Marriage

Marriage. It's work. It's fun. It can be hard. It can be satisfying...to know that you have a partner for life. That they will be there for you through thick and thin. We don't always get along. We don't always say the right things in the right way. In fact, statistics show that communication is the #1 difficulty in marriage. Steven and I are in a Bible study called "Making Love Last Forever" by Gary Smalley and this week the focus is on communication. (We better do our homework!) One thing I'm learning about communication right now is something called: Drive-Through Talking. Imagine you are driving through your favorite fast food place and you look forward to your meal. For me, I would look forward to my Junior Bacon Cheeseburger, one small frie and small Dr. Pepper. You happily project the order into the intercom and hear in return: "Okay, that will be a Baconator, small frie and Mr. Pibb." I say: "No, a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger, one small frie, and a small Dr. Pepper." "We don't have Dr. Pepper now, we have Mr. Pibb." "Oh, okay." "So, that's a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger, one small frie, and a small Mr. Pibb." "That's right." "Okay, drive through."
You get the picture. So, with your spouse you try to do the same thing. Scenario 1:
Steven: "I'm going to run an errand. When I get back, if you could have the pizza, that would be great."
Morgan: "Yea, I want to have pizza. Thanks. Are you going to pick it up when you're out for your errand?" OR: "What do you mean? You want me to order out or make some??"
Steven: "What?"
Scenario 2:
Steven: "I'm going to run an errand. When I get back, if you could have the pizza, that would be great."
Morgan: "Okay, so you're running an errand and when you get back, you'd like to have the pizza already here?"
Steven: "That's right."
Morgan: "So, you'd like me to order the pizza?"
Steven: "Yes."
Bottom line: Communication takes a lot of active listening and drive-through talking. Try it!

So, I figure since Steven and I are expecting our first child, it was about time I make our wedding album. Our anniversary was last Monday, June 28th. We've been married for 2 years. It was nice to look at the pictures of our wedding day. I was so excited and nervous- what a huge decision! With the ups and downs of being newlyweds, personality differences, and communication mishaps, it's been a great journey of learning about ourselves, life, and God.

Steven experienced his first Father's day as a daddy. Even though Levi isn't out of the womb yet, Steven and I are still mommy and daddy to him. I enjoyed celebrating Steven on Father's Day along with my own dad and grandpa at the sanctuary I call "Grandma's House". I bought Steven a wonderful children's book from Lifeway Christian bookstore by Karen Kingsbury called "A Day with Daddy". What a sweet book! It's about this: Whether it's going to the park, fishing, playing a sport, or just rolling around on the floor playing, spending time together is the key! Whether it's communicating to our spouses or children, let's all remember to make sure we send the message of wanting to spend time together! Communicate it intentionally and well, and make sure they know without a doubt that you mean it. They will be convinced especially when you back it up with actions, your undivided attention for a time every day. The results are relationship-building!