MHR Inspiration #16 ~ Joy in the Journey

Okay, three things I know:

1) It has been a loooooong time since I did a prompt for MHR.
2) It is pretty late on a Thursday to be posting a prompt for tomorrow.
3) You NEED to read this article, so read it - even if you don't write to the prompt tomorrow, lol.

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Joy in the Journey by John & Nancy Ortberg

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, September 11, 2009
What are some of the ways that your rocking hubby adds joy to your life? What are some of your favorite joy-filled moments that immediately spring to mind? Do you have any rituals that are joy-inspiring?

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Challenge
. . . make your life-goal to become the primary joy-giver in your spouse's world.

This is a doozy, I know, but how amazing would it be if this was truly our life-goal? This is definitely going in my prayer journal!

Thanks for reading everybody! Have a joyful evening!

MHR Inspiration #15

I was blog-hopping earlier this week, and I found this post:

Tour de Vie

Mike is one of the coolest people I know. I have known him all of my life, and I absolutely adore his family! He is a published author whose books I have read multiple times. He is also in the mist of a battle with Lymphoma, and his blog OPEN Mike is always full of his passionate, and often poignant, musings on writing, cancer, and life in general.

The Tour de Vie post really struck me, and I decided to use it as our MHR inspiration this week :)

Especially to the last portion that says:

If you had to name your Team, the one group with which you most identify, would it be family, friends, schoolmates, work associates, church members, ministry partners? When was the last time you served them as a domestique?

If you can’t recall, do something tactical and supporting for a teammate by the time the Tour de France concludes on Sunday.

This is our prompt and our challenge for this week. What are some practical ways we can "do something tactical and supporting" for our most important teamemate - our husbands? (That's the prompt.) Do it! (That's the challenge.)

<3,

Multitsking post - there's a lot going on people :)

DISCLAIMER: The following post is a long, rambling, and admittedly rather random piece of blogliture. I decided to post it anyway for the following reason: I always have dozens of ideas of topics that I would love to post about. So much so that I have pages and pages of notebook paper, and lined sticky notes from work of "post ideas" that have not ever made it to the screen. And all of the below topics are things that, if I allow myself to procrastinate, may become casualties of my busy-ness. That is not to say that there is anything particularly profound in any of them, they are just things that I am excited about, or need to get off of my chest. So, in addition to a short MHR Inspiration post, I give you - my stream of conciousness. I would like to apologize in advance if it is tremendously difficult to follow. I will make every effort to prevent it from being so

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5:16 Club
I have really fallen off the wagon - big and bad. I love the concept, I love the ladies who are involved, but I also deeply love the sleeping. Oh, how I love the sleeping!

That said, I have decided to put my best foot forward on this one, and give it another try. It has often been said, or read, that any action repeated over a span of 21 days becomes a habit, so, for the next twenty-one days, I am going to endeavor to rise and shine at 5:16 on the nose.

Any prayers and/or accountability in this area would be greatly appreciated.

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Spring Porch/Landscaping Project
Last night after we finished our delicious supper of leftovers :P, Austin and I were in our usual spots (on the couch) enjoying our usual post-supper activity (watching television), when he suddenly got the urge to go tear up our front porch. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and it was a project we have been putting off for some time, so I joined him and we spent a fun-filled hour or so tearing up dusty outdoor carpet and rotting plywood that covered up older, more-rotted porch boards!


With a gorgeous weekend on the forecast, we are hoping that this weekend will consist of much more porch deconstruction, followed by the even-more-exciting re-construction, as well as (possibly - if we have time) some long-awaited landscaping!

(I am LOVING the hyphen this morning - really, i very-much am, lol)

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American Idol can dance, what!
Hi, my name is Katy, and I'm an addict.

I am totally in love with this season of American Idol and was happy as a clam with last night's results. When it was over, I said to Austin "I think this is the first season that I have ever totally agreed with the order of all of the vote-offs." So, kudos to you America, way to vote!

And that dance number at the beginning! Wowza! (Was I the only one who got the impression that they were lip-synching? No problem if they were because we all know that they can SANG, but it would take a LOT of breath control to dance like that and sing as well as they did, and I'm pretty sure they pre-recorded, but hey, I've been wrong before)

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Gotta Love This Weather
We have moved into that beautiful part of spring where the sun is out and the grass is growing and the tree are budding and the flowers are blooming! (For this weekend at least, I think it is supposed to rain all week next week, but I'll take what I can get at this point!)

