all about my man

I saw this meme on Bartender's Wife and was inspired to do my own. Anyone who reads this blog knows that Thom is a fantastic partner and the love of my life, but you might not know some of the nitty gritty details about our relationship. So here you go:

What are your middle names?
Thom's is Sandford, after a grandfather. (That's where the "rd" in his business Kerdan comes from.) Mine is Ryan. Instead of cutting all my hair off or getting piercings, I started going by Ryan when I entered high school. It created a lot of confusion for people who knew me as Summer as well as those who only knew me as Ryan but kept hearing everyone call me Summer. Thanks to my best friends it was a losing battle.

How long have you been together?
We've been together since August 2001 and married since August 2003.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
I met him in high school. How? you might ask, since he's six years older than me? Funny story. See, I dated his little brother in high school (who now happens to be married to one of my best friends from high school and lives just down the road from us). Thom and I kept in touch as acquaintances for about 7 years before we thought, hey, there could be something more here...

Who asked whom out?
I guess, technically, I asked him out (though really, it was just an innocent request to get together for dinner). Still, I should have known he was putting the moves on when he offered to cook at his place.

How old are each of you?
I'm *cough* *cough* 29. For another month. He'll be 36 in March.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Definitely his. The afore mentioned brother and sister-in-law live in our city, so we get together about 2-3 times a week. I would love to see my brother more often, but since he's in Vegas, we can't just hop over to his place.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
I think we could probably both use more sleep. Ever since we hired a sitter, I have more down time (but since I'm using that time to start a business, is it really "down"?). Thom has approximately ZERO down time. I know we both want to exercise more and have more time with each other, but I just keep telling myself the toddler days won't last forever.

Did you go to the same school?
We both graduated from the same high school (Jenna Jameson is one of our illustrious alums). For college he went to MIT and I went to Sarah Lawrence.

Are you from the same home town?
Pretty much. I wasn't born in Vegas, but it's the place I call home. Thom was born and raised there.

Who is smarter?
Thom is totally smarter. He has an incredible mind and is constantly working on new ideas. He has a much better memory for details than me and can enter a debate without breaking into tears. I'm constantly learning from him.

Who is the most sensitive?
Thom is incredibly sensitive, but he doesn't really stand a chance next to the tornado of emotion he's married to. He doesn't project his emotion all the time, whereas I can't help but spew my inner emotional life on anyone within a ten foot radius. In this area - emotional intelligence - I am probably the smarter one. I can read people, anticipate their needs, and react to them without really thinking about it. Thom has to think about it.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Eat out? Uh, what's that? We order from a great pizza place called Beauty's quite a bit.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Fiji, for our honeymoon.

Who has the craziest exes?
Neither of us have that many, and they're not that crazy. I guess I did once date a guy who wanted to be Brandon Lee in The Crow, so I probably win.

Who has the worst temper?
Did I mention I'm an emotional tornado? Thom is so easy-going, sometimes it seems like nothing gets to him. I'm always surprised by those very rare occasions he gets mad (thankfully, I'm usually not the source of his anger).

Who does the cooking?
Me. And me. And, um, me. Thom used to cook more, but I'm kind of a kitchen nazi, and he's found it's just easier to stay out of my way than have me hovering over his burners and telling him to add more salt. He likes to get up on Saturday morning and make pancakes while I'm still in bed (I can't hover if I'm asleep).

Who is the neat-freak?
We're both incredibly messy by nature. And we both know our relationship will survive only if we maintain some kind of order in the house. I'm home more, so I end up working on the mess a little more than him. About once a month, when I have to do a large amount of picking up after the boys, I lose my s**t a little and start breathing fire. Thom knows it's best to just get out of my way for a couple hours and get me a cocktail once I'm done.

Who is more stubborn?
Neither is particularly stubborn, but since he's more easy-going we end up doing things my way more often.

Who hogs the bed?
We have a huge bed, so space isn't an issue. But he is a notorious blanket hog.

Who wakes up earlier?
Thom. I need a couple hours at night to wind down, so I stay up later. He's sensible and goes to bed early and wakes up with River most days.

Where was your first date?
His apartment in New York? Does that count? Our first outside date was at the Guggenheim Museum (where we saw a Frank Gehry exibit).

Who is more jealous?
What's there to be jealous about?

How long did it take to get serious?
I knew he was the one in a month. I think he did too, but he took longer to say it. On September 11 he was in Boston on business and I was in Manhattan working at Starbucks. He couldn't get in touch with me for hours and when we finally did touch base he told me he loved me.

Who eats more?
He eats faster and more quantity at mealtimes, but I probably snack more than him.

Who does the laundry?
Usually me.

Who's better with the computer?
Heh, heh. Yesterday I FINALLY figured out how to change my masthead. He went to MIT. What do you think?

Who drives when you are together?
I'm getting better about letting him take the wheel lately. But just don't ask us who's the better driver.