Hey all you bloggers out there, hope you had a great weekend.

I bet you thought Friday was the last post of the Marriage Rocks week, huh? PSYCH. Here is the unofficial PART 5! LOL.

We went to The Boulders resort in Scottsdale, AZ. It was so beautiful. We had a blast. Here are a few pics to check out. The weather was awesome, I got fried by the pool, and I had a fantastic time with my hubby!

Yep, the room in this picture is BLUE! It was the Blue Burger Grill. It was totally cool. Contempo burger joint. Great food!

The resort is called The Boulders, and this is why. Check this out. The boulders were everywhere. By the pools, golf courses, everywhere. I’m always amazed at how the cactus can seem to grow right out of a rock. Very strange. It was beautiful.

Ok, this is my sweetie. Charlie. Yep, 12 years he’s put up with me (LOL, just kidding honey). He took me out for a sweet Mexican dinner and a stroll around the grounds. It was great. Isn’t he a cutie?

So, tomorrow, it’s back to reality at my new job! But I’m blessed to have that job, so I won’t complain.

Talk to you all tomorrow! GOD BLESS and PRESS ON!

Our wedding day.

Well, of course on my road to our anniversary, I have to talk about our wedding day at least once, right?

It was a sunny day in Iowa, August 10, 1996. Our closest friends and family had made the trek from Minnesota, Colorado, and beyond. It was sunny, warm, and just PERFECT! We had decided not to see each other before the ceremony, so me and my brides maids tucked ourselves away and got ready for the big moment. We took what pictures we could before hand so after the ceremony we’d only have the combined ones to take.

I had decided to wear my mother’s dress and I had my soon to be mother-in-law’s jewelry on, so that was awesome. A piece of both our mothers. I’m a bit sentimental, can you tell?

I’m glad we didn’t see each other before hand, because when I walked down the aisle with my parents beside me and I first saw him, I ’bout fell over. I’m glad my parents were beside me, holding me up, that’s for sure. It was amazing. I’d highly recommend anyone doing that – it’s just magical. So, the ceremony went with only one hitch. The unity candle didn’t light, but we muddled through it by using a lighter. It was all good.

Other than that, the ceremony was amazing. We had written our own vows and my mother-in-law, who is a great writer, wrote a wonderful poem about how God had chosen Charlie and I to be together before we had even considered it. It was all part of His plan. I truly believe that, too.

We danced the night away, then Charlie whisked me off on our honeymoon cruise to the caribbean. It was amazing. What’s still fascinating — and don’t laugh — is that when I dig out the wedding pictures and DVD to look at year after year…I realize, I love him just as much, if not more, than I did on that day we cemented our vows before our Lord and became one.

What’s your wedding day story? I’d love to hear it!!

So, what are the secrets to a long and fulfilling marriage?

Oh boy, if I had the answer, I think I’d be a millionaire, right? But I did do some asking around. I asked friends and family, those who have been married a few years all the way up to 41 years. Here is what a few had to say.

“Let go of the little things.” “Hire a housekeeper! No more fighting over who cleans the shower.” “Never mention the word divorce, even in a joke.” “Go to workshops/conferences on marriage.” “Don’t complain about your spouse in front of the kids.” “Brag a little about your spouse.” “Date night is a must, especially with kids.” “State of the marriage talks every few months, talk about what’s going well, what needs improvement.” “Prayer, focus on God.” “Have other married couples praying for you as a married couple as well!” “No nagging. From the husband OR the wife!” “Read Song of Solomon for a real love story.” “If you’re ticked off, chill out, then talk, after the heat has subsided.” “Don’t let finances rule your marriage.” “Remember each day that you are blessed to have found someone that loves you for being you.” “Your spouse should be your best friend, but not your only friend.” “Laughter is the key to happiness. Be spontaneous.”

Now, that’s quite a list, huh? Some are funny and some are serious. Really, marriage is awesome, but it isn’t always roses either. It takes hard work on both parties to come together and make it work.

