Ferocious Flirting: Making Marriage Wonderful

My sweetie and I don't see much of each other in the mornings. On the weekdays she gets up and goes for a walk. By the time she gets back, I have already left for work. To top it off, neither of us are morning people so even if we do see each other first thing in the morning, its not all that romantic. Just a grunt good morning. Although she would like to make my breaks fast, it just isn't possible and I am perfectly capable of feeding myself. Sundays are even worse. My responsibilities at church require me to be there by 6:30 am, while my wife doesn't even need to get up until I have been gone for a couple of hours. I do not begrudge her this extra sleep as she gets to wrangle the kids and get them ready for church. She deserves some extra rest. Again, I end up getting my own breakfast. On Father's Day my wife made me a very special breakfast. The food itself was standard breakfast fare. What made it special is that she got up at 5:45 am to get it ready for m

When you were courting and dating, you probably had some dates you still remember fondly. It may have been the night he proposed, or maybe she proposed. Maybe it was some other special time that was really meaningful in your relationship. Whatever it is, it will be unique to the two of you. Two couples can do the same thing, yet have very different experiences. Pick one special date from you own time courting. Now that you have one in mind, re-do that date. For example, if it was when he popped the question, go back to the same place and do the same things, except popping the question as it is a one time only thing. By being in the same environment you will be surprised at how much more you remember about that special date. If you have kids, take them along. Let them see how their goofy parents used to date and what you did for fun. Lots of things change, but people are still people. It will give your kids a positive example of what healthy dating should be.

Happy Flag Day! An essential part of keeping the fire going in a relationship is to see yourself as part of a larger whole. The notion of "what's in it for me" gives way to "what can I do for the marriage" and then "what's in it for us". The marriage should be fulfilling to both parties. We are all also part of a greater community, state and country. By flying the flag and taking a moment to ponder all the people who have worked and suffered and died, you can feel part of the greater whole. Look outside your own perspective.

Every now and again, my sweetie and I like to get away. Out most recent getaway was at home. The kids went to stay with grandma an grandpa for a few days.

I used to work at a job that required a lot of travel. I would be gone 2 weeks at a time and come home on Friday. Then on Monday was the flight out again. On occasion I had to be gone even longer than two weeks. Spending that much time apart can be very trying on the marriage and on the kids, as you can imagine. My sweetie is a real trooper and supported me in all this traveling, even when it was so hard for her to effectively be a single parent. For some reason women quit wearing makeup after being married for a while. The husbands don't seem to mind all that much. After all, you married your gal, not Mary Kay or Revlon. Makeup becomes a special occasion thing. The wife uses it when she wants to look extra nice or for that special evening out on the town. Once, when I had been on the road for quite a while, we had planned to go out and spend the evening with some people the even I got home. She greeted me in the usual way. That evening, my sweetie spent quite a bit of time gettin

It has been said That which costs little is less valued. --- Miguel de Cervantes That is that people tend to undervalue things that cost them little. The cost of a thing may be in money, yet this is not the only way that cost is calculated. Time and effort are also used to deteremine cost and are often considered more pecious than money. The correllary is that a higher cost brings a higher value. Something that cost a lot of money, or took a lot of time and effort, is held with higher regard. Saying "thank you" or even writing "I love you" can be easily dismissed. Its not the sentiment is not sincere, but that the message costs little in the sending and in the receiving. If the cost of sending the message and the cost of receiving the message are increased, the message itself will be more valued. The cost here is not in money, but in time and effort. A previous post discussed coded messages . By using a secret code, you can send a message that will have a higher

This year Father's Day and my birthday fall within a few weeks of each other. I guess they always do, funny how that works out. Anyway, my sweetie has started asking "what do you want for Father's Day and your birthday?" My standard answer has been either "nothing" or "I've already got what I want" and give her a big kiss. The real problem has been that I never remember what it is I want. So this year I have been keeping notes. There are a couple of ways of keeping notes . On a piece of paper. Old fashioned, but it still works. When you think of something you want, just find your paper and write it down. In a PDA. This is a bit more convienent if you already have one you carry with you. Camera phone. When you see something you like, email yourself a picture of it and keep it in a special folder or ... Use Amazon's Wish List . I like this one because then I can easily share it with anyone. When people ask what you want,

A few days ago a posted a date idea that I wish to enhance today. The idea was to make a bunch of date ideas and to put them in a jar. Then, when it was time to go on a date, pick one of the ideas at random and do that thing. If you are like us, you get coupons in the mail, in the newspaper and even on the receipt at the grocery store. You can even buy a book of discount coupons or a coupon card from the kids in the neighborhood as part of a fund raiser. The problem we have is that we don't usually get the value out of it because we forget about over the course of a year. Here is an idea of what you can do. When you get coupons go through them and add the ones you are interested in into the date idea jar. Then, when you draw out the coupon, not only will you have a good date idea, you will get a discount at it as well.

Many people have sacrificed much, even their lives, for us. Many are in harms way today doing the same. Today, we take a moment to look outside our own relationship and remember and honor those who have defended us and who are now defending us. Our prayers are with you all.

In My Fair Lady, Professor Henry Higgins wonders, "Why can't a woman be more like a man"? I don't think he is the only man to ask that question. Neither is it just a guy thing, woman wonder why men aren't more like them as well. After all, we like to be with people like us. Today we are going talk about complementing your sweetie, not complimenting . The dictionary says that complement means: Either of two parts that complete the whole or mutually complete each other. Think of it as two puzzle pieces that fit together. The pieces are not the same shape, yet together they form a complete picture. The same thing applies with married couples. Consider the following: In His grand design, when God first created man, He created a duality of the sexes. The ennobling expression of that duality is found in marriage. One individual is complementary to the other. --- Gordon B. Hinckley He then goes on to quote in 1 Corinthians how neither the man is without the woman and