• Marriage & Keeping Intimacy

    Find A Lot With Thanks And Giving

    Have you ever felt unappreciated? I have. Many years ago, I had demonstrated a particular skill for saving customer relationships. Consequently, a peer in Marketing asked me to train and implement a program company-wide to restore customers who were in danger of ending our service. With little input from him, my team delivered and made the company A LOT of money. I didn’t think much of the fact that my colleague reported all of the progress to senior management. Then, I got a lesson in life.  He won a public thank you from the company president and a BIG promotion. I tried not to feel differently after that, but I…

  • Marriage & Keeping Intimacy

    It’s Terminal

    Do you mean it when you say the relationship is over???? So, I’m waiting for my take-out order at a local restaurant and out of the blue, I hear… HER: (Loudly) “What the %$#@? I’m so $%% tired of your &^%$! I’m done!” (SILENCE THAT WENT ON FOREVER) HIM: (Quietly) “What do you mean ‘done’?” I glanced over and recognized that he was having one of those moments. You know those moments. The ones where you feel that sickness in your stomach? That knot in your throat? Honestly, I was having one of those moments, and I didn’t even know him. I moved away from their table quickly because this conversation…

  • Date Night

    Introvert-Friendly Date Nights (At Home & Out)

    Boy, I have come up with some GREAT ideas for having fun. I have some Introvert-Friendly Date Nights for you. Bobby and I get it. We are you. These can be dates or fun with friends…but what they ARE NOT…are boring. Yay! Whether you want to stay close to home or venture out, these are creative ways to shake off the blahs and make memories—without the pressure of crowds or small talk. I would love to hear your ideas in the comments, too. Let’s get started! First things first: how do introverts meet new people without draining their batteries? Slow dating is your friend. Start with messages, move to a…

  • Marriage & Keeping Intimacy

    In the Middle

    I was listening to a great song this morning called “Here Again.” The first few lines say, “Can’t go back to the beginning. Can’t control what tomorrow will bring. But I know here in the middle. Is the place where You promise to be.” The song is about how God is always there for us. I believe that we are to emulate God, as best we can, in every way that we can. I started to think about how this applies to our romantic relationships. The beginning of our relationship is often referred to as The Honeymoon Phase when everything is easy. An endless stream of dates and late-night talks…