What Will the New Census Show......How Many of "Us" are There Now?

It's that time again....census time.  Did you all receive your forms in the mail?  Did you fill it out and turn it in?  Because it's census time, I thought it would be fitting to write about some statistics regarding interracial marriage and divorce.  I tend to forget that my husband and I are in a VERY SMALL group of people when it comes to marriages in the United States.  As of the last census, the percentage of interracial marriages in the U.S. was still below 5%!  That amazes me!  I will be so curious to see what the new census stats show.  It's funny to me that the numbers are so low because I guess I just think of "us" as just like everyone else.  Clearly the numbers show a very different story. 

Interracial marriage in the U.S.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interracial_marriage_in_the_United_States

The other interesting statistic is, that marriages of white woman and black men have a higher rate of divorce than any other marriages.  Now why is that?  Certainly every marriage has issues, and interracial marriages get that added "benefit" of dealing with being "judged" by society and everyone around them, but I think black men and white woman get the "judging" on a more heightened level from all sides. Maybe that is part of the reason why those marriages fall apart.  Is it history, is it racism, is it a power struggle, what is it that creates this "built in failure" regarding this type of union? Thoughts?  To me, marriage is marriage, and if you love one another and are strong in who you are, then nothing should be able to tear you apart, right?  My husband and I are living proof that you CAN make it, and that no matter what life throws at you, if you hang in and fight for each other, marriage CAN last a lifetime, black, white or otherwise.  So, what will the new census show.......how many of "us" are there now?

Chocolate for Me....Vanilla for You!

In any relationship, be it an interracial one or not, you have to be able to laugh and have fun!  It's so important! Jamie and I are VERY silly when it comes to each other.  18 years later, we are sillier than ever, and we make no bones about it!  For some reason there seems to be a lot of funny moments that come up in regards to us being an interracial couple.  We don't purposely set out to concentrate on the fact that we are interracial, it just happens throughout the day, and if you can get a giggle then why not?!  Laughter is good for you, right!?!  So the other day we were at the beach celebrating my birthday.  It was near the end of the day and we felt like ice cream.  I went into the ice cream shop and placed our order and when the girl handed me our milkshakes I looked down and said to my daughter and her friend, "Look, it's me and Daddy, chocolate and vanilla!" They looked at me like I was nuts! I thought it was hilarious and said, "You have to take a picture!"  Oh the teenage embarrassment, you should have seen the look on their faces.  They finally took the picture, we all got a good laugh, and off we went to enjoy our ice cream at the beach.  Of course, chocolate for me and vanilla for Jamie! =)