Introduction It’s Military Appreciation Month in May, and on May 11th, it is Military Spouse Appreciation Day! Our military does so much for us, along with their spouses! And sometimes they don’t get the gratitude or appreciation they deserve, because we may not fully understand what they experience in their day to day life. We may not realize how differently they have to work their marriage and their family because of the long-distances and demands that are asked of them.

A divorce is an event that affects so many people and for years to come. It’s something very common, yet it’s very scary to talk about for many people. It’s a topic I’ve been wanting to tackle for awhile, but contains so many aspects to cover. I’ve always been curious about how children, adolescents, and adult children have been affected by their parents’ divorce. So I’ve enlisted the help of some amazing women who are kind enough to share their experiences with you, to give you better insight into this particular family situation.

If you didn’t catch part 1 reading some great insight and advice from both Brooke and Kristin, you should go read that! I asked them to share what their parents’ divorce was like on them at age 13, and how they navigate the effects of that divorce currently, now that they are married themselves. This Spotlight Part 2 perspective is getting some insight from two women who were adults and married or almost married when their parents got a divorce.

The times when I think marriage can get the toughest is when spouses are not sharing the same viewpoint, or when one spouse is struggling physically or mentally. Both of these tough situations are prevalent in a marriage that has one or both spouses struggling with mental illness. As I’ve shared in a few articles on depression, it’s not easy for either spouse to handle, and it truly can affect your marriage in the short-term AND long-term of your relationship.

Introduction: Amberly of A Prioritized Marriage, is someone I absolutely look up to when it comes to marriage! I instantly fell in love with her message and admired the educated expertise she brings to her platform. She is someone I want you to hear from, so I asked Amberly a few questions to answer for you! She gives great responses that not only demonstrate her important message of making the relationship with your spouse a priority, but she shares specific actions on how to do that.

Introduction How many people can say one of their close childhood friends are in a band; a SUCCESSFUL band at that?! I’m lucky enough to have her examples in my life of going after your dreams while being a wife and a parent, which is not easy to balance, as many of us know! Because of the frequent traveling between the two of them, she has learned what helps to keep their marriage fresh through the distance and gives great advice on how they have managed that.

Maddie and Jake Topham are newlyweds living in Cedar City, Utah, and have been married for four months. On their story, she said this: “He’s my best friend. We went to high school together but back then I didn’t think I would marry him. Life took us on different paths for a little while until we met up again a few years later and we were married. We’re the happiest we’ve ever been!

I asked Kinsey the following question: “How has having children changed your relationship for the better and how has it challenged your relationship?” What she answered with was absolutely amazing insight and advice when it comes to balancing parenthood and marriage. She also shared the very personal and difficult challenges of battling severe Postpartum Depression and how she plans to handle that with their third baby on the way. All of this makes Kinsey a warrior woman in my eyes!

My friend Kiley is someone I have known for years and is someone I strongly look up to as a wife, a mother, but also an incredibly strong person who stands firm with a faith that everything will work out. This past year they struggled through 4 months of unemployment after having their second child and I know that was something difficult to experience for their family and their marriage. However, it also brought blessings, too.

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.

As we all know, there are different kinds of marital experiences! A few that I have received better insight into this year are marriages that have a spouse serving in the armed forces, police work, firefighters, or EMT’s. Because of their job description and the sacrifice they make to help protect us, they face different challenges in their marriages than other couples might face. Since I do not have first-hand experience in this area, I asked someone who has absolute experience in this to help us understand better.

Pregnancy. It either happens when you want it, don’t want it, were not expecting it, or couldn’t wait soon enough for. It’s usually pretty great news to hear, right? Whether the news is for yourself or for someone else, it is really exciting to see one of God’s greatest miracles happening to someone you know, and someone you care about. One of my friends and past roommates recently found out she is pregnant :) I’m so happy for her to be a mom because I know without a doubt, that is her mission in life.

Josh and I met on October 20, 2011 on the street corner while walking to class at the University of Utah. He said hello & the rest was history.. just kidding it wasn’t that simple. A few dates, break ups, one summer of me studying abroad and him selling pest control & skyping, a reunion the same place we met and several–staying up way too late because we didn’t want to say goodbye–nights later we were married March 12, 2013.

Ours started in January 2011. I had just joined the Latter-Day Saint church and Jason returned from his mission in Italy 3 weeks later. So being in “missionary mode” he and his family gave me the new member lessons and our friendship blossomed from there. We were great friends with no intentions of dating for about a year. Soon we could no longer deny our feelings for each other, dated for about another year, and in March 2013 were sealed for time and all eternity in the Oakland temple.

My husband and I met when we were out at a club dancing. To be honest, I thought he was a bit creepy at first, but by the end of the night I started to really like him. I ended up giving him my number, and the next day we went out for lunch together. It was the most amazing date I ever had! We had so much in common, and he was so funny!

Brady and I met through a blind date. It was a Harry Potter party and we dressed up for it. It was so much fun! I loved it. He was the first guy who made me wait for our first kiss, and that showed me that he actually cared about a relationship. He was definitely a keeper. He was the first guy who I was completely myself around. We got married in June of 2012 and we are definitely still in the honeymoon stage.

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.

[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.

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.

[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.

[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.