By Ashley McIlwain Recently I shared a list of things I wish men knew, but now it’s time for some candid girl talk. Ladies, we have some things we need to discuss. When I look around, I see a lot of women pointing the finger at men as the source of all discontentment and issues.
By Ashley McIlwain I sat down at my pool hoping to catch a few rays, but more importantly, to snag some relaxation. As I cozied into an open lawn chair prepared to attempt a mental vacation, my “trip” was interrupted by a group of middle aged guys talking. They weren’t far from me, and considering
By Ashley McIlwain Growing up, birthdays were always a pretty big deal in my home. If you were the birthday girl, it was all about you that day. As a kid that meant simple yet special privileges like getting to answer the phone the entire day, being the one to get the mail, and no
By Ashley McIlwain There’s just something special about summertime. It energizes and invigorates. It excites, and it awakens. It warms the body and the soul. Its sunshine seems to penetrate every part of our being with its golden glow. Yup, there’s just something special about summertime. If you feel the same way about summer as
By Ashley McIlwain At every corner there lurks danger. The potential for problems and conflict seem to pepper the future of our marriage like a field of landmines. One misstep and everything blows up in front of us. It can seem that there’s no winning at times when it comes to our marriage. This may
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 When I look around me, I realize how blessed I am with inspirational, successful marriages. My parents just celebrated their 37th anniversary. My sister and her husband their 11th. My husband, Steve’s, parents just celebrated 42 years. Just last month our board members, Greg and Rosemary, hit the 40 year mark. Steve’s
By Ashley McIlwain I feel like everywhere I turn someone is attacking or doubting the validity, significance, benefits, and splendor of marriage. It grieves my heart because marriage rocks. It really does, and I think a lot of why we’ve lost our sense of appreciation for it is because we’ve screwed it up so badly.
By Ashley McIlwain I had gone to the post office and was met by a line of people out the door. My shoulders sank at the reality that I couldn’t just come back and was sure to be waiting for quite a while in this long line. Sure enough, over 20 minutes later, I finally
By Ashley McIlwain It had been a long day, and I was trying to figure out what I was going to make for dinner. I didn’t want to have to run to the store, but I also didn’t really have any specific ingredients to make a planned out dinner. So, I opened my fridge and
