So many people forget that marriage vows include the phrase "in sickness," but fellow author Jenny McLeod Carlisle is living it. Read on as she talks about how well her husband is taking care of her after surgery. And the little surprise he came up with for her, too.
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Ever feel like it's hard to find time to make romance when life gets super busy? There are still ways! Guest author Teresa Tysinger is here today to talk about how a cup of coffee says love louder than a lot of other things. Read on! My husband and I have been married almost twenty years. From the early days, he was good at the grand gestures of romance. Planning nice dinners for anniversaries, picking out thoughtful gifts, and even saving mementos like one of the cookies I baked, decorated, and mailed him one year in college! But as the years have ticked by, I’ve come to realize that there’s an equal amount of romance, if not more, in the small ways he shows me he loves me every day.
As I’m sure is the way with many of you, life these days is hectic. There are morning routines to get out the door, sports activities around town for our daughter, and chores/errands galore. (Oh yeah, plus a full-time job and part-time writing gig!) My husband and I often feel like those proverbial ships passing in the night. He’s found a way, however, to satisfy both my need to know he is thinking of me and one of my greatest loves: coffee. Did you ever have a perfect moment? But it wasn't with the guy you ended up with? Author Delores Topliff shares one of her most romantic memories today, and you might be surprised. Read on. I didn’t marry Logan (name changed) but he swept me off my feet and was my first major romance. I was a college girl working summers in a US Forest Service office in Washington State. He was an unmarried career ranger who hadn’t been out of university long. He was more rugged than handsome but with a nice personality and winning smile. We exchanged friendly banter along with the 20-30 other workers in our office until one day he asked me to dinner.
Yes. Do you only look for romance in the big things in life? Or do you see it even more in the little things? Today, author Tabitha Bouldin is sharing a story of something that might seem mundane and normal, but was romantic to her. I love the idea of romance in the mundane, every day, little things.
But picking out a single moment that speaks to me, that took me a minute. Since I’m an author, let me tell you a story. I am terrified of deep water. To the extent that I was unable to learn how to swim. This fear has played a big part in my life. It has hindered me and held me back time after time. I didn’t want our two boys to experience the same fear, but I did not have the ability to teach them how to swim. My husband did. He knew my fear and he understood what it meant for me that the boys learn what I could not. Have you ever decided you didn't want to get to know someone better because of a first impression? Sometimes, when you finally do, you realize that person is the best friend--or even boyfriend--you've ever had. Today, Molly Noble Bull is joining us to tell about her first impressions of her husband ... and the fun way she overcame them. Charlie and I have been married for many years. Yet I will always remember how it all began.
We met in college, and I was impressed by the fact that he was the president of a popular student organization I knew. But I was eighteen. He seemed much older, older than the college boys I knew. It wasn’t that he looked older, but there was a maturity about him I couldn’t ignore. Though he was kind, polite, and handsome, I thought he was probably a veteran. Since I wasn’t interested in dating older guys, I didn’t consider him a possible boyfriend. Still, he seemed interested in me. Why? I not only looked young for my age, about fifteen, I was probably one of the least mature freshmen on campus. But one of my friends had a mad crush on Charlie Bull. She talked about him all the time. The more she talked, the better he sounded. My children still say "ew!" when they see my husband and me kiss. And I'm okay with that.
Don't get me wrong. It won't keep me from kissing my husband when they're around, because well ... we like kissing ... and because they need to see a marriage that's healthy and strong so they can grow up to have one of their own, too. But they're also still four and six. And they don't need to be kissing anyone but parents and family yet. And those are pecks on the cheek. They have their own way of expressing love, though. As I posted about last week, we celebrated our anniversary. And I have to admit something. Gift-giving is one of my main love languages. Seriously. I thrive on being able to find the perfect gift for someone.
This year, as I scratched my brain, trying to figure out what I could get my husband that he'd have no expectations of, and would appreciate, I remembered an idea I had a while back. Let me explain. My husband LOVES baseball. More than I will ever understand. Seventeen years really isn't that long in the scheme of things.
It's not even half my lifetime thus far. Not two decades. Nowhere close to how long my grandparents were married. And yet, with each passing year, I'm pleased how our number keeps getting larger. Tomorrow is our 17th wedding anniversary. Our marriage has in no way been perfect--are any? But it's been filled with tons of sweet moments, leaning on each other through hard times, learning lessons together, crying and laughing together, and more moves than either of us expected when we started this journey. So many times, we remember the big moments in our relationships. The ones that were life-altering like a first date or first kiss or proposal. But author Peyton H. Roberts is our guest today, and she's talking about the magic that happened BEFORE that moment. Read on. It's super sweet. My favorite part of any love story is found in the unexpected, sweet moments that lead to a first date. I’m fascinated by the convergence of location and circumstances that bring two lives together at just the right time for magic to swirl in and change everything.
For my husband Nick and I, that moment unfolded several months before our first date. As high school seniors finishing up college applications, momentum was shifting from our current normal at home with parents and siblings to our next big steps out into the world. That year, Nick and I were serving as leaders in a large, social church youth group. If serving sounds like work, it didn’t feel like work, because 30 of our closest friends were along for the ride. Finishing high school before social media and texting meant if you wanted to know what was happening, you had to show up places. Consequently, everyone came to everything. Over the course of senior year, our class of student leaders became a tight-knit group of friends. We sat together in the cafeteria, spent weekends at lake houses, and traveled in packs to sporting events and concerts. I love this man so much. When I agreed to do life with him, it's a decision I've never regretted, nor will I. That being said, he's not "my everything."
Are you shocked? I scroll through social media and see people posting about how their guy is "my rock," "my life," and "my everything." And I cringe. It's not that they aren't being sweet. I just think that's a good way to be let down. |
This is a place for me to share thoughts and ideas not just related to writing. Thoughts about what's going on in my life, about an idea I got that I thought shareworthy, or just a funny anecdote.
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