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Rosie Owen Apr 2015
Marriage is changing, from who can get married (37 states now allow gay marriage!) to who actually ends up doing it. Only 26% of millennials are married, a sharp decrease from 36% of Generation X and 48% of baby boomers, according to the Pew Research Center. But marriage isn't obsolete — in fact, in many ways it's thriving as we re-evaluate what the institution really means to us.

And with re-evaluating marriage comes re-evaluating weddings. The Knot's "2014 Real Weddings Study" found that couples are foregoing traditional wedding customs to modernize their nuptials through their choice of rings, dresses and officiants.

That includes — perhaps most importantly — the vows. Couples today are taking cues from badass brides like Amelia Earhart, who banned the word "obey" from her 1931 wedding vows, and reciting promises to one another that reflect the partnerships they strive for. Here are 12 real-life couples who vowed...

1. "To split the difference on the thermostat."

Why it's awesome: When Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston got married, Pitt pledged to "split the difference on the thermostat." While that partnership didn't last, as we all know, it was a lighthearted vow that highlights a crucial element of modern marriage: compromise. The key to a happy marriage is learning how to meet halfway.

2. "To be a true and loyal friend to you."

Why it's awesome: Marriages weren't always about intimate, caring partnerships between equals. But we know well enough now that the happiest, most long-lasting marriages are those in which partners see each other as friends (even studies have proven it true). Jevan's vows to Alithea, shared by the Knot, are a reminder that the bedrock of friendship is what makes a modern marriage stand.

3. "To communicate fully and fearlessly."

Why it's awesome: Among the traditional promise of partnership and faith, real-life couple Anne and Gabrielle told the Knot they vowed "to communicate fully and fearlessly" as spouses. In our modern world, we have seemingly endless ways to communicate — text, email, Skype, Snapchat — and yet still have to work to connect. Sitting down face-to-face, making eye contact and being vulnerable with one another is still crucial, as is being honest without fear of judgment from your partner. Emojis aside, that's what really sustains a lasting relationship.

4. "To grab your **** even when we're old and wrinkly."

Why it's awesome: As we become more open about sexuality (thank goodness), it's only natural that a wink and a nudge find their way into the wedding vows. In an open thread on A Practical Wedding, Zach and Kate shared their vows, which included the promise "to hit on you in awesome accents and grab your **** even when we're old and wrinkly." This promise to keep the spark alive even years down the line is no small thing. After all, studies have shown that all it can take is a simple touch to maintain a ****** connection.

5. "To value our differences as much as our common ground."

Why it's awesome: Love is a powerful force to bring people together, even when they're divided by cultural background, religion and, increasingly, politics. As society grows more divisive and we hold tight to our views, it's valuable to remember that our differences don't have to actually divide us, as these vows from real-life couple Greta Christina and Ingrid, told to Patheos, show.

6. "To continue to love your children, as if they were my own."

Why it's awesome: A marriage isn't just a vow to one person, it's a vow to an entire family — future and present. In 2011, Pew Research found that more than 4 in 10 American adults have at least one "step relative" in their family, including a stepparent, a stepchild or a step or half sibling. These adults are just as likely as others to say that family is the most important element of their lives. So it's no surprise that people have been adapting their weddings to encompass the commitment to an entire family, as Sara M. did in her vows, shared on Offbeat Bride.

7. "To comfort you when the Falcons lose and drink beer with you when they win."

Why it's awesome: As Mallory summed up so perfectly to Eddie in their vows, shared by the Knot, appreciating each other's distinct interests and actively sharing in them together makes a huge difference. It goes beyond just putting on the Falcons jersey: Sitting down for the game and sharing a beer is what researchers would call "shared leisure," and it makes a big difference for marital satisfaction. That football game is more than just a football game.

8. "To never try to hurt you just because I'm angry or tired."

