First it's YOUR wedding~ Second say Please and Thank you~ Third Lots of Kisses

Simple, I love it

Wedding Plan Update:
Decision 1- Ceremony Under the Pavillion on the Green right in downtown!