What are YOUR secrets? What do you think of this whole marriage thing?

So, what does the Bible have to say about marriage? Oh, you can bet that’s a controversial topic, that’s for sure. But hey, this is my blog, right? So, I’ll share my thoughts about it. I hope to hear yours as well.

I remember when we had started marital counseling through our church in Iowa (which is now under water due to the flooding, broke my heart when I saw that), I stomped in and said, “Ok Pastor Raske, what’s this whole ‘submissive’ thing?”

I’ll never forget that. He simply smiled and took the much needed time to help me understand it better. I had always thought submission was all about doing whatever the MAN of the house told me to do, no matter how it made me feel. Or, I had to give up everything for him so he could pursue HIS dreams and aspirations. Finally, I thought it was about losing myself.

Yeah, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Sure, at first when I read, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” (Ephesians 5:22) I FREAKED. Really, I freaked.

You know what, though, he pointed it out that in verse 25 it continues with, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ love the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy….” (Ephesians 5:25)

Now, I’m not going to claim to be this master theologian, I’m not, I’m a lay person trying to do God’s will. But the way my pastor put it on my level really sunk in. He basically just said, yes, Charlie will be in the Word, seeking God’s will, and, in turn, be looking out for your best interest. He’ll ask your opinion and value it. It’s not a dictatorship, because like Christ put his church first, Charlie will put me first.

How comforting is that? To me, VERY! Knowing Charlie’s got MY best interest at heart in all that he does. I’m all for that. And it’s seemed to work out fairly well the last 12 years. Not a perfect party of rose petals, but who’s life IS?

Hey there all you blogger fans. You might be like “Marriage Rocks, part 1?”

Yep, despite being a writer, I couldn’t think of a better title for a little five part series I’m doing on marriage this week.

“Why?” you might ask? For a variety of reasons. But the first one is because I’m going to celebrate my 12th anniversary with my hubby on Sunday the 10th. Now, all those couples out there celebrating 30 years or more are chuckling under their breath thinking, “Oh honey, 12 years is nothing.”

That’s great, tell me about it. I want to hear what’s kept you and your spouse together for so many years. Tell us your secrets.

For my first post of the week on marriage, I thought I would share how my hubby proposed to me. It’s a fun story for me to share because I love hearing how people got engaged, so be sure to log on and tell me how you were proposed to, or how you did the proposing!

Charlie was in graduate school (he’s a Physical Therapist) and I was working. We were just 22 and 23 years old. I remember it plain as day because I was living in my little 500 square foot apartment and on this particular Valentine’s Day, I was doing a puzzle. Charlie had a mega exam the next day, so he had to study, but said he’d stop by on a “study break” so he could at least see me on Valentine’s Day.

He came in, went to my little Sanyo boom box and plopped in a CD. He’s a music lover so I wasn’t surprised, he always has music playing. But he put on MY favorite song at the time, Anytime You Need a Friend, by Mariah Carey.

He asked me to dance.

Ok, yeah, something’s going on, I thought.Oh wait, no, it’s just because it was Valentine’s Day. So, I assumed he was just trying to be sweet and romantic. So, we were swaying to the music for a while before he stopped and pulled a little black box from his pocket then bent to one knee.

I think my heart stopped, literally, for, like, 30 seconds. It was amazing. My head swirled, my heart pounded, and I got weak-kneed. But what was even more amazing was that the diamond perched in the setting of my new ring was his mother’s engagement diamond! Yes, how precious is that? His parents were approaching their 30th anniversary around the time when we were getting engaged and she had gotten a new diamond ring for an anniversary, so Charlie had her diamond set in a new ring for me. Oh My! I was honored (and still am) to wear that precious treasure.

That was a Valentine’s Day I’ll never forget.

We were married just under six months later!

What’s your story of engagement or proposing? I’d love to hear it!!