My husband Barrett and I have been married for a year now:) and we’re sealed together in the Redlands Temple, California. I was a new convert to the Latter-Day Saint church when we started dating, and I’m so grateful to have him in my life! We have both become such stronger people and grown so much. Right now he is attending college and working part- time, and I have a degree in fine arts and am also working.

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. We loved hearing everyone’s comments about how they try to make every day feel like Valentine’s Day for their spouse! We have definitely taken notes from them. I hope everyone else goes back and reads each other’s comments to learn from them as well, because we all could use some advice, right? The prize up for grabs is a $25 Cinemark movie theater gift card good towards a date night for Valentine’s Day, or whenever you are feeling like taking out your sweetheart!

Every Day is Valentine’s Day Somehow I really enjoy this holiday. I used to give little cheesy valentines to my friends and family, but I have since upgraded to legit 5x7 Cards that are decked out with cutesy embellishments and hand-written words of love. I also love seeing baked goods decorated in pinks and reds, with jimmy sprinkles all over! And furthermore, I love decorating baked goods myself– heart shapes and everything!

I have been noticing some changes in myself since becoming a wifey to my amazing husband, Trevor. They are GOOD changes! We’ve been married now for about 8 months, and it’s been a fun ride. While the transition from the single life to the married life was so awesome, it was a bigger transition for me with how independent of a person I am. One of the biggest changes I’ve been proud of, is how much I have cut out of my life to make more time for Trevor, and to be a better wife and friend for him… I’ve focused more on the things that matter most.

The idea of sharing finances in marriage has been on my mind a lot recently. It’s possibly because I have had a few conversations with different couples the past month on how they run their finances. I found out that not every couple puts all of their earnings in one pot to pull from, and I found out how different this idea of combining money in marriage, can mean to everyone.

[caption id=“attachment_2465” align=“aligncenter” width=“450”] My guy and I first met June 27, 2010 with no intent of dating and just being buddies. However, with a summer filled with fireworks, fairs, and bbq’s we realized we were much more than friends.[/caption] We spent the following two years dating, enjoying life, and spending as much time together as possible. August 18, 2012 my sweet love and I were sealed in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.

[caption id=“attachment_2457” align=“aligncenter” width=“450”] There’s something great about laying next to your best friend every night, and waking up to them still by your side in the morning.[/caption] On Saturday morning, I woke up and rolled over in bed to face Trevor. I found him still asleep, which typically happens, but this time I couldn’t help but stare at him. I cuddled up right next to him, and he made subtle movements to hold my hand, or put his arm around me, like he usually would.

Yaaay! This is a shout out to all you couples reading this: you are an inspiration to us! We have loved hearing about what you have learned in your marriage, and what you are grateful for about your spouse in the Boast & Brag giveaways…and the other readers loved it too! We want to make Freshly Married a place that is not just about my marriage, but where you can share your thoughts and experiences.

My wife and I have been married just under two years. We met in High School though we didn’t date at that point because she was a freshman when I was a senior. I spent a couple years as a Latter-Day Saint missionary and then when I came home, realized how beautiful and bright she was. In reality, she was always those things, but I’ve never been one to claim that High School Seniors were geniuses.

I’m sure many of you have read that article circulating, called “23 Things to Do Instead of Getting Engaged Before You’re 23.” If you haven’t read it, you might find it interesting. (Please note that the article in the link contains explicit words.) So many opinions can be formed about this girl’s views, and many opinions have already been mentioned. In having a website focused on strengthening marriage, as well as helping the world understand the beauty of marriage, we couldn’t let our opinion go unheard.

This was how our year of 2013 was well-spent. [caption id=“attachment_1860” align=“aligncenter” width=“550”] 67 dates. 348 days spent together. 1863 laughs. 32 special songs shared. 1.7 million kisses. (give or take a few) And 1 especially blissful day, when we became eternal best friends.[/caption] Happy New Year everyone! We are so excited to begin this new year together, but 2013 was a wonderful year! When I think back on all that we did, I can’t help but feel undeniably happy.

Hi, Freshly Married friends! You probably noticed that we have been gone for a while. Yes, we were with family. Yes, we were partying it up with Christmas and the New Year and what not…but we were also working on this amazingly awesome new website! Wooo hooo! We hope you like it. Along with the website updates, we created a new email list and social media accounts. Basically, to sum everything up, we are trying to make Freshly Married a better resource to help strengthen marriages.

. [caption id=“attachment_1442” align=“alignnone” width=“550”] This is a picture of our “hobby” room. One half of the picture is Amy’s “crafting corner” and the other half is my “coding corner”. Can you tell which side is Amy’s and which is mine? Uh…let’s just say we have our own styles of organization…hahaha :)[/caption] Two IS better than one As you can see by this picture, we are very different in some ways; I am a perfectionist, soft-spoken, and nerdy.

It’s been said that this is the most wonderful time of the year. And other than this freezing cold weather we have been having, it sure feels true to me! This seems to be the best Christmas season I’ve ever had. The first reason is because I get to experience it married to the love of my life, who automatically makes things the best. :) The second reason is because I feel a special kind of excitement for the many “firsts” and new traditions that we get to have.

[caption id=“attachment_1418” align=“aligncenter” width=“450”] Hello, We are the Acker’s![/caption] In the short time we have been married, we have learned so much about marriage and about each other. One important thing that I have learned is COMPROMISE!! Compromise is so important, especially if you and your husband have different interests, like Josh and I do. When Josh and I got married, we promised each other we would not be the stereotypical American couple that ends up in a divorce court in 5 years.

Trevor laughs at all the little moments in our relationship I try to commemorate, or that I feel the need to commemorate. When he sees a bottle of sparkling cider in the cupboard, I think he traces his memories to find out what moment I’m wanting to make a toast about with it (haha). Well, today is our six month anniversary, so naturally, I pulled out a bottle to celebrate over dinner.

Pornography is one of the biggest threats to marriages and families. Sex is the number 1 topic searched on the Internet (NCPCE Online, “Current Statistics,” Internet, http://www.nationalcoalition.org/stat.html). The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers reported the biggest factors in divorce cases: – 68% of the divorces involved one party meeting a new lover over the Internet. – 56% involved one party having “an obsessive interest in pornographic websites.” These statistics are disgusting and sad.

[caption id=“attachment_1325” align=“aligncenter” width=“550”] Hello! We are the Barkers, Zack and Riley Barker. We have been married for just over a month, some might call us newlyweds.[/caption] Over the past month, we have learned marriage is …….. super fun! We enjoy every second of it, even the more difficult moments. Marriage is like any relationship, the harder you work at it, the more fulfilling and valuable it is. We can honestly say marriage is the best decision we have made.

It’s November, which means most of us express extra gratitude for all of the blessings we have in our lives. As I’m very thankful for many things, the biggest blessing of all has been to have the love of my dear husband, Trevor. I have several moments where I have so much gratitude for my spouse that I want to shout to the world, “I have the cutest husband!” However, I’m realizing that a better, more respectful thing to say, would be something along the lines of, “My husband is perfect for me” or “I’m so thankful for my husband.

Amy asked me this morning, “Am I beautiful?” I was thinking, “Of course you are beautiful!” But I know many of you women reading this ask the same thing. It’s obvious that many women are self-conscious about the way they look. I learned some disgusting statistics today: In 2012, women had more than 9.1 million cosmetic procedures - breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tuck, eyelid surgery, and breast lift, to name a few.