Why it's awesome: The chaos of our lives means lots of stress, lots of late nights and lots of exhaustion. (Unsurprisingly, Gallup found that 40% of American adults get less than the recommended amount of sleep.) That can actually wreak havoc on a relationship, which is why it's all the more important to anticipate the challenge. Sarah's vows to her husband, which she shared on A Practical Wedding, are a promise not to take out her stress and exhaustion on him. Instead, she vows to trust him throughout the chaos, "even when we veer from GPS directions, schedules, itineraries and to-do lists."

9. "I have called you my life partner, my significant other, my longtime companion, my lover. ... Now I vow to love you always as my lawfully wedded husband."

Why it's awesome: The vows said by George Takei and longtime partner Brad Altman at their wedding, after the passage of marriage equality in California, were unsurprisingly moving, given they were 21 years in the making. As couples, straight and gay, wait longer to get married (and cohabit in the meantime), labels like "husband" or "wife" are less crucial for defining the relationship than the moments a couple has shared. Takei and Altman's wedding was not proof of their commitment, but rather a tribute to the commitment they had already demonstrated — a truth echoed clearly in their vows.

10. "To be your partner in all things, not possessing you, but working with you as a part of the whole."

Why it's awesome: If we're really striving for egalitarian marriages, then recognizing the equal amounts of work required by each half, as partners, is crucial, especially as women's participation in the workforce keeps growing (57.2% compared to 69.7% for men in 2013). In order for both careers to receive equal focus, a promise not to "possess" but to work to support each other is key. Much like Amelia Earhart refused to use the word "obey," real-life couple Alex and Michelle promised to be each other's "equal in all things" in the vows they shared with the Knot.

11. "I will love you no matter what makes my blood circulate, or even no matter what provides my body with oxygen."

Why it's awesome: Traditional weddings tend to be religious occasions, but with increasing rates of atheism and marriages across faiths, religion is taking a back seat to a more personalized expression of commitment. As of 2013, only one third of couples opted to get married in a church, and even more are removing religion from their vows. But that doesn't mean the vows don't appeal to a higher sense of faith — in the other person or in the world, as these scientific, "atheistic" vows, translated from Swedish and shared on Reddit, prove.

12. "I see these vows not as promises but as privileges."

Why it's awesome: Marriage might have been necessary decades ago, but these days it's more of a choice. So it's only natural that the vows we recite — traditionally a list of duties and obligations — actually reflect the happy choice that marriage now is for so many.

Yuval and Dina chose to frame their vows as honors, as they shared with the Knot: "I see these vows not as promises but as privileges: I get to laugh with you and cry with you; care for you and share with you. I get to run with you and walk with you; build with you and live with you." With between 40% to 50% of marriages in the U.S. ending in divorce, it's more important than ever that couples remind themselves that being with their partner is a privilege in itself, and one to never take for granted.

Source: http://www.graziadressau.com
Mike Hauser Jul 2014
could someone please tell me

of the moons intentions

and of their affair

with Jupiter's rings

when lo and behold

Io has a fire in her belly

snowy volcanic fields

burning ice in her spring

Europa stands by

displaying cold shoulders

with oceans below

life she does bring

brother Ganymede

pulls it together

dark are his regions

light his terrain

beaten and battered

Callisto the stepchild

unchanged in its matter

and the song that it sings

is this all true

of Jupiter's moons

and of their intentions

could someone tell me
Reading up on Jupiter's moons I was fascinated with their differences and just how many it has. These four are the closest of the Galilean moons.
Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto
Geno Cattouse May 2014
The room is bouncin
Wall to wall base so fat you can walk on it BLIP BLEEEP :-).

Chant and grind on syntho growl. Strobes hittin all the corners...locked on the groove bouncy move.
Mechanical funk....Double dutchin.

Hollan-daze orange crushin the room. Afro pulse Housin you down..Blip Bleep.

Two hours straight epical trance.....Old disco gone techno high. Strobed out on that techno Applejack  meet Afrojack.
New trance city.
Luda an fitty
Ear hustlin this one
NuUrban stepchild drivin the beat...Blip Blip Bleeeep.

