So many great things can come from having a doctor, nurse, etc. in your family; first and foremost having someone knowledgeable to help you when something medically goes wrong, and you don’t have to pay the all the fees! Obviously, they have to go through years of medical school in order to get there, making it a long process, especially when you’re married. Since there are many spouses who can relate to this situation, I turned to my amazing friend Raquel to give some inspiration and encouragement in this area.

Raquel talks about what lead her and her husband to where they are now, how medical school and being away from family has influenced their marriage, but also how they keep their marriage fresh through it! Sometimes we get hung up on how the pursuit of a dream can get in the way of having strong relationships. I know I do! However, you can choose to focus on the good and making the most of those little things that have the potential to strengthen your relationship. And I love that in Raquel’s spotlight below, she addresses this :)

Our journey together

by Raquel Kunzler

About 1 year into our marriage I distinctly remember the morning Danny rushed into the guest bedroom of his parents’ home where we lived. He woke me up at 5 am with a life-altering proposal. Having just begun the Weber State nursing program, he explained that even 1 month into it he knew he didn’t want to be a nurse. He had planned on specializing to become a nurse anesthetist after completing his nursing degree. However, that early morning he woke me up to explain he had a bigger vision for our future.

Now almost 5 years later, we find ourselves in year 2 of medical school at The University of Texas Medical Branch on the island of Galveston, TX. We were fortunate enough to purchase a home in the Houston metropolitan area. This journey has required sacrifices from both of us and is far from over, but we’ve tried to find happiness in this wild ride.

Luckily Danny and I met in anatomy class at Weber State, so I had witnessed his work ethic in school firsthand. Once we became aquatinted a competition of test scores began, including placing friendly wages, often achieving the highs in our class. We began dating when the class started, and a year later we were married in the Salt Lake City Latter-Day Saint Temple.

Having both grown up in Utah, we felt far from home on our first adventure out of state in Lubbock TX. Being away from family has proven difficult, but also has drawn us closer as a couple. Learning to adapt to new environments together has been fun. We discovered how being out of state can actually be healthy for our marriage. Moving has the benefit of a fresh slate; new places to explore, new friends to meet, and a new chapter to write in our story.

Passing kisses and “I love you’s.”

Keeping our marriage fresh is proving to be more challenging the further into it we get. Danny’s school keeps him beyond busy, and my 14-month-old doesn’t seem to understand why it’s ever time to stop playing! We are blessed with a surprise baby #2 coming in Dec. This means our lives are about to reach an all-time level of crazy. As I’ve pondered what we have done, and can do, to continue freshening our marriage I’m reminded of a favorite quote, “We were together, I forget the rest.”  by Walt Whitman. In the little everyday moments, we enjoy each other’s presence. The company of my spouse, even if only for a fleeting moment, reminds me why we started our lives together. These days we can’t do much in the way of fancy or elaborate dating, but we fill our days with passing kisses and “I love you’s.”

Watching my husband succeed in an area of great difficulty is rewarding. I enjoy cheering him on and watching him grow. As a new stay-at-home mom, I have found myself wondering if I’m missing something by not pursuing a career or fulfilling a hobby. I’m grateful for a husband who fully supports and wants me to be in the home. As we validate and complement each other’s roles our marriage becomes stronger and we both feel more fulfilled in our unique roles.

I love how open and willing other couples are to share their story. Much of my strength in hard times comes from pursuing discussions of marriages that have been through similar journeys to ours. I’m grateful for their insights and hope something I shared can strengthen a reader!

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