“What are you most dissatisfied with about our marriage?” she asked. It was a simple question, albeit somewhat out of the blue. Ashley and I were driving home after spending a day at a museum. I sat there partly terrified, thoughts racing through my mind for the right answer. Difficult conversations are not exactly my
I flipped down the passenger side visor to glance at myself in the mirror. Ugh. How could I forget to put on a stitch of make-up? I looked over at my husband and apologized for my ragged appearance. He just laughed and reassured me saying, “You know I think you are most beautiful when you
Birthdays are extremely special days. They mark a day for celebrating the gift of life. It’s a time to reflect on the years gone by and anticipate the ones to come. It’s an opportunity to pause and ponder the significance, importance, and value of life. Birthdays are days of reflection, celebration, love, excitement, and fun
The fourth and final of the Four Horsemen is stonewalling. In his book The Marriage Clinic, Gottman defines stonewalling as occurring "when the listener withdraws from the interaction" (p.46). In other terms, stonewalling is when one person shuts down and closes himself/herself off from the other. It is a lack of responsiveness to your spouse
The third of the Four Horsemen is contempt. Contempt is defined by Gottman in The Marriage Clinic as "any statement or nonverbal behavior that puts oneself on a higher plane than one's partner" (p.45). More simply stated – it's an "I'm better than you" attitude. Contempt is viewed as the most dangerous of the Four
Taking a picture is a great way to celebrate love. Prior to turning on the camera, you usually already know that this is an opportunity for you to capture life with a physical photo. Whether it is celebratory, surprising, or adventurous it is a moment you want to remember and share. Another type of picture
The second of the Four Horsemen is defensiveness. Gottman defines defensiveness in The Marriage Clinic as "any attempt to defend oneself from a perceived attack" (p.44). A more practical definition I like to use is placing the blame on the other person and not accepting personal responsibility. As I mentioned in The Four Horsemen:
There is a very renowned author by the name of John M. Gottman, Ph.D. who has written many books and done extensive research on couples. From his studies, one of his best known concepts that has been utilized to help many couples is what he calls The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He says that
It is hard to believe that May 27, 2011 marked the one year anniversary for Foundation Restoration receiving its official 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization status. Like with most things these days, that time has flown by. But as I take a few moments to ponder the past 365 days, I find myself feeling incredibly blessed
I can’t put my finger on why it is exactly, but my husband always lifts my spirit and makes my day. Literally, I could be having the worst day in the history of worst days, and all I need is a little dose of the hubs. On the happiest, brightest of days, he still manages
