After I Do: A Novel
<— *squeeeeee!!* One of my favorite books of the year, and now one of my ALL-TIME favorite books ever, and her publisher (Atria Books) is offering one of our lucky readers here a signed copy!!
You guys… you guyyyyyssssss!!! If you haven’t read this book yet, you must. It’s phenomenal. It’s infuriating. It’s emotional. It’s heart wrenching. It’s uplifting. But best of all… it’s REAL (or at least, it certainly feels real). Check out my review here, AND the comments beneath it, and you’ll see. One of my favorite books ever!
In fact, I just received my own print copy (YAY ME!!!) and while mine is not signed *yet* (ohhhh I have an idea! Maybe she’ll come to the next Book Bash 😉 *fingers crossed* ), someone here will be lucky enough to win their very own signed copy!
How to enter for a chance to win a signed print copy of “After I Do”? Hrmmm… oh I know! How about you leave a comment telling us your funniest (or at least “funny now”) misunderstanding with your significant other. We’ll keep these comments “light” and maybe have a bunch of chuckles in the process. 😉 OR!! You can just leave a comment (no story required) to enter. And Sunday night (Sunday August 3rd, 2014) by 10pm EST, I will randomly select one winner.
The winner will be contacted and will have 48hrs to respond with a mailing address, so if you are picked, do not delay or you will lose your chance. This book will be sent to the winners directly by the publisher/author.
Contest open to US and Canada (however all are welcome to comment)!
It’s funny NOW… but at the time it was pretty sad. A few years ago my husband gave me a card for our anniversary… on the front it said, ‘Happy Anniversary to my Husband”. It was a very pretty card. As a matter of fact, it looked almost like the card I picked for him. Almost. Not exactly. Anyhoo… it proved my theory that he always just grabs the first card he sees and that he doesn’t even read them. The best part was, I could do the “public shaming via retell the story to everyone” for weeks. Funny now. Pathetic then.
LOL!!! Awwwww. And now you get to tell it again. 😉
We were moving and we had packed up the car and my hubby left a box full of our most precious videos (Our Wedding, Birth of our Child, etc.) on top of the car. He thought I had put them in the car and I thought he had. Never the less…we drove off and they were gone! We were in Chicago on a business trip when I realized what happened and I was sooo upset! I decided to call the local paper at our previous address and put an ad in the paper about our missing box of videos. Two days later we got a call from a lady who found the box in the back of her husbands truck. He found the box on the side of the road. She knew someone would be missing them so she started looking through the paper. She called us and we met up to get our precious memories back to us. I was sooo relieved!! I can giggle about it now….but i was crying then! 🙂
Hi Maryse *waves* Mine’s not hilariously funny but it does make me chuckle to think about it 🙂 I asked the hubs to grab a few things from the grocery store (first mistake) and one of the items was coconut for coconut shrimp. He brought me a whole coconut!! When I said after that what I wanted was the shredded stuff, he was all “how was I supposed to know?”
*snort*!! Coconut can be perplexing. 😉
Hey I have a story to share. I just remembered this one thanks to Marsha’s story ’cause my husband’s iPhone blew off the roof of our car on the highway in the exact same way. (He left it on there as he packed our car with groceries).
But! Here’s the kicker. So, we go to get him a new one, and all of the expenses and time it takes to program it etc… and we leave and decide to go to the beach. As we’re walking on the beach (feet in the water), he’s holding his phone, so I immediately grab it from him and say…
“NO WAY! You are not holding this phone while walking around water! I can just see it now…”
and then *whoops* 😯 I dropped it in the ocean.
ME. Yep. 😐 My bad!!
The look he gave me was between exasperation and victory. ‘Cause in his mind… HE WON! I just proved it wasn’t “just him”. 😉
I have 2 sons (Christopher and Tyler)….one night my oldest son had a sporting event he needed to go to, I was working late, I called my husband and said “make sure you feed Christopher before I get home because of the game tonight”, I impressed upon how important it was that he ate before the game. I get home about 2 hours later in a rush so we can all leave and get to the game….I turned to Christopher and said “did Dad feed you”, “yes” he replied “a Hot Dog”….I looked to Tyler and said “what did you have”, Tyler replies…” I didn’t eat”….????? I yelled to my husband not seeing him, “how come tyler didn’t eat”….wait for it…………HE REPLIES…”you said make sure Christopher was Fed”……..Well I was like ….WTF are you kidding me we have 2 children…..he was actually sticking up for himself with the argument that I stressed to make sure Christopher was fed.and not Tyler as well..!!!! Seriously they need so much direction….this happened like 15 years ago but it is one of my Favorite Husband Stories….and he is a great husband and Dad…..LMAO
P.S. Marsha that story is SOOOO sweet!!! How lucky.