You can tell we've been eskimos for too long, because the office starts clearing out at about 2:30 in the afternoon (except for those of us who are paid hourly, of course) and everyone and his brother has their motorcycle out and shined and is out soaking up the sun as quickly as humanly possible.

Our buddy Michael just purchased his first Harley, so we all engaged in a little post-work ride around the lake in the beautiful sunshine last night. I think I made it home in record time (shortened my 4 minute commute to about 2 and 1/2 - it's great when the lights/stop signs/traffic all align, lol!)

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Summer Supper Suggestions
I am starting to work on my meal plan for the month of May. Yes, I am a crazy person and I (loosely) plan our suppers for every evening of the month.

With that said, I am on the lookout for some quick and simple summery supper suggestions (I just love that alliteration :D). Any ideas would be appreciated - we're going for suppers that do not require the use of an oven, contain yumminess, and do not involve the purchasing of exotic (read "expensive") ingredients. Ready . . . GO! :) - Feel free to comment with your brilliantness, or e-mail me at katylinvw(at)yahoo dot com. If I get a lot of great recipes I will dedicate a post to sharing them with everybody! (Like how I threw in a bribe there?)

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MHR Inspiration #14 = Shout Out!!!!
I have made a new bloggy friend!!! Her name is Cher, and she has this brilliant blog Love, Actually Creative Ideas for Romance on a Budget.

It is absolutely adorable, and you must go and check it out as soon as you are able! Here's a blurb from her profile: "I grew up in Montana. Went to college in Utah. Recently moved to Boston, where my husband attends dental school. What began as an occasional hobby to impress my hubs has turned into an endless ambition to create romance on a budget...because every couple needs a little romance-therapy now and then!"

She has a TON of great ideas, and her site really fits in with the whole motivation behind ~ My Husband Rocks! ~ Fridays! :)

As a prompt for this week:

Include in your MHRF post one of your creative ideas for romance on a budget! We can all use a little romance from time to time, and right now is a great time to be sharing those budget ideas!

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Hope this wasn't too ridiculously random! Have a terrific Thursday!

MHR Inspiration #13

Well, it's Thursday again, and it has been a GREAT week, oh my word! I have so much to tell you all, and so much to say! Has anyone been watching American Idol? I loved the wild card show tonite!!! Sooooooooo glad that a certain Puerto Rican will NOT be joining us in the top twelve, can I get an amen?

Yesterday I got my hair chopped off, and I LOVE IT!!!! I'll be posting pics later, promise :) - I also promise that I will not always be a terrible blogger!!! I will get back on the horse at some point in our lives, lol! :)

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I found this week's article by accident, but it's one that I am going to print out and keep in my Bible! It's that wonderful!

Marriage Martyr
by Renata Waldrop
I don't know about the rest of you, but this one really spoke to me this week! I hope it's helpful for you, too!

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, March 6, 2009

One of the searches I used when looking for articles this week was "What makes a happy marriage?" For your MHR post this week, answer this question. This is going to vary for every couple, and it's going to be the same for every couple in lot of ways. So, if you can, please share with us what makes your marriage happy marriage - specifically, and any "universal" secrets that you have learned along the way! :)

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Challenge:

Let's be honest, there are parts of all of our marriages that are not as great as they could be. Our challenge for this week is to take ownership of what we contribute to the negative aspects of our relationships. Nothing we do can ever force our spouses to change - nothing - change can only happen by the grace of God, and in his timing. The only aspect that I have the power to change is the way that I respond to my husband, and the choices I make in regard to my responsibilities as a wife. :)

Thanks for reading everybody, have a fantastic evening!

MHR Inspiration #12

Another week, another Thursday! I hope you are all doing well out there in blogland! :)

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I found the following quotes this week while doing my "marriag research," and I thought they were fantastic:

When a husband and wife both want their partner to receive life’s best before they do, you have a marriage that’s going to exceed every wedding day dream. Their love not only lasts; it continually grows. — Gary Smalley

How to ride the rough waves in a relation long enough for the waters to get calm? When does it sink in that overcoming difficult times gets easier with practice? How do you drag some of the good feelings, good times vibrations into the stormy places? To love someone long and deep is a "consummation devoutly to be wished"!... It is day by day, one step at a time. It may not mean two bathrooms, but just some space, some privacy, some area to be alone. ...Unlike the wedding event, that takes place in a day, marriage is a long process that goes on at some level every day for the rest of your life....We have to learn how to live together... I thought I loved you, Ossie, when we got married, but as I see now, I was only in the kindergarten of the proposition. To arrive at love is like working on a double doctorate in the subject of Life. - Ruby Dee

