What is the difference between a wonderful and frightful Valentine’s Day? Expectations. So, expectations might not be the single factor involved in creating the best or worst celebration, but it certainly plays a large role. What we expect of our boyfriend, girlfriend, fiancée, or spouse evaluates if he or she “got it right” or “got it wrong.” He brought me roses to work and took me out to lunch. Just like I wanted. What a good man I have. He sent me an I love you text with a hundred hearts but no card? What kind of lazy, unromantic man does not get his girlfriend a Valentine’s Day … [Read more...]
Next, Discuss Meeting Each Other’s Expectations
As I have mentioned previously, I did not have much life experience under my belt when I was engaged. Years of watching romantic comedies and dreaming of my own Prince Charming left me with my head in the clouds and my heart aflutter. Amid a lovey-dovey time in our relationship, Eric told me he wanted his future wife and family to abstain from eating pork and shellfish. He had his reasons (and still does), and he shared them with me. My response of agreement came quickly and without much thought. Captain and Tennille must have been in the same phase of their love story when they sang Love … [Read more...]
First, Discover Your Expectations
When I look back on my teen years, I smile thinking about all the expectations I had of my future spouse. Let’s suffice it to say the list was rather long including dark hair and brown eyes. I suppose the hair and eyes were just wishes; but, at any rate, I wanted an amazing husband. Perhaps I was a bit inexperienced (or, very inexperienced), but I had no idea what a quality spouse looked like – or that it had nothing to do with looks. Recently, I sat at the beach with some friends talking about how life has not gone as planned for each of us and our laughing about how our expectations have … [Read more...]
Simplifying the Expectations Conversation
“But, I don’t have any expectations.” Has anyone ever told you that? Someone Eric and I love dearly tries to convince us of this “fact” often, but I am not ready to believe it. ~smile~ So far, I have not met a human being who does not have at least a few expectations of others or life. We expect our neighbors to drive with common sense and not hit our children. We expect doctors to provide medicine and accurate diagnoses when we are sick. We expect the sun to rise in the morning. Even those with the lowest of expectations can find something they expect out of this world, no matter how small or … [Read more...]
Five Experiences I am Thankful We Shared in Our First Decade of Marriage (Anniversary Week)
Tomorrow, Eric and I will have been married ten years. I can hardly believe it! Some of those years are fuzzy in my mind as they went by so quickly. Our wedding day does not seem like it could have been ten whole years ago. It certainly does not seem like eight years since our memorable Winnie the Pooh store fight. Is it really possible that we finished graduate school six years ago? Seriously, where has the time gone? Ten years can hold a lot, but there are a few experiences which stand out to me. They were not all pleasant, but I am thankful for them just the same. They helped us grow … [Read more...]
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