All Because Two People Fell In Love

Let me start out by saying that yes the above pictures are Karl and I when we were children...we were so cute!!! Well Karl and I have made great progress with the marriage counseling packets we were given by the preacher last weekend. We completed various marriage inventory type questionnaires and starting this weekend are going to search for a church that we can join and help us grow as a couple.

The questionnaires we completed were: 10 Indications Why This is the Time in Your Life to Marry, 12 Specific Reasons Why You Want to Marry Your Fiance, and the all important Before You Say "I Do". I'll be the first to say that this exercise proved to be very insightful and really eye opening to us as we completed them on our own and then discussed them at a later time. Below you will find some of questions and answers:

1. What is your definition of marriage. What terms would you use to describe marriage?

Kim's Response: Marriage is a life long commitment to someone you love. You promise to love, honor, cherish them for the rest of your life. TERMS: Loyalty, Friendship, Love, Forever

Karl's Response: Marriage is a commitment that will last an eternity. TERMS: Loving, Friendship, Partnership

We also addressed questions such as "How are you going to keep the lines of communication open between you and your fiance?" A common answer we both had was to make sure no matter what that we talk about our day....sharing not just the bad, but the good as well.

All in all, I believe we learned a lot about each other. We also reaffirmed our belief in our relationship and our unconditional love for each other.

Again I say all individuals who are getting married should consider marriage counseling. It can work wonders.

More to come....

Bride to Be

Life's A Journey...You Might As Well Travel It With Your Best Friend

Wedding Planning...well it can have it's exciting times (i.e. finding 'the dress', cake tasting, etc)...it can also have it's disappointments (vendors being booked)...but there comes a moment in all the planning where you look at your future husband or future wife and you think, "Wow...this is the man (or woman) that I am going to spend the rest of my life with...Wow." Well simply put I experienced all of these moments wrapped up into one this weekend. Karl and I met with Kenneth to start marriage counseling and to start "planning" the ceremony. We started out with the basics like when the readings would take place...etc...then came the hard part...breaking down the meaning of marriage...can you define it? Can you grasp the reality that marriage isn't about "being in love" or "finding your soul mate"...it became very clear to both Karl and I that marriage is about forming a relationship for the rest of your life with God and with the person that he created especially for you.

We discussed topics such as relationship expectations, fedelity, divorce, commitment. We left with homework. We have a packet of worksheets to complete prior to the ceremony. The packet includes "Comparison of Role Inventory" and "12 Specific Reasons Why You Want to Marry Your Fiance" just to share a few....We have to complete our packets separately and then when we are done...we share our answers with each other. All in all it should be an interesting experience.

I encourage all soon to be married couples to do marriage counseling prior to getting married. So far it has helped Karl and I feel closer and made our communication better in many ways.

Stay Tune....I will post more information as we complete more on our to do list.