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Only one article this week, but it's a really good one:

God's Design for Marriage
by Carol Heffernan

In this article, she references the Book Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. I have never read this book, but I have heard nothing but good things about it, and after reading this article, I think I'll pick it up to read on our upcoming vacation! :)

My favorite line in the artile is "What if your relationship isn't as much about you and your spouse as it is about you and God?" So often I think that we look at our circumstances and the difficulties in our situations and try to "fix" the symptoms while ignoring our true need for deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, February 27, 2009

Free Form! No prompt this week! Share anything you'd like the world to know about your rocking awesome hubby! :)

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Challenge:

1. Pray this prayer: Lord, how can I love my spouse today like (s)he's never been loved and never will be loved? every day for the next week, and see what happens!

2. Pick 1 book on marriage from this list that you will commit to read (either on your own or with your spouse) within the next three months!


Have a great Thursday everybody!

MHR Inspiration #11

Hello and happy Thursday everyone!!! Where do these weeks go? I cannot believe that it is already Thursday again! I promise that my blog will not always be a simply Thursday/Friday MHR event! I will at some point begin my regularly scheduled programming and visiting around at everyone else's blogs, too! Sorry that I've been such a slacker lately!

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I really enjoy researching and finding different articles and challenges for us every week, but if any of you have found a great resource that I've missed, please shoot me an e-mail to let me know! (katylinvw{at}yahoo{dot}com) I love finding new sites and blogs and ministries that focus on our marriages.

Speaking of Focus on Marriage, has anyone registered, or is anyone thinking about attending one of thes simulcasts? It looks SOOOOOOOOO great! The date is Saturday, February 28th, so there's still more than a week to find a location near you!

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This week I started out with more than a dozen articles that I really liked, and I was able to narrow it down to three. They are all phenomenal, so if you have time, please check them out, or bookmark them to read later! :)

Loaded Question
by Eva Marie Everson

How to Have a Happy Husband
by Lindsey Meier

Respect Your Husband (Even If You Don't Think He "Deserves" It)
by Nancy C. Anderson

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, February 20, 2009

Share your favorite "married moment" from the past couple of weeks. Anything that was special, made you smile, or made you feel all "warm and fuzzy" :)

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CHALLENGES
1. Ask your hubby the "loaded question" from the first article, and dilligently follow through on his request.

2. Implement the "VIP" system from the third article in the way you relate to your spouse.

3. Pick one piece of advice from the "How to Have a Happy Husband" article to focus on improving in yourself.

Thanks for reading everybody! Hope you have a phenomenal day, can't wait to read all about your rocking hubbies tomorrow!!!

MHR Inspiration #10

Hello to everyone out there in blogland! No, I haven't died, I have just ben a bad, bad blogger of late! :)

I am excited for the upcoming Valentine's Day. Austin thinks of it as just another way to line the card companies' pockets, and I can't say that I fully disagree with him! Also coming up next week is the two year anniversary of our engagment. Austin has been gone for the last couple of days as well, so it will be an especially nice weekend :)

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I have two articles again this week. The first is short, but chock full of great advice:

10 Secrets to a Successful Marriage
by Mitch Temple

The second is more geared for the holiday itelf:

The Romance Factor
by Twanda R. Smith

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, February 13, 2009

1. Tell the story of your first Valentine's Day together.

2. In reference to the first article, which "secrets" do you do well, which could you work on, which do you struggle with?

3. If you decide to take the advice of the second article, tell us what you're going to do, or share pictures if you have time!

Challenges:

1. Even though I do not always agree with the commercial hype of Valentine's Day, take advantage of the excuse to be especially romantic and dote upon your hubby!

2. Even after Valentine's Day is over, be intentional about showing genuine kindness and tenderness to your husband!

Hope you have a wonderful evening!

MHR Inspiration #9

Hey everybody!!! Sorry I've been so sporadic lately! We've been reeling about our fantabulous vacation, getting ready for my parents to be here this weekend, working a lot of hours, and wowza, it's been kind of crazy! :)

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In order to make up for that, I have TWO articles for us this week!

I Believe in You!
by Gary Smalley

and

A Time to Laugh
by Erin Smalley


Both of these articles were on MarriagePartnership, a branch of Christianity Today's website. In the first one, Gary talks about learning about his wife's goals and dreams, and the second one is all about keeping the laughter in your marriage.

