With the summer rapidly approaching, I can’t help but starting planning cool little dates for my boyfriend and me. Being that we both are saving our money for some exciting projects, majority of our fun will have to be COST EFFECTIVE! Here’s a little list of the things I’ve come up with so far:
1.Photo Shoot- Who doesn’t like taking pictures to capture precious memories? Style yourself [and your significant other] and head to the nearest park to snap a few memories that will last a lifetime. No fancy camera? So, WHAT! Thanks to modern day technology and filters, you can take a few pictures on your Smart phone and play with different apps to get a quality photo.
2.Groupon Date- Money low? No problem! Groupon always has amazing deals on the latest happenings! Whether it be a restaurant tour or a cheaper ticket to the movies, Groupon wont fail you.
3.Take a class- NO not like a math class, but a cooking class, dance class, or any special interest class! Why not learn a new skill and enjoy great company at the same time!
4.Watch the sunrise or sunset- On our 2nd month anniversary, my boyfriend took me to see the sun rise at the beach. Although I had to be up SUPER early (totally not a morning person) it was one of the most romantic experiences ever! Following that we went to breakfast and painting. By 12noon we were done with our 2nd month anniversary.
5.Painting in the park- Are you interested in one of those BYOB painting experiences but can’t afford it? Create your own. All you need is 2 canvas boards, paint, and a theme. Paint your version of the theme while enjoying his/her company and snacks!
6. Cook Off- Do you like to cook? Impersonate on those shows such as cooking wars. Lay out all the ingredients to make a perfect Italian meal and see who creates the tastiest dish!
7. Free Festivals- Most major cities have all types of free festivals! Google a list and attend them all if you want! Don’t forget to check out neighboring cities as well!
8.Visit another city- Feeling spontaneous? Take a 2-3 hour drive to experience another city. If you live in the Chicagoland area you could visit Starved Rock, Wisconsin Dells, Grand Rapids Michigan and so many others.
Don’t cheat yourself or your significant other by staying in the house this summer! Get out and enjoy the sun in a cost effective way!
If you have more FUN and COST effective date ideas, be sure to share them on Married and Young’s facebook page or comment below. I’d love add to my list.
P.s. Have you registered yet for the largest online marriage conference of 2015! It’s time to start thinking rightly about sex within marriage, and we believe strongly that married couples should be having the best sex!
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Month: April 2015
In 1911, Arthur Brisbane was quoted in a newspaper saying, “Use a picture. It’s worth a thousand words.” The more popular saying has become, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
You may have heard that it is a good idea to have a mission statement for your marriage. I agree– it is a good idea to discuss the focus of your marriage. Unfortunately, although well-intentioned, these mission statements get filed away in a drawer for no one to see or be inspired by.
This is why I believe, as Brisbane suggested, that a picture, or an image, would speak greater volumes than a string of words. I believe that creating an image statement is far more powerful and far more inspirational to a marriage than a written mission statement.
Let me ask you a few questions:
What is the mission statement of Disney?
What is the mission statement of Nike?
What is the mission statement of Apple?
Unless you Google the mission statement above, I doubt you know them. But, it’s not difficult to imagine a picture–one image–to associate with each of the companies listed above.
Disney—I would suggest that Image Statement is the Cinderella Castle with fireworks exploding above it, or maybe a child’s excitement as she walks towards a princess at the Magic Kingdom.
Nike—I see the image of an athlete dominating in their chosen sport.
Apple—I imagine a picture of an iphone/ipad connecting people to other people in the picture.
Whether you have been married 3 months or 30 years, I want to encourage you to sit down with your spouse and think of an image to describe your marriage or an image that represents how you want your marriage to be.
Here are 3 ways an image statement will bring clarity to your marriage.
- The image statement discussion will be fun and bonding.
Talking through your marriage dreams and goals, in terms of pictures, can be refreshing and fun! Ask yourselves these kinds of questions: If you had to encapsulate your marriage in one picture, what would you want it to be? Would it be you and her walking in the woods holding hands? Would it be sitting across the table drinking coffee? Would it be you and your spouse on your knees praying for your children and other important needs? Discuss why it is that these certain images come to mind.
