Monday, February 13, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!

Timmy and I are celebrating our fourth Valentine's Day together in Garmisch, Germany.
But since we've only been married for 1.5 years, have no kids, and still have no problem coming up with ways to celebrate or keep the romance alive, I thought I would turn to one of my favorite blog's author for tips to help those who could use some tips [and I wanted something put aside for my future self to read].


Hello Be Freckled readers!  I'm Dawn, and I blog over on Hello Dearie.  I'm so glad to be here today to talk about how my husband and I keep our romance alive.

Michael and I have been married almost ten years...wow, that's so weird to even think about!  We were pretty young and still in school when we decided to get married so we definitely didn't always have money to have fancy dinners or gifts for holidays.  Even though we do not have everything figured out, I would dare to say that we've gotten some things under our belt over the past 10 years :) Since I love lists, I decided I would come up with my top five ways to keep the romance alive....even after children!


1.  Seize the moment.  If you're like me, you want everything to be perfectly planned for a date night to happen or even to spend alone time together.  I've learned that some of our best times to be together are lying on the couch after Anne's in bed just talking and catching up on life.  Make a cup of coffee and use this time to "be" with your spouse.

2.  Don't be afraid to ask for help.  I'm one of those mothers that hates to ask anyone to keep my child.  I always feel like I'm imposing.  I have found that this is not always a great thing.  Even though those couch nights are great, I think it's important to have a planned date night every now and then.

3. Always have a kind word. Being a wife is hard work.  When you have children that jobs seems to double.  As women we tend to always have a sharp word when our husbands aren't "helping" or doing the things we think are important.  I have found that I get a much better response from my husband when I use kind words rather than sarcasm or harsh words.

4. Listen. This is a gift that keeps on giving.  Think of the people you love most or make have made the best first impression on you.  It's probably because they looked into your eyes and listened to whatever you were saying.  Your spouse is no different.  If you're really listening to them, they'll be more likely to listen to you! 

5. Don't neglect intimacy.  You get my point!  Be intentional with your alone time ;)

I can honestly say that our love has only gotten sweeter with time.  I am so thankful for him and how he leads our family.  


I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Shall We Dance when Susan Sarandon is talking about why marriage is important:
”We need a witness to our lives.  There's a billion people on the planet, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything.  The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things, all of it, all of the time, every day.  You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it.  Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness'."


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