Things I have learned

1. Frosting is the difference between a stomach ache and merely a sugar buzz. ONE piece of cake. Never two. Always two cookies.
2. You know you're in it for the long haul when you're cleaning up dog pooh together in the backyard.
3. Figure out if you are a morning person and then communicate this to those who regularly encounter you in the morning. Better to firmly tell your coworkers not to set up meetings with you before 9am then to have them not understand why you've thrown a tantrum about the way the bagels were cut.
4. Stay at a hotel. Staying with family/friends sounds like a good idea, but it's not.
5. You gotta have one friend who totally gets you, makes you laugh, and will actually tell you you're being a jackass when you need to be told you are being a jackass.
   
6. Men are not mind-readers. Tell them what you want. It dramatically increases your chances of getting it.
   
7. Talking doesn't necessarily mean you are communicating.
   
8. Make sure your mate finds your oddities to be imperfections which add to your charm (most of the time; because let's face it: we are all annoying some of the time and someone who doesn't see that isn't being honest with you).
9. If you weren't gawky and nerdy in high school, I am not interested in being your friend. I prefer my friends with interesting histories, a good story about the cruelty of the cool kids, and a general disposition of knowing what it's like to be very imperfect and working with that.
10. A good cookie can always improve a situation.
11. Make friends with the UPS man. If you do, he'll leave your packages better protected. Additionally, he knows a great deal about you, from where you shop, to how frequently you shop (indicative of your financial situation), your name, the names of others in your house, how well you park, when you are home from work, how rude your dogs are, and (for those of us who work from home at times) the rigs you wear when you think you won't see anyone.
12. Spend most of your time with people who share your values. For example, Jamie and I both value cheese, cookies, wine, and pizza. And that is why we are happy.