CNN 2011-01-09

All right. Let's travel cross country. First stop, Churchill County, Nevada, where a piece of Americana is no more. Someone cut down the so-called shoe tree along highway 50, just east of Fallon Nevada. The decades old cotton wood tree became known as the shoe tree when a newlywed couple threw each other's shoes into the tree to mark their nuptials 1. Well, the shoe throwing soon became a ritual for tourists. So here's the question, where is all the shoes going to go?

Now, would you be willing to spend 30 days in a lion's den 2? James Javelin 3 is going just that, all in the name of charity. He's a wildlife rehabilitation 4 expert that was making his home with two African lions named Lea and Ed.

Finally in Lynnwood, Washington, where a man is wearing tights and a mask and a black and gold rubber suit in a personal fight against crime. One resident says the real-life superhero came to his aid seconds before his car was broken into and could have been stolen. The man in tights is Phoenix 5 Jones, by the way. Affiliate 6 KIRO reports that Jones is on crime watch in Lynnwood, nearly every single night.

All right. There's no "I" in team but there is an "I" in marriage. And there is a new school of thought that says keeping yourself satisfied makes for a happier marriage. So whatever happened to the idea that marital 7 bliss 8 comes from putting yourself second? Some researchers say it is time to scrap 9 that question and ask these, instead.

That's right, it's relationship pop quiz time. Here we go. How much does being with your partner result in your having new experiences? How much does your partner increase your ability to accomplish new things?

Well, those are just some of the questions from a quiz developed by Ray Lewandowski of Monmouth University. He is the co-author of this relationship study. He is joining us life from Tampa.

And in LA, the one and only Millionaire Matchmaker, Patti Stanger. Her DVD, "Married In A Year", comes out next month.

But Gary, I want to start with you. Those questions from your quiz, they are kind of intense. And you're not just asking, do you like long walks on the beach. How did you devise these questions?

Well. These questions come from the self-expansion model, which was developed by Art and Arlene Erin, my research adviser 11 in graduate school. And the idea is that these things are in addition to some of the basics of a solid relationship. So, you know, the basis of a solid relationship is that your partner is your best friend. These are some of the things that in addition to that will help improve your marriage.

So Patti, you're a third generation match maker 10. This is kind of a shift in thinking, isn't it?

Not really. There's nothing revolutionary about this. Most people date up. They want to learn something about somebody. I want to ski, I'll date a skier 12. I want to, you know, become a professor, I'm going to date somebody who is the dean of the school. There is nothing different here. You're going to find things that you have common interest and common values. And, of course, I'm going to want to be entertained. It's not revolutionary. It's what we really do on an subliminal 13 unconscious level.

Ok, so, so, Gary, let's take it one step further. This sounds really selfish. But you are saying it really helps couples if the relationship helps expand their horizons?