[Sca-cooks] Six and counting

[Tara]

> For a really weird one, a lawyer friend of mine told me that in Washington, D. C.,
> if a couple registers at a hotel and spends the night together, that is
> considered Common Law!!

I seem to recall that one from the TV show "Who's the Boss" way way back
when I actually watched TV.  The two main characters were down south,
and their car broke down in the rain.  The only way they could get a
motel room was by representing themselves as married.  A couple years
later, when they went to marry for real (you know how sitcoms go, it
takes years to figure out that you even like each other,) they found out
that they already *were* according to the laws of South Carolina or
somewhere like that.

I think it has to do with publically announcing intent.  If you
represent yourselves as married, certain laws consider that to be fair
game.

It all seems pretty stupid to me.

When Chocoholic (I mean Craig) and I got married, we did our own
ceremony in the Adirondacks.  We needed to go to a JP first for the
legalities.  The secretary taking my information was grilling me on the
details.  I tried to explain to her that we were doing the *ceremony*
seperately, and were coming to them for the *legalities*.  She really,
completely failed to understand how I differentiated them.  She got
really bent out of shape when I referred to the ceremony as the "real"
wedding.  Like, I could care less about the legalities.  All they do is
make us pay more taxes.  Forgive me if I consider my vows in front of
friends and family to be a little more important...

-Magdalena