Ways to Make Your Marriage Rock

I saw this on Facebook today and wanted to share.  I love reading different ideas and tips for creating and maintaining a successful, happy marriage. 

Here's the list of 60 Ways to Make Your Marriage Rock

1. PRAY TOGETHER ALWAYS 

2. READ THE SCRIPTURES TOGETHER ALWAYS 

3. Go on regular date nights

4. Hide notes in secret places

5. Go to bed at the same time

6. Listen to music together-share ear-buds

7. Buy him gifts he will love

8. Revitalize the romance with intimate dates

9. Wear shirts that tell the world you love your spouse

10. Praise your spouse to other people

11. Read a marriage devotional

12. Sleep in his t-shirts

13. Renew your vows privately with whispers and memories

14. Renew them publicly with cake and bubbly

15. Go away together at least once a year


For Women Only

16. Hang pictures of the two of you around your house

17. Make his favorite dessert

18. Make sex a priority

19. Spend time apart occasionally

20. Learn to enjoy something he loves

21. Surprise each other

22. Meet him at the door

23. Text each other from across the room

24. Set reminders on your phone to remember him/her throughout the week

25. Call him right now and tell him you appreciate him


For Men Only

26. Leave work on time and come home early

27. Engage every day in meaningful conversation

28. Compliment each other

29. Take one day a month to make your spouse your total focus

30. Argue fair: avoid these words “you always” and “you never”

31. Kiss every day

32. Find tangible ways to serve your mate without complaining

33. Forgive quickly

34. Be honest

35. Get on the same page: plan your budget together

36. Look your best as often as you can

37. Guard your marriage

38. Laugh together

39. When you are together-BE TOGETHER (take a break from phones, technology, etc)

40. Tell her she’s pretty, especially when she’s not feeling it


Both

41. Make each other breakfast in bed

42. Do her chores for her

44. Get a couple’s massage or host your own privately

44. Dance together-soft music (both of you alone) or rocking music with the kids

45. Exercise together- hikes, bike riding, etc

46. Choose not to be annoyed by an irritating behavior/disappointment from your spouse

47. Thank your spouse often even for the least reason or gesture

48. Lay in bed together and stare into each other eyes, without talking

49. Learn something new together-take an art class, cooking lessons, etc

50. Leave a sweet comment on the Facebook wall

51. Support each other’s goals

52. Bring her flowers/gifts (even when she says they are too expensive)

53. Wear something your spouse loves

54. Share furniture-sit in his lap

55. Fight for your marriage

56. Make a point to eat dinner together most days of the week

57. Never let your spouse feel like they come second place to your career or any other 
thing

58. Talk about your dreams and aspirations. Be supportive of each other and dream big 
together!

59. Maintain a united front as your motto: Meaning- Me and you against the world

60. Speak well of your spouse


I think the sections for her and for him definitely can apply for both, I'm leaving the list as is for now.  This list reminds me that I've been wanting to hang some wedding photos in our living room for awhile.  The frames are purchased, I just need to order the photo enlargements.  I'll have to add that to my list for next week!



photo credit

Thoughts from spring break

It was amazing to have a spring break again, now that I'm back in school!  I went to visit one of my best friends in Colorado.  We've known each other basically forever, but it's been a long time since we've actually spent much quality time together.  It was so much fun!  Colorado is beautiful, and I actually think it's somewhere that I could see myself living.  (Though Oklahoma is still #1 on my list.)

Something we talked a lot about was her and her husband's adoption from Ethiopia.  I have always thought that adoption would be something I want to do, and discussing it with her last week confirmed that desire once more.  I can't wait for her to bring little Jude home, just as I can't wait to start the process myself (in a few years, or actually more like many years).  It's such an incredible journey that they have been on, and I cannot even begin to describe my heartfelt desire to follow in their footsteps!  There are somewhere around 150 million orphans worldwide, which is equivalent to 1 in every 2 people in America.  If you are in the U.S., look at the person next to you - one of you would be an orphan.

Passion...we are all passionate about things in our lives.  What are you passionate about?  Obviously, adoption is a passion of mine.  Well, I should probably amend that to say that human rights, particularly those of children are my passion.  I am heartbroken each time I read about or see a documentary on genocide or human trafficking.  It is so difficult to believe that humans can commit such atrocities against fellow humans.

Another passion - reduce, reuse, recycle.  I love recycling and figuring out new and different ways to positively, or at least not negatively, impact the planet.  I think it started back in 5th grade when there was a contest sponsored by the newspaper to promote the new public recycling program that was being implemented.  I drew three blue bags with faces and wrote reduce, reuse, recycle under them.  Seems like a silly, simple little drawing doesn't it?  And I will vouch for the fact that my skills as an artist are very much lacking.  Nonetheless, I won the contest.  The prize was having the sketch printed in the newspaper.  I was so excited about my drawing and about getting blue bags and about the concept in general.  My parents recently got rain barrels and I'm so excited to see them in action sometime when I'm back home.  I have used bubble wrap for the past few years on my windows in the winter to reduce heating usage and costs.  And recycling is so ingrained in my habits that when I lived in a city without a recycling program, I hauled it all back to my parents' with me to include with my their recycling.  Next on the list, learn to use the public transit system in Lincoln.  It's challenge since there is an unofficial stop near my house, but no way to know when the bus will come by my stop.  Now that it is warming up, I can easily stand on the corner for as long as it takes for the bus to drive up.

More passions to come...