GenConf and Traditions

I find something so comforting about traditions.  Even if I think they're stupid.  Every General Conference that I can remember since living with Marie, we have had breakfast burritos.  It just happened.  There we were five and a half years ago at Stadium Terrace and I turned to Marie and said, "we should have breakfast burritos tomorrow before conference!" and now I eat them every conference weekend.  Even this weekend, when Marie was out of town, or two years ago, when she lived in Washington, DC. 

On the first of each month it's a race to see whether Marie and I or Esther (Marie's freshman roommate) will beat the others at texting "a pinch and a punch for the first of the month."  It's a tradition in Esther's family that Marie and I found ridiculous, and we set out to beat her to it each month after she told us about it.  I'm not kidding when I say this accounts for 95% of the contact that we currently have with Esther.  I think it's a perfect way of staying in touch.

Every Christmas Marie and I decorate together.  The tradition?  Hanging snowflakes from the ceiling.  I suck at making them and every year I complain about it.  But really, I'd be upset if we didn't have them because it is such a tradition.  I can't remember when this started, but it was either at Stadium Terrace (first year living together) or the year after that at Jason and Jaime's condo.  We also hang twinkle lights around the living room for Christmas and then leave them up for the rest of the year until we move. 

Every October we have the Autumn Party up the canyon.  Well, this year I had it on my front lawn under some fruit trees.  It smelled like chicken poop but the food was lovely anyway. 

Of course there's Chicken Pillow Monday, but that has all but stopped.  This started at Jason and Jaime's condo for sure.  I was working in the mail room at Helaman and Hilary Peterson was eating them.  They looked delicious and I made her give me the recipe.  Marie and I started eating them every Monday night.  For three years.  It's pretty much stopped now, but we still say to each other upon occasion, "hey, do you want to do Chicken Pillow Monday tomorrow?" 

We used to eat at Red Robin together weekly.  We joked that we would be found dead because we hadn't been in a while and the employees would notice. 

We rub each others backs during only Sunday School and Relief Society at church.  This is a newer tradition of only three years. 

We wait until the lights are turned off at night before we start to tell each other the important parts of our lives.  It's easier to be honest when we don't have to look each other in the eye and maybe get caught crying.

I often help her pick out her outfits for work or church.  We own a pet ceramic fish named Gil together.  He was our first (some may say only) combined purchase.  I have a starfish finger puppet that we play with on Sundays.  And we have matching bed spreads. 

Basically, so many parts of my life are wrapped up in Marie.  It's going to be really strange doing our traditions by myself in the future.