10 Secrets to a Happy Marriage

After reading a book by one of my favorite authors, I wanted to share something that she wrote in her book called Forever. If you are married or anticipate getting married, read through this list. It is true that if you follow these 10 secrets, you will have a long and happy marriage. It will take a lot of work, but the outcome in the end will be worth every minute of it. Good Luck!

Ten Secrets to a Happy Marriage
1. God has you here to serve one another. Love acted out is serving.
2. Women need respect and nurturing. Love your wife so she knows you’d lay your life down for her. Continue to date her and admire her. Share a hobby-find something you can do to have fun together.
3. Laugh often.
4. Be patient. Love crumbles quickly under the weight of unmet expectations.
5. Spend more time trying to fix yourself than your spouse.
6. Keep short accounts. The Bible says, “Do not let the sun go down while you are angry.” Make it a habit to forgive.
7. Determine up front that divorce is not an option.
8. Learn about love languages. Not all people show love or receive it the same way. You want a back rub and your spouse wants a clean kitchen. The love languages are fairly simple: acts of service, quality time, physical touch, gifts, and words of affirmation. Learn them. Love is better received when it’s in the language that person speaks.
9. Words of affirmation are a love language for all men.
10. Men are born to be leaders. He cannot lead unless she gives him the confidence to do so. If you love your husband, build him up. Confident men do not seek love outside the home.

~List written by Karen Kingsbury

Summertime...

Summertime is great for catching up on the latest books on the New York Times Bestselling List, or just those books that you bought forever ago and haven't had the time to read yet. Because of the job I have, (babysitting a 90 year old woman) I've had plenty of time to catch up on books from both categories. I started the summer off to a good start with reading the Twilight series. It's funny but most adults, especially males, are almost ashamed to be caught with a Twilight book. Is it because it's more geared towards young female teens? Or because it's become so popular that it's almost embarrassing to follow the crowd? Well, no matter what the reason, I found Twilight refreshing and fun to read. I'd definitely suggest it!

Summertime is also great for all the new movies that come out! My husband and I have not had the privilege of going to the actual theater yet this summer, but we are going to venture to the drive-in theater tonight to see The Proposal and Transformers 2. I'm excited to see both movies and have my first experience at a drive-in theater!

The 4th and beyond...

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! Calvin and I spent our weekend watching fireworks, spending time with friends, taking pictures around Winona Lake, and watching the Kosciusko County parade (at least what they consider a parade to be ).

Calvin had the opportunity to try wake surfing with some friends of ours. This sport includes a short surf board and the waves directly behind the boat. Calvin was able to get up a couple times and he said he had a blast. Hopefully, later this Summer, we'll both be able to go out and try wake surfing again.

Sunday afternoon Calvin and I took his scooter out for a ride around the lake. I remembered to take my camera with us, so I was able to play around and get some cool pictures! The flowers in Winona are gorgeous this time of year. Sunday's beautiful weather helped me capture the true beauty of God's creation.

Calvin and I are both enjoying our jobs and we have settled into a good routine. We both have Thursdays off, so we enjoy spending the day together. This week we hope to go to the Kosciusko County fair!

We miss Alaska very much this time of year, but in this season of our lives, we realize we are exactly where God wants us to be. We both help teach in the junior high youth group at our church on Sunday evenings and we are slowly but surely meeting new married couples to hang out with.

We hope you will enjoy the rest of your summer!