What Married Couples Can Learn From The Wizard of Oz
Like a marriage, The Wizard of Oz is full of history, special moments, reasons to celebrate and meaningful lessons learned. Both have noted milestone anniversaries. The Wizard of Oz recently celebrated its 75th year – now that’s longevity! If we want our marriage to have that kind of staying power, we can take a lesson...
In Appreciation for My Marriage: A Love Letter to My Parents
Dear Mom and Dad, You know I love, respect, and am blessed to have in my life the man I’m married to, right? Have I ever told either of you how much you have to do with that? As a young girl, you would not allow me to allow myself to be disrespected. There wasn’t...
A Dozen Roseless Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas (That are Outside the Chocolate Box!)
Let’s be honest – flowers and candy are kind of an easy out for Valentine’s Day. They’re nice, sure – but not the most creative gift choice. And what’s the deal with the price of roses doubling just for the occasion?? Costs skyrocket like the price of gas on Labor Day weekend – for no...
The Magic Eye of Marriage
Remember those Magic Eye books and pictures that were everywhere in the early 1990s? Like the picture above, they were chaotic blurs of colors, shapes and seemingly abstract patterns. The promise was that if we looked at the two-dimensional picture in the right way, we would see a three-dimensional image emerge before our very eyes!...
5 Exercises to Skip When You’re Married
Exercising with your spouse is usually a good thing. Not only are you spending time with each other, you are both working together toward a common goal – an activity that reaps benefits in other areas of your marriage. But not all activity is created equal. There are some forms of exercise that, when done...
The Annual Marriage Assessment – 11 Questions to Get You Started
The beginning of a new year is often a time for evaluation, assessing, and planning for the upcoming twelve months. We analyze things like our health, our spiritual direction, our priorities, our careers and set goals regarding what we would like to do different, better, or not at all. Let’s not forget our marriage...
2014: And the Winner Is . . .
I’m always intrigued by the BEST and WORST lists that abound this time of year. What worked over the past 365 days and what didn’t. What made us smile and what made us cry. What we ran to the movies to see and what we ran from. What new toys were hits and what were...
10 Good Holiday Deeds for You and Your Spouse to Commit
Looking for something fun to do with your spouse during the holiday season? Something that will give you a lift? Put a smile on your face? I’ve got the perfect solution: Commit Holiday Good Deeds. So. Much. Fun! Here’s 10 ideas to get the good-deed-doing started! 1. Pay down someone’s layaway. School counselors are a...
3 Reasons to Go to Bed Angry With Your Spouse
Going to bed angry goes against what we have been told, taught, and maybe even promised our spouse before marriage. Is, sometimes, going to bed angry healthier for your relationship than staying up until the matter is resolved? On the side of the debate that says “Go ahead – sleep on it,” here are three...