Mojo In The Morning
Shannon Officially Changed Her Last Name
This is the Mojo in the Morning podcast, powered by Michigan Auto Law, Auto Accident Attorneys. Visit autolaw.com. That's autolaw.com. All right, Mojo in the morning show, Shannon has made it official. She's gotten married already in a ceremony. She's had her wedding reception. She's even started fixing up the house so they can combine their Brady Munch families. You are Mrs. Brady. He is Mr. Brady. I like it. There's a story. Yeah. Bring the girls and the boys all together, you know what I mean? But she did something more official than even getting married yesterday. What did you do? I changed my last name at the Secretary of State. Oh, yeah, Shannon. Are you guys weird? It's so weird. I came home and I told Wes and I like showed him that piece of paper that they gave me, you know, because you don't get your real license for a couple of weeks. So they, I have like a temporary one or whatever. And I'm like, it just looks so weird and mind you, just like we all did in second grade, I written it down on paper before, you know, like just to see, but it's totally different when it's on an official government document that it's a different name at the very end of the alphabet now. Do you like your name? Like do you like the new last name? I do. I do. Yeah. Yeah. I think so too. It fits. Yeah. And it's a little bit easier to spell than my previous legal last name. So that's nice. But I like it better than my ex's last name. We got it up when they pronounce it. That is a good by the way, I'm very happy to know that you did all this and you did it as quick as possible because you like you normally are not a quick person to do certain things. Well, they're there. Well, like no rush. But for this one, I think that one, I just wanted to do it. But two, it's tough, I think, for West to see like my ex-husband's last name on everything all the time. And like when we go out, they say Mrs. and then, you know, my husband's last name. So it's just weird. So I wanted to do it a little bit faster just out of respect for him too. I mean, I get it because honestly, like I will tell you this is that would be something that would be a tough one for me to like, you know what I mean? Yeah, like even the random stuff, like if I make an open table reservation, my legal last name was still on that. So I had to change it to my new last name, just stupid stuff. But I do want to shout out the secretary of state office in Troy on Long Lake was absolutely phenomenal. I made an appointment to go yesterday afternoon. I was in and out of that place in under 12 minutes. It was so fast. The people were so lovely. The woman who helped me was in the best mood, went in, showed her my marriage license, gave her my old driver's license. She did everything, took my photo, which I didn't like. And she gave me a chance to take another one. And why was I too nervous to say, yes, I would like to do this photo. I was going to say that's why it only took you 12 minutes. I didn't redo the photo. But you know what was so funny is, you know how they make you then at the end sign, you're like, they make you do your signature on that electronic pad. And that's the signature that you're going to have on your driver's license. So I go to do it and I stop after I write Shannon, because I realize I have never written my new last name, which is Whitlam, by the way, in cursive. And so I go to like write it and like, W, I'm like, how do you do a cursive W? I'm like trying to remember. So I write it and it literally looked like my first grader wrote it. It looks so bad. So I did tell the girl, I go, I'm so sorry. I haven't practiced writing my last name. And I do this part again. So I had to do that again. It still looks so funky. It's funny. You know, if people know what it's like when if you get married and then you change your name and having to change your name, it's like awkward for a while, right? When you're doing it and you're it is. But I told Wes when I got home, I'm like, I don't, I don't like writing your last name in cursive. It's weird. I'm not used to it yet. I know. It's like weird. I don't know. Is it is it like changing, you know, and you can call us up eight for four mojo live or tax nine five five zero zero. And tell us if you experienced something like this, too, with getting married or in the in Janis case, getting remarried again and stuff like that. But like, I, I remember when you got divorced and I remember asking you, are you going to change the name back? And you're like, no, because my kids have this name. Was there any thought at all? Like the kids, they obviously don't probably even call you by your first and last name ever. But the kids, they are having a tough time with it. Really? Yeah. Lucy, especially because she's like, when you come when you sign stuff for me at school, how are they going to know whose mom you are if you don't have the same last name as me? Oh, wow. You know, and she's like, and when when they address you at school as, you know, Mrs. Whitlam, how are they going to know that you're my mom? Because the names don't match. And I get that I get her point. And so she asked, she's like, can't you just keep it and hyphenate it? Or can't you? And I said, well, it's kind of, it's kind of weird for mom. Like, I'm not married to dad anymore. So I don't feel comfortable having that last name anymore. But like to her, I feel like that she sees it as like, I don't like her last name. So let's change her last name, you know, no, that's funny. The funny thing is, when I was, when I got engaged, and we were talking about all of the changes that were going to happen, that is one thing that they didn't understand. They thought their last name was going to change, too. Wow. And that wild. Yeah. You know what the cool, well, the coolest thing is, and let's put it this way, there is no mistaking that you are their mom because, you know what I mean? Everybody's going to know, like, that made a difference what the names are. Well, even not even just looks, just how you are around them and you're with them and everything like that. But, but that is, that's an interesting, it's, it's very, very interesting. The whole, like, as a guy, it's probably not even right