LOL you guys!!
These stories are hilarious! 😛
You guys are cracking me up…but Maryse, yours takes the cake because it involved *you* doing something (yeah, like I’ve never dropped a cell phone in water *snort*).
Okay, my hubby story. This was about *mumble*-teen years ago, and my husband and I were at a huge waterpark. He had just gone down a slide and was waiting for me on the side. When I landed in the little pool area, my knee hit the fiberglass/mesh bottom, and it took the skin off of a huge area on my knee. Mix that with the chlorine and %&#@! I jumped up and grabbed my knee, not realizing that the underwire of my bikini top was now now an overwire, and my, ahem, bazonkas were completely on display. My husband, being the sweet man that he is, pointed at me and started laughing like a freaking hyena. Anyone who hadn’t seen them at first definitely saw them after that. Believe me, a wet underwire bikini top is *not* easy to put back in place. I got a really nice bracelet out of that one though – at least he felt bad afterward. 😉
Oh my gosh Amy that is the funniest story ever! Sounds like something that would only happen to me. These stories are hilarious!!
LOL!!!! I’m so sorry Amy… that would have been mortifying!!!
*snort* <--- sorry. 😐 *snort* 😉
Too Funny!! Amy-Jewelry guilt love it!! Sara- Thankful for smart phones. I have to take pics of what I want my husband to get from the store so he knows exactly I want and then he can only pick up a few things because he’s just too manly to get a cart! NEVER lady products that’s just taboo!!! If he only knew what Christian Grey did he he he he
Mine involves my husband always harassing me about running on fumes…”You’re going to run out of gas.” Well I never did….but he sure did and then he left the car to go get gas and the car was stolen!!!! Never heard a peep again!!
I have no funny story but am DYING reading the others!!!!
We were living in japan at the time and I had gone shopping with a friend. I bought my husband a pair of shorts at a Japanese clothing store instead of the usual Navy Exchange on base. He wore them a couple times then they just disappeared.
A little while later we were doing a deep clean of the house. The next few days he was in a complete and total funk, just being a jerk. I finally asked him what was wrong and he ran upstairs and came back with those shorts. “I found these under the bed. Who’s are they?” My mouth dropped open and I exclaimed “Yours! Those are the ones I bought you when I was shopping with *blank*!”
He stood there for a minute and then was like “oh yeah. I forgot about those!”
After I was done being offended it turned into a funny story!
*giggle*
“Oh yeah…” <--- always funny with they have the lightbulb moments.
That JUST happened to me last week! My husband found a T-shirt (not his size and he’s the only male in our house) in his drawer.. Went on a rampage. “Who the hell’s shirt is this????” Huffing and puffing in a funk!!
It happened to be my daughters boyfriends she wore home when she had just a tank on one night. I didn’t pay attention and put it in his drawer!!
I told him next time do your own damn laundry!!! My daughter told him chill dad…if mom wanted another guy she would have been gone. He was so stunned by her comment is mouth fell open and then we all were laughing. She was joking of course but trying to make him see what a foll he was!!!
I mean seriously…if I was a cheater, which I am not and which Loath….do you really think I’d put it in his drawer???
Oh, please, by all means laugh at that…because I would be laughing my a$$ off if I saw it happen to someone else. 😛
I’m loving these stories!
I was super sick once, my throat had swollen and I couldn’t talk. My husband graciously called my doctor’s office to inquire about an appointment or antibiotics. He was about 30 seconds into the call when he became all red faced and put them on hold…he turned to me with a look of terror and said, “When’s your birthday again?”….funny now, ready to kill him at the time…
My hubby decided to give me a “special gift”@ his family’s Cousin Christmas party & I had to sit on Santa’s lap mind you. The 1st gift was an Iron Board Cover of a NAKED MAN!!!!!!! The 2nd gift was a Neon Pink Vibrator 9inches!!!!! Needless to say, Santa was 80 yrs old & didn’t need any help from Viagra that day!!!!! My hubby is a character!!!!
Love reading these stories and I am dying to read the book! Thanks for the giveaway Maryse!
