#freshfridays quote asking “Have you had your six-second kiss today?” I don’t think we should look at the word ‘potential’ with an eye-roll, because it doesn’t mean a long kiss has to lead to sex. An extra long kiss is just more special than the quick kiss goodbye or quick kiss when getting home from work. So I think the ‘potential’ he’s referring to is focused more on how that kind of intentional and more meaningful kiss can lead to a more meaningful relationship; more meaningful days together; more meaningful emotional intimacy.

This is the beauty of marriage right here. I remember being single not having a consistent person to rely on. Yes, I had loving family and friends but they also have their own lives and their own problems. In marriage, though, your spouse becomes your number one priority and so you get to experience that loving feeling of being taken care of. There are days where I feel bad that my husband has to deal with my bad days whether I’m either emotionally down in the dumps, or just not feeling well physically.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop getting inspired by quotes that remind me to look for the lesson through hard times! If we apply this to marriage, I think the opportunity that #alberteinstein is talking about here are the opportunities to learn something about yourself, your spouse, or the issue. If our difficulty is disagreeing on something important, I get the chance to see another perspective I didn’t see before. I also get the chance to analyze myself and how I can improve.

This quote below is great to remember in times of disconnection and conflict. We try to look on their surface for any emotion to provide us with answers, but what’s showing on the outside might not be how they actually feel or think. You may think “He looks like he could care less right now! He’s stone-cold to me and doesn’t care about a resolution OR ME!” That might be what it looks like on the surface.

There are many choices and decisions to make that come throughout every marriage. Which is why I love this #freshfridays quote. When we make choices based on our fears it’s coming from a place of doubt. But when we make choices based on our hopes, it’s coming from a place of faith. Total opposites that can greatly change an attitude and even an outcome, right? I’ve been working on changing this way of thinking for myself lately.

Social media can make it seem like our marriages aren’t fun or entertaining enough, as if the time we do get with each other doesn’t matter if it wasn’t elaborate, if it wasn’t longer than an hour, or if the weekend was spent inside even though it’s beautiful outside. It’s easy to feel like that when your life is busy, or if there is something lacking in your relationship. My friend and Mr.

[sc name=“soundcloud” id=“282060301” ] This question is so important to the #freshlymarried perspective! I believe that our daily positive actions add up to create a strong marriage, and asking ourselves this question can help us do that. For those of you wondering what the word “fresh” has to do with my overall marriage message, you can read more here :) But using a quick example: when restaurants have items specifically made fresh that day and not days earlier, that’s a restaurant you want to eat at, right?

I want to gear this #freshfridays quote towards our emotions. No one is in control of our emotions except for ourselves. So when we react terribly towards something our spouse says or does, we have to own that. That’s why I love this quote, reminding me that I get to choose how I react to a situation, but that my choice is also important. There’s a few types of choices, I believe.

The smoke detectors in our house have slowly been going off over the past few months, needing a replacement battery. And boy was that fun in the beginning :) I remember the first one that starting chirping during the day while it was just me at home, and I couldn’t replace the battery because I wasn’t tall enough to reach it, haha. So I had to wait until Trevor got home because he could reach it.

“…There would be far less of divorce, much less of infidelity, much less of anger and rancor and quarreling. There would be more of forgiveness, more of love, more of peace, more of happiness.” Looking for the good in your spouse daily — YES that’s DEFINITELY a smart technique to use in marriage! Look for the good, look for the positive, and look for the reasons why you fell in love with them in the first place.

I hope you all enjoy your own trip down #memory lane with this #freshfridays thought :)

You all know what we already did for our #anniversary to keep it fresh - romantic vacay to Hawaii! But what is your answer to the question? :) If you recently celebrated your anniversary than this is your early start to thinking about next year’s celebrations! It’s already got me thinking!

Little steps make up the whole staircase anyways, right? It’s the little things we do today that count. It’s the little things we do on our marriage that make it long-lasting!

We are all full of wisdom whether we have been married five days or five decades! Sometimes being a teacher helps us learn something ourselves. What would your advice be?

Substitute a few words with “marriage” and you now have a quote that inspires you to be more than just married :) “In the end, it’s not the years in your marriage that count, it’s the life in your marriage.”

MIX IT UP. Some routines are happily comfortable and don’t need changing. But if you start to feel yourself wanting more out of your time together then you know a change would be good. You have to be willing to try something new, though, or you’ll get the same old results! Doesn’t have to be big but enough to continue progressing and being freshly married!

I love this. Great advice for life but even better advice for marriage. If your marriage is in a “rut” you don’t have to settle for that stage. You both have the power to make the changes that will put you in a stage you feel happy with. Whether it’s making sacrifices, behavioral changes, or getting more outside help, you can make it happen. Think about that as you answer the #freshfridays question: “What change can you make TODAY to freshen up your marriage?

The #freshfridays encouraging thought today! It’s easy to wish you could start over, start fresh, but stop wishing because what’s done is done! The only thing you can do is utilize the new day you were given, and make a change!

There’s no time like the present! There are so many things you can do RIGHT NOW as such a small step towards keeping your marriage fresh! My fav is the power of a text message and it’s so easy to do! I encourage you to pause what you are doing for 30 seconds and send a quick loving or encouraging text to your spouse!

This is a great #freshfridays question just before you all head out to date night! Do something special! Serve them in unexpected ways! Maybe anticipate their needs by staying in and giving much needed head massages! There are so many possibilities to doing something to liven up your relationship. SO DO IT!

With it being the beginning of the month, this is the perfect time to ask yourself this #freshfridays question! Maybe it’s making an extra effort for date nights, maybe it’s doing something unexpected for them, or maybe it’s keeping a more positive atmosphere in your conversations. The best thing about these questions is that the possibilities of what you can do are ENDLESS!

This #freshfridays question gives you SEVEN DAYS to find a good time to do something for your spouse or for your marriage in general! I’m going to give my husband more head/scalp massages this week because he has really liked those lately. I’ve noticed it helps him to de-stress from work and even go to sleep more easily. :) Think about what you could do and commit to do it!

I’ve been down lately about some things and I’m realizing that I feel a little better when I do little things for my husband. He has been patient and encouraging, so this weekend I’m going to try forgetting about myself and do more things for him :) What will you do this weekend to keep your marriage fresh?

My #freshfridays question is to help those of us who haven’t planned out their Valentine’s Day yet ;) (me being one of them!) Since the #monthoflove is next weekend, I want to encourage you to do something a little different. Whether it’s spent inside or out, mixing it up helps freshen your romance! What are your plans??