By Ashley McIlwain Life has a way of keeping us on the go. We feverishly check items off of our to do list only to find ourselves adding even more to the end of it. Our calendars are full, our lives chaotic, and our emotional and physical tanks down to fumes. Sadly it’s our marriage
By Ashley McIlwain As human beings we gravitate toward routine. Toward comfort. We like to be in control, and we like to have things figured out. Most of us avoid change like the plague and find safety within the boundaries of regular and familiar. It’s not that this is a bad thing. Routine creates efficiency.
By Ashley McIlwain Having grown up in Central Pennsylvania, I am a country girl at heart. While living there, I didn’t always appreciate the small town environment, in fact, I downright hated it, but now that I live in the crazy, chaotic, and crowded Southern California, I can look back with clarity and admiration for
By Ashley McIlwain Personally I’m a fan of Valentine’s Day. Not because I love the commercial craziness of it with all of the overpriced flowers and candy, oversized cards, and overcrowded restaurants. No, what I love is that it gets people thinking about the ones they love and how to express that love. It’s a
By Ashley McIlwain Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us. Feel free to let out a romantic sigh, frustrated grunt, or any other noise that corresponds with your outlook on this pink-painted, love-dovey day of chocolate and candy. The thing is, regardless of how you feel about Valentine’s Day, it’s a great excuse to show some
By Ashley McIlwain I know that many of you have been married for a while and are finding yourselves and your marriage in a place where you’re maybe rethinking things. You don’t feel in love any more. You and your spouse have changed so much, and you’re looking at each other wondering who this person
Foreword by Ashley McIlwain Over the past several months, I've been really wanting to add a special feature that included recipes. It seemed to make sense because we all need to eat, and who doesn't love a good recipe? But what stirred me the most to launch this culinary feature is the fact that there
By Jim Mueller When Sheri and I speak publicly, we almost always make the point that our romantic relationship has never been better. Then I cringe when Sheri goes a step further and says, "After twenty-five years, few couples can say their sex life is better than ever!" I wouldn't have put it quite that