- The image statement will reveal your priorities.
The image you select will help to express what both of you clearly value and desire. This is important. The image is designed to reflect how you want your marriage to be. If you can see the goal–you can run towards it!
- The image will help you throw off things that are hindering your marriage.
If your image is a picture of the two of you dancing and gazing into each other’s eyes, but you haven’t gone on a date in a while, then you need to rearrange some things in your life. If your image is of you serving dinner to your bride, or serving her in another way (i.e. breakfast in bed), then you need to put that into place.
Action Plan
- Plan a 1-2 hour slot to talk through your image statement.
- During that time, ask these questions:
- What are the times in our marriage where you very connected with me?
- What activities make us laugh, talk, and bring out the best in each other?
- If you had to pick or design one image that exudes the kind marriage you want to have, what would that image be?
- Do we already have a picture that reflects this? Do we need to have one designed? Should we have some text put on it?
- Should we hang this image in our house? Where in the house? Should we have more than one in our house?
- When is the deadline for our image statement to be put on the wall?
- What are we going to do to make sure we keep pushing ourselves to live that image statement?
Creating an Image Statement for your marriage will give you a clear vision of what you want your marriage to look like and will also provide a real goal to work towards. Consider printing or drawing it and hanging it in your house or making it the background on your phone. Let this image statement become the picture that others paint when describing your marriage!
Final Question: Do you already have an image statement for your marriage? What’s the first image that comes to mind to show the kind of marriage you want to have?
A couple of months ago, I had been having numerous nightmares every week. Most of the nightmares had to do with my husband and I getting into terrible arguments, or struggling with other types of marital issues. It didn’t make sense to me because we communicate well, we love each other, and we were both remaining reasonably consistent in our walk with Christ.
This caused a lot of mental and emotional dissonance within me. After weeks of prayer, my nightmares still persisted. We recognized that the dreams were a spiritual attack, and that we needed help.
I called a close friend, whom is very mature in her walk with Christ. I told her what had been going on, and she gave me some wonderful tips on how to combat this spiritual attack. Most of them had to do with prayer and scripture reading. The most surprising suggestion that she gave me was to take communion every day with my husband.
Communion isn’t just some religious hoopla that earns our salvation. When we take communion, it must be done with a posture of repentance. Jesus’ sacrifice has set us free from sin, so it is important to reverence His gift by taking communion with a clean, repentant and thankful heart. Since Jesus is the ultimate authority in heaven and on earth, taking communion in remembrance of Him can only make us more powerful by association.
My friend reminded me that Jesus never told us how often we should take communion, so taking it every day could really help strengthen our marriage.
My husband and I began taking communion every day soon after. We bought some grape juice and pita chips (which was far more palatable than some communion bread I’ve tasted). We asked God for forgiveness of our sins and read or recited Ephesians 6:12-18.
Taking communion consistently with my husband truly magnified the beauty of the gospel! Not only did my nightmares disappear, but our joint reverence for Christ as head of our marriage deepened.
Communion isn’t a magical principle that fixes all of your spiritual trials. I can eat bread and drink grape juice on a daily basis and still be living in complete turmoil. The power of taking communion together daily as a couple does not exist in simply our action of doing so, but lies in the power of Jesus. When we humble ourselves in a posture of repentance to the giver of our new lives of freedom, we become a part of a power higher than ourselves.
Since beginning to take communion every day, my love for Christ has broadened and my bond with my husband has reached another incredibly intimate level.
Ready to take your own marriage to the next level? Try taking communion with your family once a month, once a week, or even every day.
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How Sex is a Form Of Worship {Video}
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Hey you all! This is our first of many videos as you journey with us to a greater intimate filled sex life! We talk about on this one …How Sex is a Form of Worship"
Posted by Married and Young on Thursday, April 2, 2015