For those of you that don’t know, Mike and I had quite the untraditional beginning to our marriage. I lived in Indianapolis for three years while Mike lived in Chicago, which meant that we became very familiar with the stretch of I-65 that cuts through Indiana.

When we eloped, we were both committed to another nine months on our leases and Mike was still in paramedic school. That meant that neither of us could move and we spent the first nine months of married life living approximately 200 miles apart. The marriage therapists in Livermore could probably have a field day with that scenario.

Things fell into place around Christmas, and I was able to secure a new job and move to Chicago, which means that even though we’ll be married a year this month, we’re still getting used to living together. I’m a proponent of couples therapy to help us work out the kinks, relieve some of the tension, and make our household run a little more smoothly. We’re both still very independent, and having a hard time compromising.

There’s lots of reasons why couples seek therapy; they may fight, not feel the same spark as they did when they first got together, or be in the midst of a real relationship crisis. Whatever the reason, there’s no shame in seeking out help, especially when it can save something as important as a relationship.

I was really glad to hear that the California Supreme Court lifted the ban on gay marriage today, and that gay couples could begin to marry in less than a month. The sexual orientation of a couple has absolutely no bearing on their ability to enter into a committed relationship and take responsibility for their partners and their families.

“Essentially, this boils down to love. We love each other. We now have equal rights under the law,” declared a jubilant Robin Tyler, a plaintiff in the case along with her partner. She added: “We’re going to get married. No Tupperware, please.”

I hope more states begin to follow suit, as the ban is absolutely absurd, but considering it took four years for California to follow Massachusetts in their ruling, I don’t imagine Indiana will be next in line.

This story took a few minutes for me to process, and kind of blew my mind once it sunk in, so I’m going to try to summarize…

Thomas Beatie was born a woman, but has since become a transgender male, having his breasts removed and taking testosterone injections, but keeping his vagina. Thomas then married Nancy and they wanted to start a family. Nancy is unable to have children, so Thomas stopped the testosterone injections and the couple purchased sperm from an anonymous donor. Without the aid of fertility drugs, Thomas got pregnant with triplets, but the pregnancy was ectopic and the embryos and Thomas’s right fallopian tube was lost.

The couple continued their attempts to become pregnant, and Thomas now claims to be pregnant, due July 3, 2008.

Thomas and Nancy originally spoke with The Advocate, but are now refusing to speak since they have deals to cash in with various TV and print media outlets.

I’m still forming my thoughts and opinions, but does anyone want to jump in with any feelings of their own?

We are one of those couples. We dress our dog up, buy him treats from the dog bakery, and take him on vacation with us. Well, we want to take him on vacation with us. Usually, we have to book him a night in the local doggie hotel because we have difficulty finding pet friendly hotels that will welcome our little wiener dog with open arms. The dog hotel isn’t anything to scoff at, but it’s just not the same as being together.

Thanks to OfficialPetHotels.com, Ollie can now be nestled between us when we lay down to relax on our next trip. Their database contains over 10,000 pet friendly hotels all over the country, which makes for easy traveling. A did a quick search for our hometown of Chicago, and found out that the Palmer House Hilton even accepts pets overnight!

Not only will you be able to find a hotel where you whole family can stay, and yes, pets are family, there’s even a list of tips for traveling with your pets. Some of which I would have never thought of!

• Locate emergency veterinary clinics in the area
• Feed your pet ice cubes to keep them hydrated
• Make sure your pet has tags with your destination information

It’s been a whirlwind couple of days. I quit my job, Heath Ledger died, what next?

I think we all need to relax and have a pint of Monster Brew, brewed right in our homes! Monster Brew brewing kits include all the supplies and ingredients needed to brew the perfect beer and has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and their customer support is availble to answer any questions you have.

So, take a new hobby that you can enjoy every day. Brew a fine pint of beer with Monster Brew!