When our first child was an infant my husband decided he would let me sleep and would change our son. Since I had to clean up my husbands vomit as well as a dirty diaper it turned out not to be as restful as he had hoped…
You guys are making me snort!! I’m serious. Out loud. My husband’s eyes, every time I laugh, bug out.
Alright, I know you said “a” comment, as in one, but I have to share this one and then I won’t hog the board anymore.
My husband and I were at a going-away party for one of his friends at a bar/grill near our house, so we figured we would just walk home afterward. I *really* don’t like getting drunk in public, but after a glass of wine his friends started buying me shots and goading me to drink them. I lost count after 5 or 6. I could barely walk, and my husband was complaining on the way home that I was walking too slow so he threw me over his shoulder. My low-rise pants ended up being pulled down so that my thong and half of my a$$ were showing. We were at a corner and this car full of guys was at the stop sign, and one of the guys yelled, “Yeah! Way to take her, man!” What does my husband do? He smacks my rear and gives them the thumbs up. THEN, he claimed he couldn’t carry me up the stairs at home (whatever, he’s 190 lbs of pure muscle and I’m all of 5’1″), so I told him to let me rest on our porch swing but make sure to come back and get me if I fell asleep out there. The guy passed out inside, and I ended up sleeping all night on the swing and woke up to the neighbor’s cat using it’s nails to make a bed out of my belly.
In his defense, he *is* so sweet that he doesn’t hesitate to sling my girly purses over his shoulder in public to free up my hands while I shop and will pick up the most embarrassing items (for a guy 😉 ) including tampons, Monistat and AZO. Okay, I’m done now! 😉
I have way too many stories, but here’s two.
1. I’m out for dinner with friends and I call my hubby to see how he and our kids are doing. He says fine and that he has a surprise for me….something that I really will love. I got off the phone thinking he got us a new wireless router. Well, I get home, the kids are sleeping and my husband is sitting in the living room, in the dark. Yeah….not where you think this is going…he turns around, and yep, it’s a puppy. Surprise…guess who takes care of that big dog that now wakes me up at 5am? Me! We also now have 2 parakeets and a bunny courtesy of my hubby. Before we all say awww, here’s #2. My hubby proudly tells me that he removed my 3 year old twins’ temporary tattoos….and he doesn’t understand why I make it sound so hard to remove those suckers. I asked him what he used…with a big smile he says, “The magic eraser….it works great!” I thought he was kidding. He wasn’t. Needless to say I refused to call the doctor…made him do it, because I didn’t want the doctor to think I was the idiot in the relationship. For future reference….do not use the magic eraser on your children…although, he is not alone, because I googled it afterwards, and there was a nice club that my husband is now the president of. Gotta love him
Ok – I have a lot of stories, too (we have been together 9 years — dating + marriage). But, I still think that one of the funniest / most awkward moments was actually when he proposed. He proposed in the comfort of our own home and it was a sweet moment between the two of us. But, me being the somewhat ditz that I am sometimes (we all have our moments), I didn’t really realize that a proposal was taking place at first. It was a Friday evening after a long day at work (the poor guy had to endure me being an hour and a half late home), and I walked into our place which was covered in flowers and candles (yes, super adorable!). He had a set-up of the ring and he was decked out in a suit (mighty handsome, I might add). I walked up to him and he said some sweet things and asked me to marry him. I proceeded to respond with the exact words “What are you doing? What is all of this?” by which he replied “Um, I just asked you to marry me, sooooo……” *blank stare, jaw drop, blink, blink* THEN, I said “Oh wow, I really have to go the bathroom” and he was like “WAIT — REALLY???” by which point the shock started to wear off and I said “OMG OMG YES YES YES!!!” and jumped into his arms. Then I ran off to the restroom without the ring!! Needless to say, when we got in the car to drive to dinner he said that he wouldn’t have had it any other way as it just wouldn’t have been “us” if I didn’t react the way I did. Of course I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but I’m glad he knew exactly who he was marrying! 🙂
I have no significant other so therefore no funny misunderstanding can be left by me 🙁 How sad…I really, really think a signed copy of the book will just cheer my little lonely heart right up! Just reading about all of the marriage drama I am sure will give me a new positive outlook on my single status! Use your powers for good Maryse!!
haven’t had any to share
I would love a signed copy! I am looking for some new reads!
