Escape Adulthood

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Relationships

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Celebrate Your Way to a Better Relationship

Isn’t it strange how when you’ve just fallen in love, the object of your affection's weird idiosyncrasies seem cute? And then, after twenty years of marriage, the way their nose twitches when they tell a funny story, the unusual way they cut their steak, or the specific way they order at a fast food drive-up window, makes you want to wallop them with a rolling pin? Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too. ;) Interestingly, studies show that divorce isn’t usually caused by an increase in problems. It’s often caused by a decrease in positive feelings. Shelly Gable, professor of psychology at the …

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Leftover Scraps Aren’t Good Enough

I recently read an article about a celebrity chef. In it, he talked about his nightly ritual with his wife: “At around 11:30 or 12:00, we talk. Not just, 'How are you?’ I like to have a soulful conversation with her, a meaningful conversation. And then after that, I fall asleep within two seconds. I am just beat. I am beat." I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Are you freaking kidding me? A soulful conversation? At midnight?! In which you are so "alert" that you fall asleep within two seconds of having it? Granted, I am not in the room with them, but I'd love to ask the wife just how …

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Relationship hacks: 7 awesome date night ideas that bring the fun front and center

Want a relationship that not only lasts but gets better and better as you go along? Without a doubt, one important ingredient is regularly-scheduled date nights. Contrary to popular belief, date nights aren’t just for people who are dating! What starts out as a normal and frequent part of every relationship becomes an endangered species once a few years and children and pile up. It’s worth pointing out the “scheduled" part of regularly-scheduled is key here. Don’t expect to magically “find” time. You’re more likely to have an errant asteroid hurtle through Earth’s atmosphere and magically …

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The Adultitis-Free Way to Win an Argument Every Time

At the most recent Escape Adulthood Summit, a woman named Kate shared an awesome technique for winning arguments. It all started on a simple premise agreed upon by Kate and her husband. They decided that no matter how angry they were with each other during the course of an argument, if one of them said, "Lincoln Log!" they would both have to laugh. (Actually, the word they used was "raccoon," but she joked that it was already taken. Lincoln Log seemed fun -- you can use it if you want. So does cantaloupe. Or sasquatch. Use your imagination!) She described a typical scenario. An …

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How to Adultitis-Proof Your Wedding

A wedding is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life. But it can also be a breeding ground for Adultitis. This sinister foe downright salivates at events involving formal wear, the merging of families, and an expectation that everything is supposed to go perfectly. Is it possible to Adultitis-proof your wedding? Yes. But it requires a mindset that decides you're going to have fun no matter what the caterer messes up or your mother-in-law does. It also helps to incorporate some ideas that send the message to you and your guests that Adultitis is not invited. I've been …

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How We Spent Our 13th Anniversary

Kim and I always do something childlike on our anniversary. One year we went to the circus. Another time we visited Toys "R" Us on Times Square. This year, we took the kids to Medieval Times. Actually, that happened the day AFTER our anniversary. On our real anniversary, our sister-in-law watched the kids so we could play hooky and have lunch on a beautiful day. (Pretty childlike in its own right, I guess.) At lunch overlooking Lake Monona, we had a chance to chat about many things, gloriously uninterrupted. We reminisced about our anniversary adventures. We talked about the logistics …

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What Are The Chances?

I can't imagine having a better business partner, wife, or friend than Kim. When I slow down enough to pay attention, it's really quite amazing how well we fit together. And it boggles my mind how many things had to go right in order for me to meet her. A whole lot of dominoes had to fall just so in order for us to end up at that Oogie's restaurant in that small Illinois town on the same December night with the purpose of singing Christmas carols. (Even though our reasons for being there were quite different.) I mean seriously, winning the lottery might be more mathematically likely. Is …

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When It Comes to Relationships, Our Days Are Numbered

4,363 days. That's how many days Kim and I have been married, as of this writing. I was inspired to figure this number out after attending a breakout session by Steve Wilson at the AATH (Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor) Conference in Chicago last weekend. He explained that he and his wife Pam don't count the years they've been married, but the days. And if you were to ask either of them on the spot what day they were on, they'd be able to tell you. (I want to say it was over 10,000.) And here I thought I was lucky getting hitched in 2000 because I'd always be able to …

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