Now that your big day is over, happy ever after can begin...that is, after you write your thank-you notes, merge your money, and maybe even change your name. Exhausted already? Well there's still registry returns, changing your (income tax) filing status to married, and choosing wedding photos to do.

When Jack and I were first dating, I was a social machine. I was forever throwing parties and cooking for big groups of people. With my door-is-wide-open policy, the holidays were out of control at my house. I invited everyone who wasn't flying home to be with family to come for what I called Refugee Thanksgiving. I tended to get lots of people who either didn't have a family to go home to or who were estranged from theirs -- and together we'd reclaim the holiday (fist in air).

As a mediocre cook, I prepared things that would generate the most applause from the crowd (cough, still do). I baked my corn muffins in natural rather than cupcake liners. I made homemade applesauce, cranberry sauce, a pumpkin cheesecake or two, and tons of pies. But what impressed Jack was the way I made my sweet potatoes. It involved hollowing out oranges and filling them with my sweet potato mixture, then topping each orange with a marshmallow before popping the whole thing into the oven to melt and brown.

Anyway -- the dish clearly made an impression, because the first year Jack took me home to visit his parents for Thanksgiving, his mother brought it up, insisting I recreate the dish that he’d been "raving" about. Now, Jack's mother can really cook. So I didn’t exactly love the idea of being under scrutiny in her kitchen. But saying no would have been flat-out rude -- so I reluctantly agreed.

It quickly went downhill from there.

First, Jack's mother led me to the garage where she had a crate of oranges from one of those fruit-of-the-month clubs. The oranges were scrawny, scabby little specimens that could only hold a tablespoon or two each of sweet potato. What's more, they all had big blemishes. In other words, they were ugly. But what was I gonna do? Reject the lady's oranges? Ay, ay, ay. Next, she tried to get me to use canned sweet potatoes in syrup as a substitute for fresh ones. On this I was firm. I just said no. She was baffled and probably thought I was a little snooty and rigid. I was so uncomfortable that I'm sure I did a terrible job of articulating why.

In any case, I completed the dish in time to deliver it to the table along with the rest of the feast. A few minutes into dinner, Jack's brother served himself one of my teensy little orange concoctions, which I have to say looked particularly pathetic. In my memory, his orange had a big dent in the side and was covered with this-fruit-has-had-a-rough-life scars. He took a single bite (which was pretty much all there was to take) and said loudly, "This is it?"

If I could have crawled under the table and died, I would have. Instead, I just started laughing, and pretty soon Jack was laughing too. I mean, to the point of tears. I'm sure his parents thought we were nuts, but it broke the awkward tension, and everyone moved on to other topics.

As holiday horror stories go -- I know I'm lucky -- mine is pretty tame.

How about you guys? Have you been embarrassed/mortified/uncomfortable while visiting your in-laws for the holidays? Spill it!

Contrary to previous research, a recent study claims that having children actually boosts happiness in a marriage. To boot, the study found that life satisfaction (especially for women) goes up with each new child a couple has together. Unmarried couples need not apply: Having children was found to have little or no effect on their relationships.

What are your thoughts on this study -- do you believe that children add happiness to a marriage or that the added stress of kids can create more strain on married couples? What about that having babies has little-to-no effect on the happiness of unmarried pairs? Weigh in below.

If you caught the October 6 episode of The Hills, you were introduced to Kansas City band Vedera and got to hear them perform “A World Apart� and “Satisfy� from their newly released album, Stages. Like any other close-knit band, the bandmates of Vedera regard one another as family...sometimes literally. Lead singer Kristen May and lead guitarist Brian Little are actually married! We spoke with Kristen, who told us all about the band, plus the guidelines she and Brian live by to keep their marriage intact while living life on the road (and as bandmates!).

The Couple: Kristen May and Brian Little

Met: In high school -- Brian was friends with her old brother, but they ran in different crowds. Only upon her return from Nashville, when Kristen wanted to start a band, did her brother reintroduce them. Once Kristen and Brian started making music together, they never looked back.

Married: 3 years, dated for 6 months

Digs: A quaint, two-level home in Kansas City

Kids: Not yet

Pets: Looking for a band dog to take on the bus!

The Nest: Vedera recently performed “A World Apart� and “Satisfy� from your newly released album, Stages, on The Hills – what was that experience like?

Kristen May: Surreal! We just did our show normally and got to invite all of our friends and family along to watch. Audrina and gang were super-nice and MTV even bought us 30 pizzas after the show! We are so thankful for that exposure.

TN: What was the inspiration for Stages?

KM: It took two years to write the album and it’s really about the stages of both a band and a relationship. After the initial attraction phase of a relationship, real love comes into play and that involves compromise and understanding of who that person really is (even accepting their faults!). I also pull from experiences close to my loved ones -- for example, a time when you’re betrayed by love and how to say, “I forgive you.�

TN: Which band would you compare yourselves to most in terms of lyrics and tone?

KM: We compare ourselves to The Cranberries and The Sundays. We also love the way that Coldplay and U2 have open lyrics where “love� can apply to any relationship -- your lover, mother, or even dog! We aim for open-ended lyrics in our music so that the listener can personalize the song and the words can take on a healing power.

TN: What’s it like to be married to Brian, your band’s lead guitarist?

KM: Well, we’ve been together since the beginning of the band, so it’s natural in one way, but can also get intense since you’re working with your spouse. At first we would walk on eggshells so we wouldn’t take things too personally, like, “Hey, I’m not sure about that chorus,� or “Wanna change this?� but it’s really all about communication. Our whole band is a family in that way -- we all need to communicate!

TN: What’s the most frustrating thing about being on the road so much?

KM: Well, as the only female in the band, I like to keep things equal and drive as much as the others, but driving gets old -- sometimes you just want to chill on the bus. Also, you’re in such close quarters all the time, which can get hard, and I find that I’m always losing my jewelry bopping around from place to place. That’s probably my fault though -- I should be more careful. I’ve never been too attached to my things.

TN: How often do you get to go home?

KM: We try to stay out a month at a time, but can be on the road for a stretch of four to five months too. Our ideal scenario would be three weeks on the road and one week a home, but we do make it home for all the fun reasons to be there, like the holidays.

TN: Describe your nest -- does it reflect your artistic style?

KM: Definitely. We decorate our place to relax and be together as a couple, but also to create music. The decor is a mixture of ’70s and ’80s, and Brian and I like to buy tapestries to hang on the walls. We love to thrift hunt and also shop at Anthropologie a lot.

TN: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give newlyweds of TheNest.com?

KM: Be patient with each other, communicate, and always remember why you got married: for love. It always comes back to love.

To receive a free download of “Satisfy,� sign up here!

Who wouldn’t love it when your better half does something nice out of the blue? Maybe it’s as simple as brewing your morning coffee or maybe it’s turning off the Sunday-night football game to help you decorate the house for Halloween (I know…a stretch!). Nesties are sharing the last nice thing their DH did for them on our boards, ranging from pitching in with the grocery shopping to treating their sweetheart to a back massage. Weigh in on the conversation and brag about your man’s most recent act of devotion.