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, February 6, 2009

We have a couple of different options for this week:

1. Tell us about some of the things that you and your husband do to just have fun together!

2. Tell the story of a memory about your husband that brings you a smile and a giggle every time you think about it!

3. Give us your best, most creative Valentine's Day gifts (and yes, this one is a shameless way to use your creativity to help me come up with a Valentine's Day gift, lol!)

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Challenges:

~ Set an appointment with your hubby to have a "goals and dreams" talk as described in the first article.

~ If you already know some of your husbands goals and dreams, be intentional about encouraging him and helping him to reach them.

Hope you have all been having a great week! Looking forward to hearing all about things that make us laugh and smile tomorrow!

MHR Inspiration #8

I found this quote over at Pam's place (it's in her right hand sidebar), and I just LOVED it! Check it out:

No one falls in love by choice, it is by CHANCE.
No one stays in love by chance, it is by WORK.
And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by CHOICE.
-I CHOOSE LOVE.

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The movie Fireproof came out on DVD this week! For those of you who have not seen the movie, it kind of revolves around a book called The Love Dare. My parents gave us the book for Christmas, and I just started it this week.

The first day focuses on patience, so this week I was very drawn to this article:

The Power of Patience
by Stormie Omartian

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, January 30, 2009

I really enjoy hearing about the things that our spouses are doing on a day to day basis, so please don’t feel like we don’t want to hear about that any more. In fact, I try to include a little tidbit of something that I appreciated about my hubby within the last week (that helps me to focus daily on the positive, rather than just reminiscing about the past).

However, the main prompt for this week is another trip down memory lane. I would like to hear about the moment or the circumstances that led to you knowing that you were going to marry the man who became your husband. Does that make sense. For our story, I can remember a specific event that hit me in such a way that I knew that Austin was The One. But you’ll hear all about that tomorrow. For others, I know it wasn’t anything specific that was said or done, but a series of moments or feelings that brought it into focus.

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Challenges:

This week I have three challenges for you. You can pick one, or do all three, or not do any of them. But these are going to be the things that I’m focusing on this week.

The first two kind of go hand in hand.

1. Be patient. As the Love Dare book puts it “Resolve to say nothing negative to your spouse.” Our words have the power to build up or tear down in an instant, and unfortunately the destructive possibility is much easier, and quicker than the re-constructive. Let’s be very careful with the tings we say to our spouses this week (well, always, but we’ll really focus on it this week).

2. Tell your hubby how much you appreciate him. I know that there have been weeks when I have gushed all over him on here, but I’m afraid what he has heard from me has been nagging and negativity. Don’t just tell the world how great your hubby is, be sure that you are building him up to his face, not just behind his back : )

and last, but not least

3. If you haven’t seen the movie Fireproof, or even if you have, have a date night this weekend and rent or buy a copy for yourselves! I cannot express how wonderful this movie is. Everyone who is married, or who may ever be married should see this movie! To hear an interview with the star, Kirk Cameron, click here!


Hope you have all been having a fantastic week, sorry I've been a little m.i.a. for the last few days! Hopefully be back up to speed for next week!

MHR Inspiration #7

Hello and happy Thursday everyone! I hope that you have all been having a fabulous week! First of all, for everyone who commented yesterday, thank you for your concern about our stair railing! :) We will be putting a railing up - probably about the time that we get trim around the windows and doors, and it will definitely be there before we have little ones toddling around!

Today is a big day for me, as it will be the first full day of work in my company's new offices! It's pretty exciting!

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This week, I found an article entitled Sacrificial Love

This article is the second in the series that started with Does Your Spouse See Jesus In You? which was the very first article that we read (from this post).

This one really spoke to me about the way that I serve Austin. When we were dating, I looked for ways to help him and make him happy all the time, and he used to have a really hard time letting me do things for him. Well, as we have gotten more used to each other and to living in the same house, I have gotten complacent, and he has gotten more comfortable with asking me to do things (as he should), and, to my shame, I have found myself being mildly annoyed by simple requests that should be so easy for me to do.

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, January 23, 2009

Tell us about a time that your spouse went out of his way to serve you, and love you sacrificially.

I'm also going to include a challenge this week. I don't know that I'm going to do it every week, and you do not have to participate, but this one is really more to keep me accountable.

