Weekend Away for Two

Wow! It seems like ages ago that I posted last. For good reason-- my hubby and I spent the weekend away from our kids enjoying time with one another. No daily distractions and just time to focus on one another. It was fabulous! We took off on Friday afternoon and went to a nearby town until the following day. The whole idea was to spend time together and make it an adventure. The only thing that would have made it better would have been nicer weather (it was cloudy and sometimes rainy). We went shopping, ate dinner, spent time in the jacuzzi and just enjoyed one another. The following day we walked around town and a few shopping areas before heading home. The weather prevented any type of real outdoor activities because of the rain. It was great fun going to dinner at a local restaurant and sampling Australian fare. Teasing and laughter were both part of our conversations. Afterwards we took time to get out our Couple's Almanac questions and answered a few about the other person.. what are your spouse's passions, what movies do you like to watch together, and more. Check out our blog post that tells all about what a Couple's Almanac is, why to make one and it even has some sample cards that can be filled out to make your own! http://journeyoflove-sarah.blogspot.com/2011/05/couples-almanac-how-to.html a follow-up blog post... http://journeyoflove-sarah.blogspot.com/2011/05/layout-for-our-couples-almanac.html Have a wonderful Tuesday!

"Sheet Music" book review

I am so glad my hubby made it home after being gone all last week. It was so nice to see him and have him back by my side. We had a busy weekend and a wonderful Easter. Hope it was the same for you.

Here is my review of the book "Sheet Music" by Dr. Kevin Leman. Visit his site at: www.drleman.com Reviews / Comments WOWZA! STRAIGHT-FORWARD, TRUTHFUL AND BIBLICAL "This book is amazing! Each year during my husband's two-week Annual Training I get a marriage book to read while he is away and then we share on the phone or when he gets home. This was a read from several years ago and we refer to it often! It is well-worn and has many notes in the margins! Dr. Leman has a straight-forward and entertaining approach with this book. That's refreshing to see when it is about sex. This book opened my eyes as a wife to the sexual needs my husband has and what an important role I play. Not only did it make me more aware, but I am benefiting from the advice as much as my hubby. We are happily enjoying connecting in more ways than the bedroom. By understanding my husband and knowing some of the "why" it is he is wired this way I can make more sense of his needs. I want to please him and this book has helped me accomplish that. He would tell you the same thing in regards to me. This isn't a book for those not yet married and it doesn't hint around anything. Straight-forward, truthful and above all-- Biblical!" Apr 09 2012, 11:46 AM by Sarah S I plan to go through the book and include more details on each chapter(s). My husband and I feel this is such an important topic for couples to address and we hope you will join us as we share our thoughts with you. Happy Tuesday!

Inspiring Quotes

Do you have this kind of passionate love with your spouse? It's not too late to get it back! Try reading "Sheet Music" or "Red Hot Monogamy" and see if you can get the spark flaming again! These books aren't just about physical love, but the entire relationship! Both books gave us a better understanding of being committed to our marriage!

This is something that happens too often in marriages... husbands/wives leave their spouse thinking life is better with a new person. This is not God's plan for marriage. If this is where you find yourself-- STOP and think hard about what you are doing or thinking of doing! Try to get the spark flaming again in all areas of your relationship... not just the bedroom. Remember... love is a choice. Try doing the "Love Dare" from the movie Fireproof-- this has you focus on the other person and not yourself. Truly commit to see it through to the end, even on days when you don't feel like it. Many times one spouse becomes selfish and might ask "why isn't my spouse meeting my needs?". Did you ever stop to ask "Am I really meeting the needs of my spouse?". Try focusing on them and see how your perspective changes! It makes me feel happy when I focus on my husband because I know I am making a difference to him. In turn, he feels respected, treasured and ready to turn his attention to you! If you both focus on the other then both are getting your needs met and aren't focused on what your not getting. Hope this makes sense...

Hello Again, FINALLY!

It has been a long while since I last posted... but all is well on the home front! My husband and I are planning on attending a marriage workshop put on by the Army National Guard in a few weeks and I mentioned this to our daughters the other evening. Consider the fact we have always told them that we are 100% committed to our marriage and that divorce is not an option for us. Well, our oldest said "why? are you having marriage problems?" This was the prime opportunity to share a life lesson with them, without "preaching" to them. I told her no, we don't have marriage problems. I could have left it at that but decided to share a bit more with her. I said "why wait until there might be problems? Isn't it better to go to a conference to try to prevent problems then wait until problems happen to fix them?" She thought about my answer and thought that sounded good, but still asked "so your not going to get divorced?" Mind you, we have discussions but never really have arguments or fighting that might indicate issues. I shared that it is better for us to go now so we can continue to keep our marriage strong. She was good with that! It got me thinking a couple of things... 1) Couples need to be proactive in protecting their marriages and 2) Kids of any age worry about their parents relationship/marriage. So what can be done? 1) Be Proactive! Go on dates, talk about your feelings, share stories with one another, serve the Lord together, hold hands, say I love you, take the time to smile at your spouse, exercise together, go on family outings, eat dinner together, send texts during the day, discuss goals for the future... I could go on and on! 2) Be an example to your children and others! My husband and I try our best to be good role models for our children, their friends and the kids we work with. We talk things through, make time for each other, let our kids know the importance of marriage, share our views of marriage (during tv shows, movies, music), show affection toward one another (even when they say GRRRROOOOSSSSSS!), let them know of our future plans, include them in making family plans and more! They need to see how much we love each other... who they choose as a spouse has a lot to do with what they see/experience at home. To me the biggest thing a couple can do is to be selfless towards one another... put the other person first. Life is not all about ME! This is such a strong example for children. When they see loving compromise, working together, sharing differing ideas and putting others needs first (not to the extreme) they begin to form opinions/ideas of what they want in a spouse. Have a wonderful day and stay strong through your JOURNEY of LOVE!

