Marriage. Marriage is what brings us together today.

Name that movie! (From the title..)

So guessss what month it is!! (Again..)

MARRIAGE MONTH! Yay!
Because I got behind a month by postponing my marriage month/making Faith take up 1.5 months, I was tempted to combine Marriage and Home together.. but both call for big things so I'll fit it in somewhere else.

Ok honestly just thinking about this month makes me nervous. BUT I have resolutions and I'm sincerely excited about it as well. Well, today I am anyways (who knows about tomorrow), which means there is no better time for me to put in writing what I plan on accomplishing this month.


In preparation for my marriage goals, I've poured over list after list.. "6 Ways to Build up Our Husbands", "20 Ways to Bring you and Your Husband Closer to each other", "100 Ways to Make your Marriage Rock", etc, etc.

These all have enlightening or creative ideas (the links are below if you're interested), but the only list I'm going to spell out fully is my "20 Ways..." List. I actually got this list from a lesson in church about the blessings of marriage.

1. Night and Morning Prayer

• This has become especially important to me since last month's goals. Marriage is between me, Sean, AND the Lord. We are totally inadequate to handle what we go through alone. So I've adopted the motto "Do your best and the Lord will do the rest" but for this to work we have to pray for his help.

2. A weekly planning Meeting

• I actually tried doing this last Sunday but I was doing other things at the same time so I got annoyed at like everything Sean was asking me. Haha so counterproductive. So during these meetings, FOCUS.

3. A daily phone call or personal conversation.
4. A weekly Date

• If you're trying to do this, PUT IT ON THE SCHEDULE. It won't happen if you're trying to squeeze it in somewhere last minute.

5. Patience REGARDLESS. [Ya.. I need this.]
6. Daily service.
7. A Budget.
8. Listening
9. Regular attendance at church meetings and the temple.
10. Daily Scripture Reading.
11. Working Together.
12. Forgiving Each other.
13. Courtesies.

• Leave the chair free where he usually puts his towel, declutter our surfaces, reminders...

14. Soft and Kind Words.
15. Learning together.
16. Respect.
17. Supporting your spouse's goals, needs, callings, etc..
18. Support your spouse's family
19. Occasional gifts.
20. Loving with ALL your heart. "Fall in love with the same person over and over again."

All of these things are important and I wish I could get them all perfect in a month, but I've chosen a few based on this list and the main things I feel that Sean and I need to work on.

So my resolutions are as follows::
FIRST: Daily Service. My last post revealed that one of my "aha" moments was realizing I need to serve more. My husband should be at the top of the list. So every day I'll try to serve him in some way.
SECOND: Play Time. Some days I wish we had nothing else in the world to do but be together, some days I'm grateful for work and school that give me a break from being at home.. but overall Sean and I need a lot more time together that is just spent having fun with each other. We don't always know how to do this, but this goal encompasses us finding a hobby we both enjoy and learning how to spend time together (sounds so ridiculous but trust me, we need it.) I also know I need to be more lighthearted. Easier said than done for me sometimes, but I know we need things to be less serious all the time. I want to be as happy and carefree as I was when we first started dating.
THIRD: Start a New Tradition. I have no idea where I want to go with this. So far I'm totally open minded about what this could mean, but I've read in a few places that traditions allow couples to have something to look forward to each time that event comes around. Plus I want to have fun traditions for our kids to grow up with.
FOURTH: Follow Our Budget. A staggering amount of marriages break up over finances. Over MONEY. As if it didn't ruin enough things in the world.. We have set up a tentative budget, the trick now will be making it through a month where we actually stick to it effectively.
FIFTH: 5 Minute Forgiveness. I forgive easily, but I have a hard time doing it without an apology. And Sean has a hard time apologizing for things he doesn't think are wrong. We've definitely improved as I've tried listening to his request for me to explain things clearly (like everything) and he has accepted that that is hard for me to do. There is vast room for improvement here though.
SIXTH: An Attitude of Gratitude. This is more of a command from my cousin (in a good way), but I've "decided" to start a small journal in which every day I write at least 3 things I am grateful for about Sean.

Marriage is hard you guys. But I have faith that it is worth it.
I could use a few different scriptures to say this, but one of my favorite endurance verses comes from the doctrine and covenants. Joseph Smith, who has been imprisoned in rotten conditions while the Saints are persecuted and killed cries out to God, asking him why he has forsaken his faithful children in the time of their greatest need. To which He replies "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment. And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." D&C 121:7-8.

Endure it well. Not just those of you who are stumbling through marriage, but with everything. The adversary doesn't want us to choose good things. He'll fight against every step we take towards living a better life, but it WILL BE worth every trial.

Sorry for the long post, its going to be a long month :)

6 Ways to Build Up your Husbands
100 Ways to Make Your Marriage Rock


p.s. the Movie I got the title from is The Princess Bride.