I have to preface this by saying we OBVIOUSLY do not have the perfect marriage. Zach and I will be celebrating our 6th year anniversary this year and I realize we will go through A LOT more trials, this is just the way we WORK at our marriage. That’s one thing I do know, it takes a lot of work and I was just hoping to share some things that work for us. So here we go.
This is our number one goal! We put God first and each other second. This can look different in different marriages but for us it’s staying rooted in Christ. We pray together daily, we are individually growing in our relationship with Christ and we attend church regularly. We are also involved in small group, we study the bible together and do life together.
Zach and I both have full time jobs. He is a real estate broker and owner, and I’m a full time first grade teacher. When we get home with two energetic toddlers our entire attention goes straight to them for the remainder of their wake time. Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t want it any other way, but sometimes I miss him! I often forget to ask him how his day was or what he did that day. So what we’ve naturally incorporated into our daily “grind” are small conversations throughout the day. Sometimes it’s through text, sometimes it’s on our way to work (after drop off) we’ll just call each other. But most days it’s after the kids are in bed that we can finally catch up. I really like hearing from him throughout the day even just a simple text like “How was your lunch?” just makes me smile and tells me he’s thinking about me. I try to do the same if he has an important meeting or closing I’ll try and text him to let him know I’m proud of him and thinking of him.
I’ve said this before but we love our wine nights. We have a local winery that offers a monthly membership. It’s a low cost per month that allows us one free wine tasting a month and two bottles. I like that it’s a monthly subscription because it forces us to plan a night out (even if it’s just an hour at the bar to do our flight). Other times we plan a day date, especially if the grandparents are itching to hang with the kids. But most of the time our “date nights” consist of sharing a glass of wine or a drink after the kids go down and watching our favorite show. I love having “our show” (ehem This Is Us) to bond over together.
A few years ago I was introduced to this quiz of the 5 Love Languages. It’s basically a quiz that will give you a thorough analysis of your emotional communication preference.
1. Words of Affirmation
2. Acts of Service
3. Receiving gifts
4. Quality time
5. Physical Touch
It was important for my husband to know what my love language was and for me to know his! It’s a way for us to understand what each other needs… not what we think they need. If you don’t know yours you can take the quiz here. It will definitely help you understand your spouse a little bit more.
These are just a few of the million things that helps us keep our marriage strong.
I also love doing these prayer studies that focus on my husband.
If you need more ideas like this, check out my Hubby Love Pinterest board. There are many focuses and studies that will be a good reminder.
There are obviously a million more things that make a marriage work, these are just a few of ours. Thanks for stopping by! Please leave a comment with something YOU do to make your marriage work! I love hearing from you!
Linking up with Shay and Erika for Workin’ It Wednesday.