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, has two parts. First, look for ways that you can serve your husband. These can be big or small, sometimes the things that seem so insignificant to us can make a big difference in making our husbands feel loved and respected. And second, if your husband asks you to do something for him, even if it seems silly, or like he could easily do it for himself, do it cheerfully and without an attitude of annoyance.

Well, that's all for now! Have a teriffic Thursday! I can't wait to read all about our rocking hubbies tomorrow!

MHR Inspiration #6

Happy Thursday everybody!

Let's jump right in today:

Six No-No's for Relating to Your Man by Robert Lewis with Jeremy Howard

This article really convicted me of some areas that I have much improvement to make. I earnestly desire to be a respectful, helpful, supportive, loving wife, but I fall short in so many areas. Too often I take my bad moods out on the one person who is around all the time, so a convenient target for my nastiness. Why is it so easy be hurtful to the one we're supposed to honor above all others?

The following website has some great ideas and their daily e-mails are encouraging and help me to get my thinking going in the right direction as I relate to my husband:

The Generous Wife (Thanks Chelsea) I found the Respect Tips page particularly helpful.
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Prompt/Theme for Friday, January 16, 2009

This week's prompt has two parts:

First, list at least one thing your husband did or said in the past week that reminded you why you love him. Everyone has to have at least one - even on a "bad week" - it doesn't matter how big or how small! Nothing that touched your heart is insignificant!

And second, share a "Generous Wife Tip" - it can be on any subject - anything that you do or would like to do more often to make your husband feel loved and respected!

Looking forward to reading all your happy moments and tips tomorrow! :)


P.S. ~ I do not have my YDHTBFTBM Fashion Show post done yet, but in the mean time, check it out over at Sarah Mae's - she has a gorgeous new blog design, too! :)

MHR Inspiration #5

Another week, another Thursday, another MHR Inspiration post! I hope that everyone has had a fabulous week, and I cannot wait to read all about your wonderful, rocking hubbies tomorrow!

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source
I was going to post another article about starting the year off right, but while I was in the midst of searching for one I found this article:

The Significance of Sexual Intimacy by Dawn Eden

I know that this may be a slightly uncomfortable subject for some, but this is a very powerful article that definitely changed my perspective on the subject, so I'm going there :)


source

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And since the article topic was kind of heavy, I decided to go light on the prompt this week :)

Prompt/Theme for Friday, January 9, 2009

I found this fun little questionnaire at The Texas Neals last week. I thought it would be a good way for us to learn more about each other - and the questions are pretty fun! :)

1. Where did you meet?

2. Who long did you date b/f you were married?

3. What does he do that surprises you?

4. What is your favorite quality of his?

5. What is your favorite feature of his?

6. Does he have a nickname for you?

7. What is his favorite food?

8. What is his favorite sport?

9. When and where was your first kiss?

10. What do you like to do together?

11. Do you have any children?

12. Does he have a hidden talent?

13. Who said "I love you" first?

14. What is his favorite type of music?

15. What do you admire most about him?

16. Do you think he will read this?

Have a happy Thursday!


P.S. ~ Due to some more camera technical difficulties, our house reveal post schedule has been postponed. Click here for details.

MHR Inspiration #4

Happy New Year !!!

I hope that you all had safe and enjoyable celebrations last night!


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The first day of a new year always fills me with excitement and possibility! And it is not often that you hear the new year discussed without mention of New Year's Resolutions. With that in mind, I would like to recommend the following article:


Make 2009 the Best Year of Your Marriage by Dr. David Hawkins


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By way of reminder:

1) Writing to the prompt is not required. We are not really all about adding more rules and regulations, lol!

2) Writing to the prompt is not a reflection of trouble in your marriage. Anyone who is honest with themselves would agree that marriage is not always easy, and as such, creating a weekly post about the object of your affection, and sometimes frustration, can be difficult as well. The purpose of having the prompts, articles, and quotes in these posts is to help us to think about our spouses from a positive perspective - even when we don't feel like it.

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, January 2, 2009

What are some practical thinks that you plan to do in the coming year to show your love and respect for your spouse? What are some habits/behaviors that you would like to foster in your life to improve your marriage?

Although writing to the prompt is definitely not required, I would encourage you to put some thought into these. We will be revisiting them throughout the year, and I think that these have the potential of being very powerful for our marriages.

:)

MHR Inspiration #3

Christmas Gifts



Holy Moly, another week has come and gone, and next week this time will be Christmas Day! Can you believe it??!?!

