being mindful of your marriage

good morning friends,

i've been spending some time feeling grateful for my relationship and friendship with my husband.  i guess that i am now ready to have a conversation about marriage here on the blog. i haven't discussed much about the specific importance of keeping your marriage high on your list of priorities before. i guess never felt i was far enough along in my marriage to speak out. but then i realized that i've been with my husband for ten years. that is fair length of time. we are very fortunate to have found each other and have done a good job of continuing our friendship over the years. and for those of you more seasoned wives + husbands out there, well, please continue this conversation in the comments...

i believe that being mindful of your marriage is an important part of daily life. keeping a strong line of communication, friendship and reminding each other of that dedication you have is vital to the growth and continuing happiness of you both as a couple. i am sure this looks different for most couples. it might mean that in order to grow together a couple should actually take the time to eat dinner together. or maybe a couple will find that they need an opportunity to spend an afternoon stepping away from all of the typical responsibilities. maybe it means you suspend a vacation in order to do a specific project together. i guess i feel that it all comes down to communication. communicating what each person needs and what the relationship needs.

let's proceed with a few reminders - it is always good to have a few reminders...

it is important to:
+ notice the good stuff
+ put forth the effort when you can
+ be forgiving
+ do something that isn't about you
+ put away your technology
+ speak up when you need to
+ reread those old love letters

and now, indulge me for a second with these two more elaborate notes:
+ wear your special token once and again
something i love is that my husband wears his wedding ring daily. i know several couples that one of the biggest issues they struggle with is whether or not the mate wears their wedding ring. now, maybe this isn't your thing, but if you have special tokens that your significant other gave you they will love seeing you wear it on a random wednesday or on your next big date night out.
+ be appreciative
say 'thank you' once in awhile. your partner works hard to care for you, and whether or not you feel that they are obligated to do so it is good to notice their efforts or return an effort. yes, we all need to help out but it shouldn't go unnoticed how much work it can be to take care of the people in your daily life.








i suppose that is all for today... oh, this month is our wedding anniversary! maybe i'll have a thing or two more to say in the name of love after we celebrate our fourth wedded year! :)

** the photos in this post were taken on our wedding day by Life in Balance Photography - who we loved working with + would recommend over and over again! **