Dating is an important part of relationships, both before and after marriage. Couples need to have some fun together. Just as we all need a vacation from work to recharge, couples need a vacation from the tough parts of marriage (finances, raising children, keeping a home up, resolving reoccurring conflicts, etc.) to recharge and reconnect. While you are still in the dating phase of your relationship, create a quality date habit that you can bring with you into your future marriage. What do I mean by quality date? Quality dating is when you look past the obvious (dinner and a movie), avoid … [Read more...]

Are you a go-getter or are you a laid back, go with the flow individual? Eric wants to grab life by the horns and make something happen. I want to ease in and out of situations and move cautiously from one involvement to the next.  If left to his own devices, Eric would work until he crashed (and sometimes does). If left to my own devices, I would relax until I felt like a ball of mush. Goals Are For Everyone! Regardless of personalities and preferences, we all need goals. We all need something we are going after in life. We all need a reason to get up and keep going. When people stop … [Read more...]

Are you sentimental? Do you save ticket stubs, letters, and small gifts for years? I used to be that way. I have a box with letters from twenty years ago, along with a few other mementos. However, I’ve become less sentimental as I’ve aged. When I empty my pockets after going to a movie, I stop, look at the stub, hesitate for a moment, and then throw it away. I think, “There’s already enough clutter in this house!” Save Some Items Once we age and settle down with that one special person, sentiment can fade from our priority list. After all, we see this person every day. We talk about … [Read more...]