Marriage: Word Counters

 

Counting my words again. 

Today my fellow Word Counters and I are sharing our monthly group post. Each month one group member picks  a number between 12 and 50. All participating bloggers are then challenged to write something (or a few somethings, as the case may be) using that exact number of words. Today we all share what we came up with. 

 This month's number is 31. 
It was chosen by Diane of On the Border!

As I've been doing in these Word Counters posts, I've chosen a theme and am using my word count multiple times in keeping with the theme. This month I've chosen the theme Marriage. 

 

~ I don't unconditionally support the construct of marriage. Those who've been a friend of this blog for a while know I wrote Tie Not the Knot about it years ago.

~ It's not that I think people shouldn't be able to get married, I'm not at all proposing we deny marriage to those who want to make that legal and spiritual commitment. 

 

~ But marriage can be a decision made due to familial, religious, legal pressure, or just too soon. The result is misery or divorce. Marriages that end in divorce are forty percent.

 
~ For a decision this monumental, there shouldn't be outside pressure attached. I also believe it's important that couples are able to function on all levels in our society without being married. 

 

~ Because I do know that not all people can be monogamous. For some, relationships are an ongoing process. For them, I'm glad that the societal pressure to be married has eased.

 

~ My consideration of the topic started before gay marriage had become legal. Discrimination, in all of its forms infuriates me. Marriage needs to be a choice, for everyone or no one.

 

~ There are legal benefits attached to marriage that need to be addressed for those who make a different choice, but many of those benefits can be dealt with through the courts.

~ But there are also financial (like social security of a spouse) and medical (being on a spouse's medical insurance) that still need to be made accessible to partners who aren't married.

 

Creamsicle Bundt Cake 

 

 

~ When Hubs proposed, I wasn't sure. Religion was an issue, and we were already living together. At the time though, it was still a stigma for children to have unmarried parents.  

~ We moved to the Midwest, and the joke was on me, I was infertile. We were fortunate to find a reproductive endocrinologist, be successful with in vitro, and to be together.

 

~ I should mention that I baked a cake today. I also planned a special dinner, bought a card, and wine. Because some people can and should be married. Happy Anniversary, Hubs. 

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

On the Border 

Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Creamsicle Bundt Cake    
                                              ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup orange juice, divided

3 TBSP powdered French vanilla creamer, divided

1 box (3 oz) jello mix, divided

1 cup vanilla frosting (your own or canned)

1 (15.25) box white cake mix

3 eggs

1 (5.3 oz) vanilla Greek yogurt 

1/4 cup milk

Directions:
*NOTE: It actually works out best if you do this step ahead (even the day before): Bring 1/4 cup orange juice just to boiling. Add 1 TBSP of the French vanilla creamer and 1 TBSP of the orange jello mix. Stir until dissolved. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla frosting, place in the freezer for 15 minutes, whisk again, then refrigerate.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

*Beat the cake mix, eggs, yogurt, milk, remaining 3/4 cup orange juice, remaining 2 TBSP powdered French vanilla creamer, and the remaining orange jello mix. 

*Pour evenly into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, just until the center springs back to the touch. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edges and removing from the pan. Cool completely.

*Once the cake is completely cooled, remove the frosting from the refrigerator, whisk again, and drizzle over the top and down the sides of the cake.