“Why should we have to agree on where our marriage is heading? What does that even mean? Do couples not simply fall in love, get married, and then enjoy seeing where life takes them?” Often, this is how marriage is approached and, sadly, this is also how many marriages fail. As the saying goes, “Failure to plan is a plan for failure.” Couples need to have direction and vision for their marriage. It is not enough to say “We love each other and we will figure it out.” We also need to be able to say, “God has given us these gifts and talents to glorify Him together in these various ways.” Will … [Read more...]

What was life like in your family growing up? Did you get off the school bus and walk into a home filled with delightful cooking smells, or did you come home to an empty house? Did your dad read the paper while your mom worked around the house, or did your mom tend to the kids while your dad whipped up a meal? There are hundreds of thousands of variations of how family life can play out. What is your story? Additionally, what was your boyfriend or girlfriend’s family like growing up? How do your stories compare? Eric and I had some definite similarities in our stories and some differences … [Read more...]

Who doesn’t love a good fight? (Most of us, I would guess.) Though there are some who thrive on personal attacks or heated debates, I would venture to guess that most of us prefer pleasant, go-with-the-flow, drama-free interactions with those we love. Well, too bad for the majority of us... conflict is everywhere! As annoying as it is when we are dealing with it, conflict signifies how different we all are from each other. If we all agreed on everything, that would mean there was only one point of view in the entire world... which would likely mean only one personality in the whole world... … [Read more...]

“I try not to think about what might have been… ‘Cause that was then and we have taken different roads. We can’t go back again. There’s no use giving in… and there’s no way to know…..what might have been.” – Little Texas, country music band I used to love this song as a kid. As an adult, I have found it to lead my mind down a dangerous road. I still like the song, but I have discovered that dwelling on words like these can tempt me to daydream about “simpler” days. Once you commit to being with someone for life, it is not wise to spend time contemplating what life might have been like if … [Read more...]

Whether you love money, enjoy spreadsheets, think money is evil, or simply don’t care about money management at all... one fact is universally true: we all need money (or some form of currency) to live in this world. Those who are not as concerned about money management might be more likely to get married before they are on good financial footing and those who are into every detail of their money management may be tempted to put marriage off until their financial plan is “perfect” – which is never. ~smile~ Finances should be considered when making the decision to get engaged, but it does not … [Read more...]