Hop til ya drop ta Tiesto
Super techno out your mind
More bounce to the ounce.
Got GaGa goin gaga
Dont stop.
Dont quit.
Blip Bleep.
Loveless Wraith May 2013
Outside looking in
Like a redheaded stepchild
Like a dumped cat
Like Belushi on the ladder
Just...*******, alrite?
You hurt me
Lick sweat off my *****
A stepmother's love is pure and true
For her stepchild, she cares anew
She may not have birthed this little one
But in her heart, she's already won

She cherishes each moment spent
Hoping to make a permanent dent
In this little one's heart and soul
She longs for a bond that's whole.

But the mother's lies are hard to bear
She tries to turn the child's love elsewhere
Her manipulation and deceitful ways
Make the stepmother's heart ablaze.

She wants to scream and shout aloud
And tell the child, her love is profound
But she holds back, knowing the damage done
By the mother, her battle is just begun.
For the only one who it's hurting is the child,
Innocent and fragile, yet so easily beguiled.

The stepmother continues to love and care
Her stepchild's heart, she'll never snare
For her love is honest and pure
And in time, the child will find the cure

The cure to heal the wounds of deceit
To understand the love she tried to beat
And in the end, the stepmother will win
For her love was stronger than the mother's sin.
Dallas Phoenix Mar 2015
The beast cobbler somber suited to putrid minions,
And picked apart the whiskers of death and scribed a diction,
"He hath no fury than an arcade weapon scorn"
Tis I blasted through virtual vitriol levels with life unborn,
Licking the literature scriptures and propagandizing dilemma,
I trained Cerberus into a vicious *******,
Biting heathens with the molars demons fear to run from,
Too **** farmer to sail away from my problems,
I reaped too many seeds to bleed,
So all your fuming won't do absolute **** to me,
I'm a dark stepchild of instability and fertility,
Shallow stocking delinquent seeking fire with an angel match cracking humility,
I'm a typhoon buffoon with Hanna-Babara tendencies,
**** with me and get a lethal dose of dynamite and Trojan Horse remedies,
judy smith Feb 2016
Fashion rarely looks to the Brit awards for style inspiration but somehow fashion finds its way, in dribs and drabs, to its red carpet. These awards are the unwanted stepchild of the red carpet and generally, this means it’s a bric-a-brac of high-end and high street looks. For every Rihanna in couture you have a Little Mix in Asos.

Such is life, though, and there were legitimate trends, aside from the James Bay/Kylie double hatter. First, in the spirit of Angelina Jolie’s 2012 viral, there was a Right Leg – as flashed by model Lily Donaldson and singer Lana Del Rey. Nightwear came in a rather lavish Miss Havisham-esque form via Florence Welch (cream slip, eiderdown wrap, bed-hair) and Rihanna (a lilac slipdress covered with seashell patterns), and which unexpectedly preceded Alexander McQueen’s autumn/winter 2016 collection. Finally, there was a definite nod to The Wizard of Oz’s Emerald City via Jess Glynn’s sparkling green jacquard suit, Kylie’s backless heels and Jack Garratt’s toned down double-breasted suit.

There were the half-successes, too: Adele’s cascading liver-red dress and matching lipstick was grownup, but compared to her memorable 2013 Valentino hit at the Grammy’s, it felt par-cooked. Singer Charli XCX has been a frow regular at this year’s London fashion week, so she went predictably designer in pale green Vivienne Westwood. But she was let down with her slicked-back hair, a styling addendum that somehow overegged the overall effect. She also looked stiff and uneasy, probably because, at 23, she was too young to pull it off.

The menswear was far more experimental. To wit: Labrinth in a blue and pink orchid-print suit which, unaccessorised, had just enough humour to work (it looked like a box of Cadburys Roses). Mark Ronson did his usual trick of pepping a cleanly cut suit with the odd flourish. This time it was a monochrome dogstooth suit covered with a static print. Even JLS’s Marvin Humes, in a Yves Saint Laurent bomber jacket, epitomised the modern man. And what Carl Barât lacked in pizzazz he made up for by wearing a Hedi Slimane suit (although less said about the James Bay hat, the better).

