• Relationship Advice

    Did I Make This Whole Thing Up?

    I record random quotes that people say to me. Some are profound—some funny. I wrote one down a few years ago from my niece, who earned her doctorate at Yale. Referring to a final paper she was writing, she said, “Sometimes you come to a certain place in your argument and you wonder, did I make this whole thing up?” I laughed so hard; you would’ve thought I was front row at a Jim Gaffigan show listening to his Hot Pocket segment. But sometimes I’m not laughing, because I need to know how to be a better wife. Sometimes when I’m offering advice, I feel like a fraud. I’m supposed to…

  • Relationship Advice

    Scratch That

    I sometimes have a foggy memory. I have Epilepsy, and can’t always remember the details, the dates, or the story.  This story, though, I remember. I remember everything. This one I’ll share with you, so you’ll know how to make your beloved your priority. My husband, Bobby, is a Car Guy. How do I know? Well, let’s see. He has an instant bond with the person driving the same car as he does on the road. He knows every gas station within fifty miles selling top-tier gas. The cars must always, and I mean always, be clean. He washes them in the rain. Yes, I mean it. He only buys…

  • Relationship Advice

    Achieve More Together

    “Passion can be a dangerous thing. It can consume a man and blind him to all but the object about which he’s passionate. Yet, if you try to excise it from his spirit so he can enjoy his surroundings, he’s often not the same man, and you’re left with a shadow of who he used to be.”  This quote from a short story caught my attention recently. The story is fictional, but the subject is real. My husband and I know couples who think their goals for themselves and their relationship are at odds. They don’t understand that they can achieve more together. My husband, Bobby, is a professional drag…

  • Relationship Advice

    Reimagining Life With a Favorite Things List

    One evening, my hubby asked if I would share my ten favorite things list with him. He asked me not to include “given” items like him, God, or Family but instead include specific items unique to me. I saw that this would spark a more in-depth conversation between us. Just like the Grinch, my heart grew three sizes right then with a love surge, and I wanted his items, too! We planned to share the next night over dinner. It was so fun to write my favorite things, but I didn’t realize the lasting benefit it would have. Who knew that we could begin reimagining our lives with a Favorite…