By Ashley McIlwain But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man
By Ashley McIlwain My sister, her daughter, and husband came to stay with us over Labor Day weekend. Together, we laughed, played, and made memories along the way. It was so much fun being together. One of the best parts though was having my 3 and ½ year old niece there. Seeing the world through
By Ashley McIlwain September thirteenth was Steve’s and my fifth wedding anniversary. Everyone says it will, but it’s still hard to believe how quickly that time has flown by. In a blink of an eye, we’ve found ourselves five years in, celebrating the love we’ve shared, the memories we’ve created, and the commitment we’ve held
By Ashley McIlwain If someone were to keep a running list of all of my mistakes and missteps during my life, they would need the world’s largest notebook and a tenacious writing hand. The truth is I screw up all of the time and have since I can remember. Constantly, I battle between what I
By Ashley McIlwain We are all motivated to do things for various reasons. Money, success, fitness, status, stuff, popularity. Whatever the motivation, we all find some purpose to fuel our day-to-day behaviors and choices. What about in your relationship or marriage? What fuels your actions there? Your spouse asks you to take out the trash
By Ashley McIlwain Communication. It’s such a key component to every relationship, and yet, it’s also one of the most challenging. Many couples report problems in their relationship where communication has broken down. The issue is then perpetuated and escalated by the continued breakdown of their ability to converse about it. The inability to communicate
By Ashley McIlwain Most of the articles I write talk about loving and appreciating your spouse. Fighting for your marriage. Constantly working to be a better spouse and have a better marriage. But all too often I hear stories and receive questions about a one-sided effort. “I’m trying, but my husband doesn’t want to work
By Ashley McIlwain Do you want to know my favorite thing about being married? The simple pleasures that come with it. There are so many wonderful benefits of marriage. Research shows a plethora of mental and physical health benefits, and of course there are other huge pluses like more financial stability, shared responsibility, and the
By Ashley McIlwain Husbands are interesting creatures. They are so different from us women in too many ways to count, and while that can be incredibly frustrating, it’s also a wonderful blessing. They can make our day, and they can turn our world upside down. They can make us feel like we’re the most loved
By Ashley McIlwain Inevitably, as a couple, you will make many big decisions during the course of your relationship. From whether to get married, what kind of wedding you’ll have, kids or no kids, how many kids, where to live, when to buy a house, what kind of house to buy, how to handle finances,