The misses, of course, were plentiful. The mullet dress is the trend that refuses to die (see Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and half of Little Mix in various synthetic horrors). Alexa Chung rarely puts a brogue wrong, but here in a velvet bustier dress, was fairly forgettable (lesson: don’t step out of your style lane). Then, of course, there was Keith Lemon, who pillaged the misses of awards seasons gone (the Pharrell hat, the pseudo-Gucci blazer … everything really). What did you expect from Keith Lemon? The Brits then: a series of blind taste tests on the red carpet, none of which gets full marks.Read more at:http://www.marieaustralia.com | www.marieaustralia.com/evening-dresses
Traveler  Jul 2013
SQUARE PEGS
Traveler Jul 2013
I found no comfort
Cradled in Mother’s arms
And I never believed Father
Could protect me from all harm…

So I should have seen it coming
A world without love
Empty of compassion, void of mercy
False faith in gods above…

Faceless now, nowhere now
Is my loveless yesteryears
Abandoned as the stepchild
Who pretends to disappear…

I found no comfort in
Studying ancient words
It all adds up to trusting in
Stories so absurd…

So take me now, wash me now
There’s nowhere now for these pieces that won’t fit
Force a square peg of logic in a round hole of superstition
And brokenness is what you’ll get…
Vii HunniD  Nov 2016
Abide...
Vii HunniD Nov 2016
Shooting a premature dream
Within diapers,
Never stressingout,
But I remember feeling,
Left behind like a stepchild
Thy were not feeling me then
But I'm a threat now to thee
Right afterwards feeling like Kratos
Now stand up tall and fe/male up.
Mike Hauser  Jun 2014
time
Mike Hauser Jun 2014
time

takes out it's loaded gun
shoots holes in us for fun
daring us to try and run

time

knows the game and plays it well
watches from the side or there about
has us play against ourselves

time

laughs at you in your shame
takes delight in giving pain
whispers to the passing wind, your name

time

is the wicked stepchild
the mad dog running wild
the haunt in the midnight howl

time

takes what you offer, gives back no change
feels that it must rearrange
places on you all the blame

time

holds tight to lost memory
takes it's que from history
spits on you before it leaves

time*

draws on another cigarette
exhales the stench of death
*till up in smoke is all that's left
Ders  May 2021
Rabbit Hole
Ders May 2021
I’m so alone
No ones home
I am afraid
Of better days

No one is home
I am so alone
I am afraid
Afraid of today

No one is here
To steer me clear
Straight out of here
This hole that I’ve been living in

I cannot seem
To help myself
I haven’t been
Been in the best mental health

I fell down that rabbit hole!
I don’t know what to think no more!
I tell you I am afraid
My world is straight drawn out upside down
I don’t know how to live my life now

Our town has driven me dead and insane
I want to dance and sing
And scream at these walls
My anxiety has shook me up
No words come out
I ask for help
But who? To where?
I’m scared I’m scared
I don’t know how I got here anyways!

I can’t even begin to tell you what I went through
It’s dark and dreary blue
My curiousness and confidence almost killed me
Or maybe it was my insecurities
I’m no doctor
I don’t know what it is
All I know is what I’m feeling

I just can’t seem to shake these bad feelings I wonder if Alice always felt spiders crawling up on down her back
I only know that I tried to **** myself after that tea party
Ribbon noose, I’ve been blindfolded by smoke ever since

It didn’t have to be this way
I know hearts are hard to change

The thought of your existence makes me want to throw up

I always get these bad feelings whenever you’re around

I cannot seem to get over the impossibilities of empathy and reality

Sitting here wasting away
Done with today dreading tomorrow
Can I ever get out of this place?
Can I make it out alive?
This doesn’t even feel like I’m living anymore
This ain’t even surviving
I’m barely afloat
I’ve lost myself
Where am I?
It’s the same old game
Let’s play the pity party of death reapers
We’re begging for the end
Begging for some kind of new beginning
This kind always flies by too fast
Can’t make the good times last
Fast forward to the *****
Yesterday’s honeymoon was never meant to last
This life is the ugly stepchild of Garden’s Eve
Meeting a snake is all I ask

Just gotta get right out of here

— The End —