Part One: Husbands on the Hot Seat  Think you might not relate to this one? Hang in there with me as I tell my story… I first noticed Craig during our orientation at college. Part of that busy week was the election of our class officers, and Craig stepped right up to the plate to run for president. I remember watching him …

 Wives on the Hot Seat: Be Realistic, Be Honest, Be Courageous Pop quiz time!            Read and write out your answers separately, and then compare. Where are you two not on the same page? What blesses and nourishes me will in turn bless my husband                        Do I truly believe this? Does my husband believe this?                        Why or why not?                        What does this mean? An …

Been to a wedding when both bride and groom vowed to do this for each other? Felt a nearly overwhelming desire to stand up and shout, “Time out! Can we talk about this?” Yeah, me too. How can something that sounds so good be so bad? Or maybe better put: Can such a sincere motivation go so wrong? First: Only God can meet all …

Craig and I were on long a road trip when we decided to visit the rest stop just ahead. He pulled into a parking space next to the sidewalk, and we groaned a bit as we climbed out of the car, stretching stiff limbs. Almost simultaneously, we glanced towards the building, noting where the restrooms were. And then we looked …

When’s the last time you two were on the edge? Not talking about divorce, hiking the Rockies, or being a hair’s breadth from a tantrum at the post office. (Not that I can relate to that.) I’m referring to the pressure cooker scenario that builds between us, but originates in something like the-kids-have-driven-me-bonkers-all-day-and-now-you’re-home-to-take-it-out-on-you type of thing. Could also be stress at the office is …

Who, ultimately, makes the decisions in your home?    What happens if/when you disagree?Who functions as the tie-breaker?Or…who holds the power to veto? Maybe you’ve got those issues figured out. All your disagreements have been settled, fairly amicably. But at some point, you will disagree in a way that pits the two of you in a tenacious battle of wills. It’s the nature of being …

Who, ultimately, makes the decisions in your home?    What happens if/when you disagree?Who functions as the tie-breaker?Or…who holds the power to veto? From Carolyn: If you’d asked me those questions 40+ years ago, my answers would’ve been quite different from today’s. Trying to be “spiritual” back then (“Oh yes, Craig’s the head of our home”) countered by where my frustrated heart and …

From Craig:What are the most important characteristics you desired in a spouse? The research is consistent across all age groups: “A good spouse puts family above everything else.” When I hear that, I wonder if Carolyn and my family believe that I put them above everything else in my life? I hope they do, but how would they know? Would …

 I imagine if I could do a poll right now concerning one of the major attractions to your spouse, an overwhelming response would be how the two of you could talk for hours, never running out of things to say, never getting bored, never failing to intimately understand each other. So what’s happened since those first endless conversations when we …