Marriage takes a lot of hard work, and the work pays off. There are days that are full and busy and stressful, so it’s always a good idea to be intentional about adding in the fun. We’re guessing when you first met your spouse, you had a ton of fun together: romantic dates, adventures, lots of laughing. How can we keep the fun alive during years 1, 5, 30, and 50? An intimate marriage isn’t just built in the serious conversations and the physical affection. It’s built in the fun, too. Here are some simple ideas to add some fun…

The newlywed years are a blissful, wonderful time for your marriage. You’re on a high from getting married, honeymooning, dreaming, and building your new life together. At some point, that high will begin to dissipate as you ease into the rhythm of everyday life. When you’re in blissful ignorance of one another’s shortcomings, you’re not wasting time on lobbing criticism at each other. Everything the other person does is beautiful, and you make it a point to show gratitude for one another for the most seemingly mundane things…that is, until the mundane takes over, and you become critical. Tripping Over…

I feel that I listen to my wife, but sometimes I seem to miss what she is saying. Help! It can be too easy to find yourself in the middle of a disagreement with your spouse over something one of you did or didn’t say. Sometimes, we might think we’re listening to our husband or wife, but perhaps we’re not really getting the message. We humans are quick to mis-hear, jump to conclusions, or assume we know what the other person is saying–when maybe, we really don’t. There is a huge potential for misunderstanding, especially when it comes to the…

My husband is an adrenaline junkie. How do I get him to slow down without quenching his personality? So your spouse is addicted to adrenaline–something that research has proven to be a biological tendency in some people. You might be uncomfortable with your spouse’s propensity for high-speed, risky activities. But it’s important to understand that you’re probably never going to change his or her basic need for speed and risk-taking. We all have different energy levels, and different activities and experiences that excite us. These preferences–needs, even–are built into the very fabric of our being. You want to respect who…