Sarah Mae, one of my sweet blog friends and the founder of the 5:16 Club, has recently written a 4-part series entitled "Marriage is Hard."
~ * ~ Part One: Pursuing Godliness ~ * ~
~ * ~ Part Two: Advice From Wise Women ~ * ~
~ * ~Part Three: A Challenge ~ * ~
~ * ~ Part Four: A Refuge ~ * ~
She is a very talented writer, and a great example of a woman who loves the Lord and her husband and strives to be more like Jesus every day. I would encourage you to take the time to read each of these posts; however, our prompt this week comes directly from Part 3.

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, December 19, 2008

"This Christmas, give your spouse something eternal - a gift of affirmation:
Write your husband a letter that details (very specifically and genuinely) why you respect him."

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I know that in the state of our economy, we are all looking for inexpensive ways to show our friends and family that we love them during this Christmas season - here is a gift that will cost you nothing but the time it takes you to write it! (That and the paper upon which you write it, and the ink from the pen, or the lead from the pencil, lol!) And Sarah Mae is absolutely correct when she calls it "eternal." I am positive that this will be a gift that your husband will treasure forever. If you want to go all out and print it on fancy paper, or even mount it or frame it, that would be a nice touch, too :)

There are probably parts of the letter that you will not want to share with anyone other than your spouse, so if you would rather post some of your reasons in list form, that would be awesome as well!

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By way of reminder:

1) Writing to the prompt is not required. We are not really all about adding more rules and regulations, lol!

2) Writing to the prompt is not a reflection of trouble in your marriage. Anyone who is honest with themselves would agree that marriage is not always easy, and as such, creating a weekly post about the object of your affection, and sometimes frustration, can be difficult as well. The purpose of having the prompts, articles, and quotes in these posts is to help us to think about our spouses from a positive perspective - even when we don't feel like it.


Have a great day!

MHR Inspiration #2

Hello and happy Thursday everybody!

Can you believe that Christmas is only two weeks from today!??!?! Where has this month gone? Where has this entire year gone?

In the spirit of the season, this week's article is about how the Christmas Season affects our relationships - specifically our marriages. This was very timely for me, and I hope you enjoy it as well!

Christmas Can Be Hard on Relationships

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By way of reminder:

1) Writing to the prompt is not required. We are not really all about adding more rules and regulations, lol!

2) Writing to the prompt is not a reflection of trouble in your marriage. Anyone who is honest with themselves would agree that marriage is not always easy, and as such, creating a weekly post about the object of your affection, and sometimes frustration, can be difficult as well. The purpose of having the prompts, articles, and quotes in these posts is to help us to think about our spouses from a positive perspective - even when we don't feel like it.

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, December 12, 2008

Tell us about the first Christmas you spent together, dating, engaged, or married. Or share your favorite Christmas memory with your spouse.

I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season, and I look forward to reading about some rocking hubbies tomorrow! Have a great day!

MHR Inspiration #1

I've got to admit, this whole coming up with a prompt idea has been very challenging for me. I have also very much enjoyed searching the web for various articles and quotes about marriage!

I also wanted to reiterate a couple of things about the prompt ideas.

1) Writing to the prompt is not required. We are not really all about adding more rules and regulations, lol!

2) Writing to the prompt is not a reflection of trouble in your marriage. Anyone who is honest with themselves would agree that marriage is not always easy, and as such, creating a weekly post about the object of your affection, and sometimes frustration, can be difficult as well. The purpose of having the prompts, articles, and quotes in these posts is to help us to think about our spouses from a positive perspective - even when we don't feel like it.

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I was very convicted by this article, and it makes me seriously evaluate the way my small, seemingly insignificant actions communicate the love of Christ (or not) to Austin, and to those who witness the way we relate to each other.

Does Your Spouse See Jesus In You?

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, December 5, 2008:

How did you meet your spouse? What initially attracted you to your spouse? How does that personality trait or physical characteristic affect you today? What is the same? What has changed?

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I also wanted to let you all in on something that Austin and I have been throwing around for a couple of months.

I am crazy excited about it, so you are going to want to pay close attention . . .

Are you listening?

My Husband Rocks! Retreat!!!

Am I the only one excited by this, or is this something you would all be interested in?

Like I said, it is only in the idea stages right now, but if we have some interest in it, I will pursue it very seriously.

One factor that Austin wanted me to ask about specifically was cost. With the state of the economy in which we find ourselves, he was wondering what would be feasible cost wise per couple? In my brain, what we're planning includes lodging, food, and the retreat itself.


Doesn't that look nice? Anyone want to go to Colorado?