Happy Marriage

Hug, Hold Hands, High Five- Do anything to be able to share a touch with your spouse. A simple hug in the morning or before bed can do wonders for the relationship. Don't get caught up in everyday chaos and forget to give your spouse some loving.

Appreciate What the Other Does for You- even if it is a small gesture, appreciate everything. Make sure that you let them know it doesn't go unnoticed. If they help with the dishes let them know how much it means to you and helps you out for the night. Maybe they bathe the baby for the night and let you relax, tell them thank you. Something as simple as making a cup of coffee in the morning for you, don't let it go unnoticed. 

Place Your Spouse Before Anyone Else- When you took your vows, you promised to love each other, and be there through hard times and good. Your spouse should be the one that you make all your decisions with. They should be the first one to hear big news. If you are going through something tough or need someone to talk to, your spouse should be the one that you talk it out with. Do not make your spouse feel like they are not your number one person. This becomes tricky when kids are involved, we often put our kids before our spouses. Remember your spouses were there before the kids. 

Present- Be Present In Your Marriage- With Social Media and the internet so readily available, it is easy to get lost in your phone or ipad. This can take a toll on your marriage and relationship with your partner. Be present with your partner. When you come home from work, instead of playing on your phone, share how your days were. Tell them something good and or bad that happened. Listen to them and let them know you are hearing them. Don't let distractions interrupt your marriage. 

Yesterday- Keep the Past in the Past- In a marriage you have to keep moving forward, you can't linger on the past. Whether you have been hurt or have fought about and issue, if it has been worked out then do not bring it into the present. Keep it in the past, no good will come of the issue continuously being brought up. It has been dealt with, talked about, and resolved so Move On. 

Make Time For Each Other-  This one is so simple, yet so easy to forget to do. We get caught up in our everyday lives that we can easily forget to make time with our spouse. Maybe you want to come home after a long day at work and watch the game and drink a beer. Maybe you have been meaning to meet up with some friends over the weekend. Maybe you get distracted by all of the parental duties that happen after work, that you are simply too tired at the end of the day. Whatever the excuse, you can always carve out time for you and your spouse. It can be as simple as talking with each other 15 minutes before bed. Eating dinner together every night. Making dinner together. Watching a show together. Planning a date night each month that you stick to. You don't ever want to get so busy that there is not time for your other half. 

Accept Each Other's Flaws (Habits)-  This is a MUST! You knew your spouse before you got married, even though you may have lived together before, there is something that changes once you get married. You must accept their flaws/ habits, sure you can talk with them about what irritates you, if they are able to change them then great, but there are some habits that they have been doing for so long that it is hard to break. You just need to accept them and move on with the marriage, if you don't then it will be hard to move forward and could potentially damage your relationship along the way. 

Respect Each Other- Treat each other with the utmost respect. Don't put each other down in front of other people or behind each other's backs. I once read that you should not be saying anything about your spouse behind their back that you wouldn't say to their face. Now I know we all get annoyed with our spouses from time to time, but that does not give us the right to go and talk badly about them to other people. Treat them as you would want to be treated, a respectful marriage is a healthy marriage. 

Refresh Together- Everyday life can get in the way of your marriage. Take time together to refresh. Go on along weekend vacation, or take a long trip somewhere. Go enjoy just the two of you, reconnect, find out again who this person is that you are committed to. Taking a time out from everyday life is needed. Make time for these trips. Even something as small as renting a hotel room in your city and going to explore different parts of the city is fun together. Step outside of your comfort zone and go explore a new place together. 

Include the Other- When you made your wedding vows you promised to be there for the other person. Make sure to include this person in big decision making ( ex: new job, quitting job, buying a house, buying a car, going on a trip). You need to make sure that your spouse is included in every big decision, after all it will affect their life as well. You don't just need to include them in big parts of your life, but also the smaller parts as well. The great thing about having a significant other is that they have a different perspective on issues. If something is bothering you or you have to make a decision, include them. They may be able to share a different point of view that you did not see before. 

Accomplish Goals Together- Set goals for your relationship and then accomplish them together. There is no bigger cheerleader for the success of your relationship than your spouse. When you reach a goal, go out and celebrate together. When goals are set up n a marriage the relationship continues to work as a "we". 

Gladly Support Your Partner in Their Dreams- Even though marriage is two people going through life together, you also have to remember that each person is one unique individual. Each of you have your own set of goals that you want to accomplish. Support your spouse with their goals and dreams. You are the one that they have picked to go through life with, and you are the one they want to share their dreams with. Help them accomplish those dreams, be there for them, cheer them on the way, and when they do reach that goal/dream, be happy for them. You are the one that they want to share this life with, make it the one ya'll want to live. 

Enjoy the Little Things Together- Don't let the little things slip by, enjoy them. Cuddle during your weekly show. Give them a kiss each morning, afternoon, and evening. Turn up ya'lls favorite song on the radio. Stay in bed an extra few minutes on the weekend. Call or text each other throughout the day, just to say hi. Overtime the little things add up to be big things, and when looking back it will be little things that you remember.