Life Brings Changes

Life is taking our family down a new road... the good Lord must have wonderful plans ahead for us, I just don't know what those are right now.  After six years of teaching at the same school they laid me off last month.  Since then I have been trying my best to put my faith and trust in Christ and not myself-- it is HARD!  I have thought about all the things that weren't fair in what happened or I can focus on what's ahead.  For my sake, I am trying my best to do the latter. 

Right now I am in the process of trying to figure out what to do with my life, now that there are other possibilities.  I LOVE being creative and making art, so that is an option.  I also love teaching and could try to find another job doing that.  But I also want to do what the Lord has planned and not try to make decisions on my own.  Where is the balance?  I haven't gotten any real direction yet and I am not one who likes to sit around and wait.

My husband has been wonderful during this time and continues to offer support.  This is one of those "tests" of a marriage where we can come out stronger or fall apart.  I have no intention of letting us do anything but come out stronger than before.  I'll keep you updated on the journey.  For now I just wanted you to know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.  More to come...

More ideas for a Couple's Almanac...

                          
                      


More page ideas for YOUR Couple's Almanac!  I hope you have started your own way of recording your personal story of you and your spouse.  Keep working on it and adding new things as life continues; we are planning to go see a concert soon and those tickets will go into our almanac!  Quotes, copies of e-mails, cards, photos, etc are all things you could include.  What about?  Receipts, tags from favorite clothes/brands, movie tickets, pics of favorite DVD/CD covers... send me your ideas to add to the list!

Your Spouse's Passions

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last posted!  It has been a busy start to the summer and I don't think it will slow down.  Our family of four just returned from a brief day at Branson Landing and lunch at Joe's Crab Shack (YUM)!

One of the reasons we went down there was to buy some books for Ronnie; he has his Annual Training trip soon.  There is a Christian book store there at Branson Landing where most books are $5.  Among my husnband's passions are playing the trumpet, golfing, growing pineapple and reading Christian mystery thrillers.  On our way down to Branson I began thinking of his other passions, specifically growing pineapples!

Sounds like an odd choice of hobbies for someone who lives in the southwest part of Missouri!  We get odd looks when we share this information with others, but it provides for interesting conversation.  It all began when we visited Maui, Hawaii in 1998.  While there we went on a boat excursion called "The Trilogy".  What a fantastic day on the water!  Part of the day included a lunch buffet prepared by the crew of the catamaran.  During this time they discussed pineapples and how they grew. . . that sparked the interest of my husband.  We brought back a few fresh pineapples from the island and the challenge began!

 

Over the past 13 years he has learned about pineapple plants, how they grow, how to "force" them to bloom, how to plant/pot them, and so much more!  On a trip to Ohau, Hawaii in 2002 we even visited the DOLE plantation to see how pineapples grow there.  I certainly didn't know how many varieties of pineapple there were; big and small.  This is something I know my husband thouroughly enjoys and so I support him in these adventures! 



The beginning of a new pineapple plant!  It begins growing up from
the center of the spiky leaves.  (2005)

When you plant a pineapple, you cut the top leafy part off the rest of the pineapple... which is what you cut to eat!  Then the spiky leaf top is propogated until roots begin to form and then you plant it!  Now with our climate it takes much longer to grow!  We keep the pot with the plant inside during the cold months and outside during the hot months.  This is something that takes A LOT of patience since it is not a plant that is grown in Missouri.  If I remember correctly it took at least two years before our first plant produced a fruit!  I'll have to find those photos and scan/post them.  

I could have been a non-supportive wife and told him it would never work, or that he was foolish to try to grow a pineapple.  But I didn't!  Why?  It was his heart's desire to try this and see if it would work; I love my husband and wanted to show him that by encouraging his efforts.  This wasn't an adventure I would have done on my own, but that doesn't mean I can't/shouldn't support him.

This is 3 months after the May 2005 photos where you see it beginning to form a new plant.  He has cut it from the stalk (where he is holding it).

Here Ronnie is holding his latest conquest: Pineapple #2!  This one is smaller than the first one he grew which he had to "force" it to bloom.  It was sweet and had a fairly concentrated pineapple taste.  YUMMY!

I will add more photos later... but think about what your husband likes to do and try your best to support him in every way possible!  It shows him your love, but more importantly your respect!  And respect is VERY important to a man in his marriage relationship!

 
This group of four pics is from July 3, 2007... Ronnie's third pineapple!  All pics are from it still on the stalk that grows up from the middle of the spiky leaves.  After this one is removed the plant in the pot is no longer good for producing another fruit.  Each plant only produces one pineapple in it's lifetime.  So we throw out the old plant and repot the top of the newest pineapple once we cut it off.  Then the cycle begins all over again!