I've Seen You Naked Over 8,000 Times: Marriage and Other Risks of a One-Night Stand

It was supposed to be a one-night stand. Two decades later Ilene finds herself lying beside a middle-aged version of that same guy-now sporting a bald spot and nasal strip.

Publisher Marketing: "If you're a fan of Jenny Lawson, you'll love Ilene Haddad." -Suzy Spencer, New York Times bestselling author "Ilene Haddad has a voice you want to spend time with. She brings you into the strange, tender, and brutally funny ecosystem of her marriage with brilliant comedic timing and bracing honesty. Bill and Ilene's 'hit-and-miss bliss' shows us that rarest of things: a love that endures, not despite but because of, the unique and humbling challenges they've faced together." -Rachel Starnes, Author of The War at Home: A Wife's Search for Peace (and Other Missions Impossible) Publisher Marketing : It was supposed to be a one-night stand. A couple of decades later, Ilene finds herself lying beside a middle-aged version of that same guy-now sporting a bald spot and nasal strip. This memoir-presented as a collection of essays and cartoons-is the diary of a relationship between a nice Jewish girl from Austin, Texas and an Arab-American, former altar boy from Waco. Together, they've negotiated dozens of religious holidays (from both testaments), hundreds of uninspired meals, years of home improvement, along with mental illness, travel, and a mutually agreeable definition of romance. It's a take on what happily ever after really looks like when a couple of characters show up for each other, even when they would rather cross Death Valley with one bottle of water and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Contributor Bio: Haddad, Ilene Ilene Haddad is a graphic designer, cartoonist, and award-winning essayist from Austin, Texas. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Next Avenue, The University of Dayton's Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop, The Ocotillo Review, Mixed Bag of Tricks anthology, Austin's NPR station (KUT), and other publications. Awards include Women on Writing and Ageless Authors creative nonfiction competitions, among others. She is an active member of the Writers' League of Texas and was a finalist in the WLT manuscript contest. She was presented with the Women Communicators of Austin's Creative Initiative Award for founding BlogathonATX, a Central Texas blogging conference. Ilene lives with her husband, Bill, a boneheaded lapdog named Harry, and Dexter, the ghost of poodles past.

Format: Paperback | Pages: 184 | Publication Date: 2025-11-01