Don’t have a hilarious one to share but I’m laughing my bum off at work reading the stories from you ladies 😀 Thanks so much for the giveaway Maryse! I loved this book too <3
26 years ago, my man and I were in Disney World and I was carrying around one of those little paper maps of the park that you get when you walk through the entry gate. It had been a long day, we were hot and tired, and we couldn’t figure out where on the map we were in that park. In a snotty little huff, I said, “Where the hell is the You Are Here dot on this stupid map?” My man just looked at me and burst out laughing, reminding me it was a fold-up paper map that didn’t have a You Are Here dot! So now ant time we are lost, he asks me if I have the You Are Here map.
Can’t think of a story to share right now but I’m hearing great things about this book.
My husband and I have been together for 29 years (I was an infant when we started dating) lol. There have been lots of misunderstandings through the years. One day a couple of years ago I came home from the store and My husband and then 13yo son were watching one of those karate movies with the sub titles. As I was putting away the groceries with my back to the tv, I asked what are you guys watching? my hubby answers “some FOREIGN film”. I Heard “some PORN film”! I was like what, what,, what? When I turned around I understood that he had said foreign not porn. Now whenever they watch one of those movies he tells me they are watching porn, lol.
My story is a little too embarrassing to share, but I’m going to share it anyway. So I was getting ready to do my husband’s laundry one day, and I had all of his shirts bunched up in my arms getting ready to stick them in the washer when I happen to get a whiff of perfume all over one of his shirts. I go into the kitchen with his shirt in my hand while not so nicely asking, “Why does your shirt smell like a cheap ho?” He was like, I have no idea what you are talking about. He grabs the shirt and sniffs it and was like, “Honey this is the shirt you wore to bed a couple of days ago.” He then proceeded to laugh his a$$ off at me while calling me his little cheap ho. Moral of story…..she who jumps to conclusions ends up looking like a complete idiot in front of husband. Note to self…..change perfume because you smell like a cheap ho.
OMG you ladies are making me snort my tea at work. You all have lovely husbands. Waht great stories.
Too funny. Unfortunately I seem to have a more boring relationship. No misunderstandings for me. I’m dying to read these books.
I don’t have a significant other, so there are no cute stories to tell…yet. 🙂
These stories are hilarious! I wish I could think of a funny story to tell but I can’t think of one at the moment. I am hearing such great things about these books! Added them to my ever growing wish list!
It is funny now, but at the time I thought I would strangle him! I was pregnant with our first child and was having one of those horrible pregnancies where I was sick all day, every day for the entire pregnancy. Throwing up just became part of the norm. One day, in the middle of this awesomeness, my husband was on an important phone call. I had to run to the bathroom to get sick yet again and I hear my husband talking on the phone. I was in the middle of throwing up when he walks in the bathroom and asks me to throw up quieter because he is on the phone. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he had the look of fear in his eyes. He and I both refer to that day as the day he lost his mind. I am positive that temporary insanity is the only logical explanation for that craziness! LOL (Btw, we had two more children and never once did he ask me to throw up quieter!)
I have a frustrating story that is actually still frustrating to me now. So it was just this past Christmas and I was wrapping presents and the store left the annoying device on the shirt I purchased (which when I noticed made sense why I was beeping after entering and exiting every store I went into but thinking that’s not me) So my husband and I were going to a Christmas party which we needed to pass by the mall on the way. I said to him just drop me off here and I will quickly run in. It was 2 days before Christmas so you can imagine how packed the parking lot was. He dropped me off, I ran in got the device thing off and was back at the door he dropped me off at, I would say within 5 minutes. I waited, and waited. No sight of the car. I also forgot to mention that I left my purse, cell phone and everything in the car as I was just going to run in and out. Well after 30 minutes I walked up to the next exit to see if I could see him and nope nothing. After almost 2 hours of me waiting by the door he dropped me off at he finally cruises by. He hadn’t even came to a full stop when I jumped in and started to let him have it. I asked him where the heck he was and he says all calmly, I was the Target exit. Which is all the way at the other end of the mall. I tried to very calmly explain to him that if you drop someone off at a door then it’s common knowledge that that’s the door you pick them up at. It was a very quiet ride to the Christmas party mind you!!
I loved After I Do! Could totally relate to some parts of the book.
