Search Results for: blog are we out of love with marriage

Reasons Parents Should talk to Their Teens About Pregnancy

It might be uncomfortable, but it is important that parents talk with their teens about pregnancy. Having that discussion, in a non-judgmental way, can inspire a teen to really open up and ask the questions that are on their mind. It can also help build trust between you and your teen. That’s important if you want them to come to you for answers about pregnancy in the future. Make sure you speak with your daughters and your sons. The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is high. The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate among countries that … Continue reading →

Debt and Marriage: How It is Tough to Love When You Owe

Many couples enter into a marriage with debt already in hand. Others accumulate debt together. Either way, nurturing a loving relationship can be hard when debt is hanging over your head. In fact, according to a study by Jeffrey Dew at Utah State University, couples who reported disagreeing about finance once a week were over 30 percent more likely to get divorced than couples who reported disagreeing about finances only a few times a month. Another inference can be made from this study: there is a whole lot of disagreement about money out there. Debt is a source of contention. … Continue reading →

Clive Davis Comes Out

In the recent past, many celebrities have come out of the closet.  It seems that as each opens the closet door, the fanfare drops further and further.  Just a few weeks ago, Jim Nabors, at age 82, married his longtime partner. Music exec and record producer Clive Davis has worked with such musical greats as Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart, Kelly Clarkson, Carlos Santana, Barry Manilow, Jennifer Hudson, and Christina Aguilera.  And this week, he came out as being bisexual at the ripe of age of 80. Davis admitted in his new memoir, “The Soundtrack of My … Continue reading →

Get Creative with Valentine’s Layouts

Love Day has come and gone, though the memories will linger for a lifetime, especially if you scored a serious sparkler and a marriage proposal on February 14th.  Even if your sweetie didn’t get down on one knee this Valentine’s, you shouldn’t let the holiday go by without crafting at least a single page layout detailing the day’s highlights.  However, rather than employing the same ol’ trite scrapbooking techniques, consider getting a little creative with the following ideas: Choose a Theme:  So, you didn’t get the five-carat diamond tennis bracelet you had your heart set on for Valentine’s Day.  Surely, … Continue reading →

Twelve Months Post Partum: An Exercising Journey Part VIII

As much as I was loving the burn I received from my more recent workout routine, after about six months of dedication, I was ready for something different.  Even though I still had a good pound and a half to lose (and keep off legitimately) to meet my newest post partum weight loss goals, my body, while stronger than it has ever been before, needed a break from the high intensity, high impact, and high insanity workouts. The jump work from this particular series of exercises were taking a tole on my joints and I knew that my body could … Continue reading →

The Difference Between Friendship and Marriage

Sometimes I wonder what the difference is between friendship and marriage.  Not casual friendship, or even good friendship, but really-close, best-friends, rely-on-each-other-for-everything friendship.  If we look to the media for answers, it seems to imply that the only difference is physical desire.  In movies and television, the only or at least primary distinguishable change in the relationship between two characters that are best friends, and then become something more, is that their relationship adds a sexual element. Those are usually my favorite types of stories (as opposed to ones where the characters aren’t friends but jump right to dating), only … Continue reading →

Learning Marriage from Your Parents

I was raised with somewhat progressive views on marriage.  It feels strange to even be typing that, and it’s certainly nothing I ever thought growing up.  I know that on the overall spectrum of views on marriage, the ideals with which I was raised would only be in the middle, and probably closer to the conservative side of the middle.  But it’s still so surprising to me how many people aren’t even that far. I’ve already shared my story about my college roommate.   The reason she and her boyfriend didn’t talk for years about division of labor in the household, … Continue reading →

Destination Weddings: Do or Don’t?

Writing about Disney Cruise Weddings/Vow Ceremonies made me think about destination weddings.  Given that I wanted my wedding to be as small and simple as possible, it’s difficult for me to relate to those interested in having a destination wedding. For me, the concept only seems to make sense if the bride or the groom actually hails from the area in which they’re getting married.  Maybe he or she was born abroad, or on the other side of the country.  It’s one thing to ask your guests to spend a lot on travel expenses just because you want to get … Continue reading →

Generational Differences in Marriage Dynamics: Cooking

Due to all of my volunteering, I spend a lot of time each week with people who are more in my parents’ generation than mine. That’s normal enough; once we graduate and enter the work force, our pool of peers naturally expands beyond our age group. I have no problem with this most of the time, but once in a while I feel our generational difference, and that usually relates to our views on marriage. My friends don’t have extremely different views on marriage than me; they’re certainly not the types who think their husbands rule the roost. I don’t … Continue reading →

Four Terrifying Marriage Proposals

While surfing on the Internet I found a list of the “scariest marriage proposals” compiled by MSN. Given that this was just before Halloween, I thought they would have a spooky vibe. Well, I was wrong, though they were certainly scary. The four real-life marriage proposals were as follows: 1) A pilot took his girlfriend up for a ride in his small plane, pretended they were crashing, and handed his girlfriend an emergency checklist. His proposal was written on the list: “initiate ring engagement procedure.” 2) A stuntman faked a car crash and his subsequent death. His girlfriend was called … Continue reading →