Author Archives: Courtney Mroch

Weddings: Putting All That Planning Into Perspective

I’m conducting an experiment. Want to be a part of it? I’m trying to figure out how important all that wedding preparation ends up being. I got the idea back when my mom moved in with us earlier this year. I had to clean out the closet in what became her room so she’d have a place to hang her clothes. I ended up finding several wedding-related items. My wedding dress was in there. I knew it was in one of the closets, but if you’d asked me which one I wouldn’t have been able to tell you. I also … Continue reading →

What’s Up with Zoos Considering Evicting Their Residents?

This week there’s been some disturbing stories in the news about zoos considering evicting some of their residents. In particular, the Los Angeles Zoo might evict it’s only elephant, Billy, and the Berlin Zoo is considering ousting what only two years ago was its superstar attraction, Knut the polar bear. Bye Bye Billy? Poor Billy is the center of one heck of a controversy and he doesn’t even know it. It all started when the Los Angeles Zoo started construction on a new enclosure for Billy. Nay, it was to be more than an “enclosure.” It was going to be … Continue reading →

Online Romance Scams

This afternoon Wayne surprised me and came home from work early. Thank goodness I had just woken up from my nap. He’d tease me mercilessly if he found me conked out on the couch. (He thinks that’s what I do all day as it is, which I do sometimes, but not always. But he’d never believe me if he actually caught me in the act.) At any rate, he’d had CPE (Continuing Professional Education) training for half the day. Instead of going in to the office for only a few hours, he opted to skip the drive and come home … Continue reading →

Learning about Coping Gracefully from My Pets

Over in Marriage I wrote about how this year has been one blow after the other and I feel like I’m living under a black cloud. A string of them to be exact. No sooner does one pass than another one moves in and pours on me some more. I don’t even get a chance to fully dry off. I’ve been trying to cope as well as I can, but I have to be honest. My defenses are wearing down. Yesterday I got another blow. My dad’s girlfriend called to say she was at St. Anthony’s with my dad. He … Continue reading →

Who’s the Dumb One? You or Your Dog?

I have a friend who’s convinced her dog’s the dumbest dog in the world. She tells the dog that regularly and shakes her head in dismay over “dumb” things he does. I ask her all the time for examples of his dumbness because I have yet to see him do anything dumb. She never really gives specifics, though. She just kind of skirts my questions and reaffirms that he’s dumb. I guess she expects I should just take her word for it. Now don’t get me wrong. I happen to like this friend very much, which is why she’ll remain … Continue reading →

Taking Abstinence Too Far?

The other day Jade sent me a link to a Chicago Tribune story titled “Practicing abstinence, bride and groom have never kissed” by Vikki Ortiz. It was about a couple, 30-year-old Claudaniel Fabien and his 28-year-old bride Melody LaLuz, who decided to abstain not only from sex before marriage, but from even kissing on the lips. Jade’s subject line when she sent the link read “Good luck with this one.” I’m surprised she didn’t say “Have fun with this one” or “Can you believe this one?” I’ve had to let it digest for a few days before writing about it. … Continue reading →

“Right Fighters” = Marriage Saboteurs

Yesterday I talked about how, among other things, the season for fighting is upon us. I also ended the article saying I’d examine some ways to fight fairly to ensure any fights you might have this holiday season are good ones, not just big ones –or, more importantly, rehashed ones. I’m actually going to start off by telling you a way not to fight. It has to do with the following quote and an article I wrote several months back about “Right Fighters”, a term I picked up from Dr. Phil. Attachment to being right creates suffering. When you have … Continue reading →

Frank the Shotgun Riding Duck

Last week my friend Kim (of adopted Rocky the cat notoriety) sent me an article from 9news.com, one of her local news stations’ websites. She lives in Denver, but the story was about a duck in Minneapolis named Frank and his duck-hunting owner Joe Mansheim. When he’s not hunting ducks, Joe drives a truck. He delivers construction materials. Frank the duck “helps” him. Why does Joe have a duck for a sidekick instead of something more traditional like a dog? Well, Joe does have a dog, but it’s because of the dog that he now also has the duck. Apparently … Continue reading →

Celebrating a Second Anniversary as a Pets Blogger

Two years ago today I officially started on with Families.com as one of their newest Pets Bloggers. Ironically enough, two years later on my anniversary date, here I’ve turned in my two weeks notice. (I just realized as I started writing this that I did that on my start date anniversary.) It’s been a good ride, a very fun ride, and an amazingly informative one. I’ll still be around for the next couple of weeks, but I wanted to take a moment and reflect on some of my favorite blogs from the past couple of years. A Few of My … Continue reading →

‘Tis the Season for Fighting

While Hallmark and Kay Jewelers commercials may try and lead us to believe this is a season of receiving romantic gifts and creating peaceful memories, anyone involved in a real-life relationship knows this can be a season for anything but blissful moments. The holidays add stress. There are extra errands to run, gifts to buy, parties to attend, and schedules to shuffle. Yes, amidst the chaos there are happy times or else no one would sign up for the seasonal celebrations year after year, but there’s also the potential for plenty of chaos and short fuses –and I don’t just … Continue reading →