There is Sunshine in my Soul Today

The weather has been gorgeous in the low 80s today and it has either influenced or reflected the way I feel today. Ashley was in good spirits, we got to go to the beautiful new library for her job rotation, my handsome husband ate dinner with me (that I didn't have to cook... delicious leftovers from yesterday!), I found out some more info on job possibilities for next year, we met a nice neighbor, and I wore a new happy blue cardigan. On top of all that, I have the excitement of knowing that I get to go home to Utah this weekend! I can't wait to see my family!

Bu the biggest reason I am so happy lately is my husband. Bret and I have been talking a lot about marriage this past week... why it can be so difficult for some people and so truly joyful for others. While we can never know the specific details of what happens in a couple's relationship to cause unhappiness, here are some things that I know have brought the greatest joy to ours...

* We have always said "I love you" more than necessary and given hugs multiple times a day... sometimes even to the point of annoyance :) but usually just the right amount.

* We talk. We talk about the good and bad things in our lives. We talk about what we learn in school, at work, and in church. We talk about our plans for the week and how we will schedule our time together. We talk about our future plans. We talk about things we appreciate in each other and the things we need one another to work on. We talk about our goals and the people we want to become.

* We like to read together. We wish we did it even more. When we were engaged we read "The Peacegiver" and we are currently reading "The 5 Love Languages". We highly recommend both. They both center on maximizing joy in marriage, and we have found that you don't need to wait until your marriage is broken to start fixing it... you can fine-tune it as you go!

* We eat sugary-deliciousness, watch movies, hold hands, go for Sunday walks, clean the house together, snooze 5 extra minutes to snuggle, and watch re-runs of "The Office". We smile and laugh and act goofy and laugh some more.

I know this is sappy. I guess in light of Lauren's upcoming marriage this weekend and some family and friend events that have reminded me how fragile marriage can be, I just wanted to give my shout-out to the world (or the 5 people who read this blog) that I believe that marriage is ordained of God. I know He intends for it to be the place where we find the most happiness in this life. It is not always easy, it requires work and patience and effort, but I know that God wants our marriages to succeed and that He WILL help us through if we are willing to turn to turn toward Him and toward our spouse. I am so grateful that God trusted me enough to let me marry such an incredible man for eternity. Bret is my best friend and I want him to know that I believe in happily (now and) ever after.