Dogs are more fun!
I am a recovering Type A perfectionist and insomniac who is addicted to lattes, loves flavorful food (think anchovies, hoppy beer, and olives), and is a sucker for the underdog, including the one pictured with me here. When he was 8 months old, he was abandoned by his owners. Someone found him in the rain, tied to a utility pole. When I first laid eyes on him, he was filthy. He hung his head and tucked his tail. He flinched if I moved quickly, as if he was expecting me to smack him.
I fell in love with him, and he took that love and used it to become a healthy 60 pound lap dog who ate all of our tissues and toilet paper, composted anything remotely edible that he could find in the trash can (and probably some things that were not), and kept us from ever getting bored. Adopt a dog. There are plenty of unwanted ones to go around.
Now that I’ve gotten that public service announcement out of the way, let’s talk about me, which is why you clicked onto this page in the first place. If you have a lot of time on your hands, you are welcome to read this 5 part story of my life. It’s about 5,000 words long and takes you on a journey from Fourth Grade, when I wanted to be President of the United States, until the summer of 2009, when this blog was 11 months old. Part 5 is a collection of my best life, writing and blogging advice.
Or, you might just want the short version, which is what follows. I started this site because I once regularly fantasized about my husband dropping dead. I spent so much time thinking and hoping for that car accident or heart attack that I had his entire funeral planned out—down to the food and beer I would serve the mourners.
I knew my husband would frustrate me if we tried marital counseling, so I instead started a project, one that involved reading every marital improvement book I could find. During the next year, I changed, and so did he. He did more around the house. He paid more attention to our daughter. He asked me about me, and he actually seemed interested as I answered. I fell back in love, and so did he.
I started Project Happily Ever After to help others. It’s my hope that my advice and stories on this site can provide you with a sense of hope that happiness is not only your right, but that it’s also within your grasp.