I don’t have any funny stories, but thanks for the giveaway!!! 🙂
So my story is more about me being a total ditz. Well a few years ago when my husband was still working nights, I went to put a load of laundry in (a top load washer) and at first its filling up with water and I’m putting the clothes and soap in and then all of a sudden the water just stops and nothing is happening and I’m standing there trying to figure out why the dang washer isn’t spinning. I then decide I’m going to wake my husband up and see if he can fix it because all of his work clothes are in there, so here he comes all grouchy and tired and stomps his way into the laundry room and says OK show me the problem so I point out that the washer isn’t doing anything and hr stops and turns to me real slow and says you are kidding right and I’m like what do you mean am I kidding? Of course I’m not kidding! I mean look at it! Its just full of water and not spinning and he calmly shakes his head and puts the lid of the washer down and what do you know it starts spinning! I was so embarrassed!! I can’t believe I forgot to shut the lid!! He still loves to tell that story. He thought it was kinda cute that I had such a ditzy moment but I still feel like such a goof 🙂
Okay so not sure how funny this is for me but others have found it funny…Anyways, my oldest guy earned a trip to a water park here for sellling so much popcorn for scouts and so him and my husband went (one was still nursing and the other was too small to go) and they had a blast. Well, later that night my son told his brother (he didn’t know I was near their room) that his dad let him fly off of the flusher but everything is okay cuz I didn’t drown. MOUTH DROPS! So I confront my husband and he looks at our son like what he said was so preposterous and said “I thought I told you not to tell MOM!” Son said “I didn’t. Mom eavesdropped.” Okay like I am the bad guy. All I can do is stare at them and so my husband says “Look he is fine. He just slipped out of my hands and by the time I got down there he was fine. Shocked but fine.” Like this is supposed to make it all okay. Kids at scouts thought it was funny and so did other parents who were there. Me not so much. Still to this day.
This isnt a misunderstanding but more of a funny story that was not so funny at the time. My husband and I moved a couple years ago halfway across the country…me driving our car and my husband driving the HUGE moving van. We made it all 16 hours with no incident until 200 yards before we reached our new house when the street got really wind-y and there were some low hanging branches. I could tell there was no way the truck was going to be able to make it but couldn’t do anything since I was in the car behind the truck, and lo and behold, my husband drove the truck under the low branch and the top of the moving van peeled off like a sardine can! Of course it then started to rain and our realtor had to run to the hardware store to get a tarp to cover the top of the truck until we could get it unloaded! Oh and did I mention that when the top peeled off, it made the door on the back not be able to open?? LOL. It was terrible!! The neighbors were getting their windows replaced and we had to have all the window workers help us be able to get into the truck. It was a horrible day at the time, but now we laugh about it. And we gave the realtor and the window workers a good story to tell 🙂
Wish I had a funny story to tell but honestly if I had a misunderstanding at one point, I probably forgot after 3 kids later 🙂 Thanks for the chance to win!
About a year or so ago, my husband walks up to me while I was reading, takes the book from my hand, and begins to read aloud to me. Hearing my husband (who is not a lover of books) read the pages to me was one of the most romantic things in my eyes. By the time he was finished, he could tell by the look in my eyes and the smile on my face that I enjoyed it. He then promises to read to me the next time I’m having a bad day or am feeling blue. So…about a year passes and he has yet to ever read to me again. Then, one day we have a huge “misunderstanding” and I retreat to our room to escape in a book. About an hour passes and I see him coming thru the door. He says nothing and I continue to read until he walks up to me, takes the book from my hand, pulls me into a spoon, and whipers ‘I’m sorry’ in my ear before he begins reading from pretty much where I left off. Those are the moments that make my heart flutter!!
This happened when the hubby & I were dating. We had just graduated from college and decided to fly out to Hawaii to celebrate. While planning, he tells me “Hey! I found this great deal 3 islands, air fare, everything for only $1200 just go see this travel agent.” so, I’m thinking “Awesome!” (this is pre-Internet travel…1999). We get to Hawaii, we’re on a shuttle to the hotel, not really paying attention to who’s around. A lady (tour guide) comes on and starts saying everything in Chinese! Omigosh! He signed us up for a week long Chinese speaking tour! Needless to say 15 years later, I sill do all the travel planning!
OK these stories are hilarious!!!
I was about 7 mths pregnant and started to have labor pains and so my husband took me to the hospital. Well they hooked me up to the machine to monitor the pains and said they might be Braxton hicks contractions. My husband being the farm boy he is accidentally said , “are you still having them Briggs and Strattons”?( instead of Braxton hicks) Well needless to say I started dying laughing so hard the monitor was going crazy and my husband was getting mad because I wouldn’t stop! The nurse comes flying in and I told her what he said and she started laughing and when we left she said,” if you have anymore Briggs and Strattons come back”! My husband is so cute!