that we don't have to change our names or we don't typically change our names. But I'd like to change my name. I don't, I'll tell you, yeah, very little interest in changing my name. Yeah, very little. Like, it's not important to me. I don't think it's cool. And the whole thing is cool. I don't, it feels weirdly like I'm being passed from father to husband. You know what I mean? No, I disagree. I really don't like that. This is the handmaid's tip. I really don't like that mentality. Like, I am a person that just happens to be like, where I'm from. That's my, you know, my group of people. Those are my ancestors or whatever, or my whatever, whatever. However, you want to refer to it. But like, this is my anxiety. I know. I really like that. When it comes down to it, I think I have a better last name than most people. Well, so I'm lucky because I, Shannon Murphy is my maiden name. Yeah, like my dad is Tim Murphy. And I use it professionally. So I kind of have the best of both worlds where I'm honoring my family. And I'm also honoring my, my husband, you know, in our family. I totally get that. But like, I'll have to tell you the last names of the people that I've dated. And you would be like, is anybody ever not dated somebody? Because they're saying that would be an interesting one. We have family, friends, and she's older, but her name is Nancy. And she married, this is an absolute true story. And actually, you know, the guy she married a guy whose last name was Yancy. So she is my family and for my brother's best friends. Right? His last name is Whaley. His wife's name is Kaylee. Kaylee, really? I love that guy's name that was in the news yesterday. Pancake. Yeah. I want to know my name, like pancake. What's up, Sydney? How you doing? His girl's name is Strawberry. Hey, your name. Oh, your name is Brittany. I'm sorry. Did you change your name in the course of this time and call what's going on? No, my last thing used to be box. And when I got married, it's bad as so, which is like way longer, but I practice it like, like, months before we got married. You should be box bad asil. And it would be like a medicine for your vagina. I don't know. What's up, Mojo in the morning? Hi. Hi. We actually got remarried. We asked the kids how they wanted us to do the last name. And we let them pick. And they were four, six and eight at the time. Really? That's wild. So you gave them a choice. What if what if they chose something that you didn't like? I was okay either way with whatever decision they made. I wanted them to be comfortable because I didn't want them to feel like I was dropping their last name. But at the same time, I also wanted them to realize that we were going to be a blended family. Right. Yeah. That's neat. That's neat. You guys have done Shannon and Wes have done an amazing job of really bringing the kids from both sides in on a lot of the stuff that you guys have done. I think I give you guys a ton of props for that. I think both of you guys are really awesome about making it about them as much as it is about the two of you. What's up, Sam? Hi. I'm getting married in September and I'm having a hard time with deciding if I want to change my last name or not either. And Shannon just made a comment kind of just about, like, you know, honoring her normal maiden name with doing it in the business side and then honoring her husband's, you know, name. But I just feel like, why can't we be honored? Why don't they have to have their name and that kind of stuff? And why don't guys change their last name? To mine? You could. If you listen, I know people that do. Yeah. I know. I feel like it's so infrequent. And I think the mentality of a woman keeping her maiden name in today is more like, Oh, okay. It's not like that big of a deal. But if you ever saw a guy change their name, everybody has a comment about it. It's interesting. It's not nearly as accepted or tolerated. All these women, all I want, I want to lead. I want a man to be able to lead our family. I want I want him to set the tone, but I want his last name. Pick one, bro. She wouldn't even hold the door for you this morning. What do you think she wants your name so selective? It feels like we don't have independence and that we only belong to other people. I don't like it. Just because you take on a last name, the mentality behind it. I think why is it always the man? Why is it never been a matriarchal passing down of names? It's just not how it started. And so how did it start? But I'm saying belong to the husband and wasn't independent. I'll get you, but if you respect the tradition of marriage, then you have to accept everything that comes with it. I just want you to know that when I got married, I gave my wife my penis. And I haven't had it since. My name was the least of her words. What's going on, Cheyenne? So I was 10 and I was actually adopted. So that was like a whole other situation because we had to change our last name. And so like at such a young age, we had to all learn how to like relearn, to like listen to a different name and spell a completely different name. And I'm 27 now and I've never been married. But I still have to put down that I've had a different last name. That's interesting. You know, I never thought about the adoption part of this. Little kids get adopted. I always loved those videos where the kid, there was that football player. Did you just, I don't know if you ever saw it, but the guy who was a D1 football player and he went to his dad or his his adopted father. And he said, I just want you to know I'm playing today with because I just any legally changed name and turned and showed the back of his jersey to his to his dad. And the guy was like, I'm sobbing and I'm like, man, somebody texted that they didn't take their husband's last name because it was boner. Could you imagine speaking to this, Carol, Carol, tell everybody the last name that they were had. The last name is Dick. That's my sister. No, I wouldn't be taking that one. No, that is awesome. He called his first two sons. Well, he says, I have a little dick and a big dick. I'm dead. So now he says, I have a whole bunch of dicks. And my sister just cringes and he just gets a kick out of it. He's like, I have a whole bunch of dicks. (laughing)