About 365 days of marriage

I started this blog in April of 2011. At the time, Bret and I were wedding photographers and it was a way to share how marriage is more about the day to day and so much more than the wedding day itself. For about 5 years, I blogged about the joys and sorrows of the Christian walk, marriage, work, family and friends. I’ve blogged every day since a few weeks after I started. In May of 2015, we photographed our last wedding. Now, I have become passionate about simplicity, particularly in marriage, Christianity, business, travel and life. For a number of reasons, we have become minimalists. I’ve found that having simplicity makes life so much deeper, refreshing and joyful. I hope that this blog will help others see the benefits of living simply.

Day 1596 – The Secret To Our Joyful Marriage

Posted on November 23, 2013 by 365 days of marriage

Over the last few weeks several of my conversations with friends have centered around having long distance relationships and how beneficial they are.

I started dating Bret about two weeks before he was deployed to Iraq. I remember people would ask if I was worried…and I mean, of course I was, but my attitude was “he’s coming back to me or he’s not.” No amount of good thoughts would bring him back, I had to trust that he was safe in God’s hands and not my own. That attitude came from experiencing a previous long distance relationship as well as several loses of very young friends. I could see how God prepared me for the even larger struggle of Bret being deployed.

After Iraq, Bret was still in the service for a few more months in California and then went on to live with his family in California. The first 2 years of our relationship/knowing each other, we spent about 11 days in the same physical location the first year and maybe 2-3 months the second year. He didn’t move here until about 4 months before the wedding. While you can look at that and say, man, that sucks! We see it as a huge blessing on our lives. It forced us to grow in our communication with each other. Something that has been invaluable during hard times.

Now, having a string of conversations about long distance/limited time together relationships over the past few weeks, it has made me thankful anew for that time in our lives. Namely because it has equipped me to encourage my friends during hard times.

So what’s the secret to our joyful marriage?

It’s all in our attitude about our situations. To see that God is at the center of our marriage and all things that He brings on our path. You can choose to be angry at the small bank account or lonely when your spouse works long hours or sad that life has changed so much. Or you can be thankful that you have a roof over your head and even though you aren’t eating out as often as you’d like, you’re getting your daily bread…you can be thankful that your spouse has a job and is helping to pay the bills…you can be thankful that you aren’t stagnant and God is choosing to grow you through change.

What’s the secret to YOUR joyful marriage?

Secret Part B of our joyful marriage is being kids at heart. 🙂

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Day 1595 – Planning Your Wedding In Baltimore Maryland: A Word About My Recommended Vendors

Posted on November 22, 2013 by 365 days of marriage

I have a great list of recommended vendors.

I wanted to say that these folks are some of the best of the best that I’ve worked with. I keep this list fresh, updating when I work with a new, great vendor and deleting when someone doesn’t live up to the level of service that I give my clients. It is not an extensive list by any means. There are many vendors not included. The only reason is that I want to limit each category.

Do you have any questions about any of my recommended vendors? I love them, I love talking about them and would love to help you plan your wedding, even in a little way. 🙂

Day 1593 – Book Review – The Duck Commander Devotional

Posted on November 20, 2013 by 365 days of marriage

In my overflowing stack of books from the library, I have the Duck Commander Devotional.

I’ve been reading it for about a week in my devotions and I am LOVING it! It’s really great advice and it’s neat seeing a little into each member of the family’s lives. I read through the bios at the beginning and they actually have entries by the kids! I also learned that several members of the family have biblical schooling.

It’s really awesome to see how God has blessed them and has given them a platform to share Him to the public!

So go check it out! It’s only $16.99 retail to buy!

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Day 1592 – An Early Christmas Present or Another New Sample Album!!!!

Posted on November 19, 2013 by 365 days of marriage

You know I recently received one of my new sample albums and I was over the moon.

Today I received a brand new sample album…meaning, this is a product I’ve never offered before. I am kicking myself for not offering this type of album before! It’s absolutely amazing!

But first, let me share the awesome packaging and the presents!!!

I am very impressed with this new company, AsukaBook, but I am a fan for life because they sent me a pen!!!! (I’m really not hard to please. 😉 )

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