t minus two hundred days

April 25th, 2006 @ 8:29 pm | love | Post a Comment

Yep kids, in a mere 200 days and about four hours, I’ll be a Mrs. Perhaps I should consider making one of those neato paper chain countdown thingies?

I’ve decided to change my name to Andrew’s last name and move my last name to replace my middle name. I put up a futile yet symbolic fight for awhile insisting that he change his last name to mine instead, but like I said – it was futile. I had to at least pretend my Women’s Studies major meant something though, right? No, no, it still means something – at least I have the choice, I know.

The funny thing about it is that among my future in-laws, there is some disagreement with how their last name is correctly pronounced. Actually, that statement gives Andrew too much credit, since really the entire disagreement stems from the fact that he decided his dad and grandfather have been saying it wrong for the last 80 years or so. When Andrew went to college, he decided to change the pronunciation to the “right way” and has called himself something different ever since. 

So soon I will become Mrs. B_____, which sounds like a different name depending on who you ask. I could always pronouce my name the way his parents and sister do, but then I wouldn’t sound like his wife. But if I go with Andrew’s version, am I just feeding his elitist assertion that he is smarter than his own family? I’m hoping that instead of sounding weird, it will just provide me with a funny story to tell at cocktail parties.

When my kids grow up to be stubborn and superior just like their father, please remind me that I was the one who was dying to have babies. I’m just banking on the fact that they will also inherit his super smart, handsome, sufficiently athletic, thoughtful, and funny genes too.

comments

  1. Hey, taking The King’s name was super hard for me. I don’t know why, but it was.

    And I’d say the name anyway you want. If you are taking his name, the least he can do is allow you to pronounce it anyway you want.

    Right?

    written by Isabel

    April 26th, 2006 @ 12:07 am

  2. Ha! I had/have a similar problem with my new last name. After you have said it nine million times, you will develop your way. I thought I was going to pronounce mine the proper way (pear-son) but I find it so much easier to just say person.

    But I have a different bone to pick with you,
    No more Janet Peas! What will happen to our side dish?

    written by jessica

    April 26th, 2006 @ 5:48 am

  3. Ah, the age old girl power “I’ll never change my name!” struggle. I went through that too. Michael even we along with it for awhile and told me he was fine with it. Then, when I decided not to change (mostly because it was easiest) Michael hit me with a forlorn look and a pathetic, “you’re not?” Needless to say, I changed the name. Now I’m happy I did. I still get giddy when someone refers to us as the “L_______ Family.”

    written by Sarah

    April 26th, 2006 @ 5:51 am

  4. Same here. :) You won’t regret changing it. :) I don’t think ;) hehe

    written by Paige

    April 26th, 2006 @ 8:42 am

  5. Ouch. Harsh!!!! OK, OK, I am super elitist but not about my family! Even my father admits that my pronounciation is correct!!!! And this way people on the phone don’t misspell it!

    written by Andrew

    April 26th, 2006 @ 8:47 am

  6. I never knew! How were other people pronouncing it before Andrew was born?

    written by amieable

    April 26th, 2006 @ 10:42 am

  7. I guess I am the oddball out — because I cannot wait to change my German last name and put a stop to the endless mispronunciations and misspellings and telling people that my name is not “Jennifer Shitz”.

    The funny thing is that my familiy and I pronounce our own name wrong, and we know it. Instead of the correct German pronunciation, I guess my parents decided to anglicize it at some point, and that’s how I grew up thinking my name was pronounced. I now know it’s wrong (confirmed by my father and grandmother), but it would be pretty weird to change it at this point. I wish my mom had forced my dad to take her nice, easy, irish maiden name!

    written by Jennifer

    April 26th, 2006 @ 11:01 am

  8. Replacing my 6 letter last name to a 14 letter last name has been TOUGH for me, I’m not going to lie. I really felt this sense of – who is this new person – and why does she have to spend 15 minutes of each work-day carefully spelling her now 26 charecter long e-mail address to the lovely but confused old people that call all the time!!!! I must tell you – I’m very very sad for the loss of your old last name. But I understand…. sigh…. Not to be a downer or anything :)

    written by Alison

    April 26th, 2006 @ 11:27 am

  9. I was actually fine with changing my name because, frankly, I like the sound of my married name better.

    written by saron

    April 26th, 2006 @ 3:00 pm

  10. Ha! I have a friend who when she got married, changed the pronounciation of her husbands name. Instead of “Boob”litz its “Bub”litz!!!

    written by Cindy

    April 26th, 2006 @ 3:22 pm

  11. I did the same thing. My maiden name is now my middle name, and I took hubby’s last name. It was very hard for me. I felt like I was giving up some of my independence. AND since my dad was the only son, and he only had girls, I was the end of the line for the family (last name-wise).

    I got over it though, and I like being a “team” with my hubby.

    written by Kelly

    April 27th, 2006 @ 8:32 am