Tag-Archive for » love «

Marriage


David and Brandi – 13th Anniversary Getaway

With so many people choosing to end their marriages, there is one thing I wish all people would understand and live…marriage takes work and diligence. If we choose not to work on our marriages, they eventually fail. As the adage goes, “The grass is greener where you water it.” Yellow and brown spots need watering, not abandonment.

One of the things we have always done as a couple to “water” our relationship is to make sure we are keeping communication lines open with each other. We talk every night, not just about the kids or what the next day’s activities were going to be, but we talk about our dreams and hopes for the future with each other. We always approach our challenging conversations with love and kindness. We don’t scream at each other or blame each other, though the adversary certainly tries to get us to. We own up to our part of the challenge we’re facing and are forgiving of each other.

Lifting our relationships to a higher plane and keeping a marriage alive and thriving, always starts with ourselves. We need to see our spouses as people with their own thoughts, feelings, trials, and choices. We need to see them as people and seek to understand them instead of treating them as objects. It’s easier said than done, but with practice and application, it works!

If you’d like more information there are many resources, and here are just a few that have worked for me and that I recommend:

  • The Anatomy of Peace – I really loved the book, and it helped me to see people as people instead of objects.
  • The Business of Marriage – Dino and Shannon put on an awesome event and have some helpful products as well. My husband and I had a fabulous time at The Business of Marriage seminar at the beginning of April. We came home after three days and felt like newlyweds again. I can’t say we haven’t had opposition, but we came home with more tools to help us make our good marriage into a fantastic one.  We always felt uplifted and inspired, never like we needed “fixing.”  They are excellent at helping people find the answers within themselves to help their relationship thrive.

If you find yourself struggling in any way in your marriage (large or small) or know that you need to add something to your tool belt, seek inspiration and resources to help you make your marriage better. As the wise Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

So, what are you doing to help your marriage improve?

Do you need ban-daid?

      Peter, my 2 year old son, and Wendy, my 5 year old daughter, were playing with wood blocks this afternoon. Peter hit Wendy on the head with a block pretty hard. Wendy came crying to me, and so did Peter, although I’m not sure why he did.
      I put Peter in time out for hurting his sister and throwing the block. He calmed down to accept his two minutes time, but he was still sad. Wendy came over to give Peter a hug. She then proceeded to talk kindly to him about why he was in time out. She told him that he had hit her on the head with a block and it had hurt her.
      Peter asked, “Do you need ban-daid?”
      “No,” Wendy replied.
      “Do you need meh-sin?” (medicine)
      “No.”
      “Do you need ar-ka?” (arnica)
      “No, I need you to say sorry to me.”
      Peter gave her a hug and she gave him one in return. He said sorry, and she said she forgave him. They stood up and Wendy told me Peter was done with timeout. She frankly forgave him. Wow! I need to take a lesson on forgiveness from her!
      It was the cutest thing ever! I love the friendship and love my children have for each other, even when one of them has been hurt by another. What great lessons we can learn from our children!

Why I love

Why I LOVE my baby boy:

His face is like a ray of sunshine.
He wants to be with me all the time.
He still loves to nurse and reconnect.
His babbles make me smile.
He depends on me, rain or shine.
He gives the best “lovies” in the world.
His laughter and smiles fill a room with joy.
He always gives more than he takes.
He is very laid back and mellow.
His curiosity is contagious.
He has the sweetest voice.
He loves me, unconditionally.


Brandi and baby Peter, 03/31/2009, 15 months

A fantastic weekend!

This whole weekend was fantastic! My sweetheart, David, made my Mother’s Day weekend awesome! He bought me flowers Friday evening. He arranged for a day of shopping with my older girls, Ella and Aurora on Saturday. He didn’t freak out when I bought a formal for the GWU Gala, bought me some new clothes (I love VF Factory Outlet!), or when I spent $50 on a baptism dress for Aurora’s baptism in June. He played with our three little ones and had fun with them while I was gone. He even took them to the store several times. (What a man!) When the girls and I arrived home, David and I went out to eat to Bombay House. It was yummy! We had wonderful conversation and time together. He took me to the store and we bought curtains for my kitchen. (I haven’t had curtains in my kitchen for months since I learned of the Vacuum Law of Prosperity from Leslie Householder.)

Sunday morning he let me sleep in and gave me a very sweet letter when I woke up. He also made me french toast and a green smoothie–some of my favorite foods! He got the kids to make me Mother’s Day cards while I slept in. He then unpacked, washed, and hung up my present: Stainless Steel Pans! He gave me lots of attention and love all day long, along with a foot and leg massage (my legs were killing me after walking a lot on Saturday…still healing from my knee injury). He made all the meals, washed the dishes, and changed our baby’s diapers (which weren’t pleasant that day). He certainly went above and beyond any expectations I had for Mother’s Day. I love you honey!