Something that has been really helpful for our marriage is finding things that we can enjoy together. Earlier this summer, we spent a couple of days exploring parts of Texas and New Mexico together. As we were walking around a tiny little town with a local coffee in hand, we looked at each other and smiled. […]

Forgive quickly. This is so, so important in a marriage! Not many things will destroy a relationship faster than grudges. And don’t just “forgive”. You need to forgive with your heart. It’s easy to keep a list in your memory of the ways your spouse has wronged you, ready to bring up at an opportune […]

There’s a Facebook group specifically focusing on Christian marriage that one of my friends added me to a few months ago. I’m a silent member, but I enjoy hearing about others’ victories over marriage struggles and praying for those who are just trying to figure it all out. Recently, one guy posted a picture of […]

Always look for the best in each other. When you focus on the good, the negative suddenly doesn’t seem quite so big. It’s easy to notice all the imperfect things your spouse does. Being late getting supper on the table every night, letting laundry pile up, staying late at work, forgetting to call, spending too […]

The power of simple kindness is mind-blowing. Our natural reaction to someone who is super grumpy or angry is to throw up our hands and back off, especially when they unreasonably direct their anger at us. It’s easy to just shoot back some kind of sarcastic response or get up and walk away. But what […]

“What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.” ~Leo Tolstoy There are many other factors involved in a happy marriage, but how you deal with conflict is important! No matter how much you love each other, you’re going to disagree at some point. […]

Something we’ve really been focusing on lately is intentionally serving others. It’s amazing how it has transformed our view on so many things. While we’ve always loved to help others whenever we got a chance, we haven’t always thought much about being intentional. We’ve discovered that it puts so much spark into the simple, mundane […]

“Many marriages would be better if the husband and wife clearly understood that they are on the same side.” ~Zig Ziglar This is a lesson that Joel has taught me in our own marriage. One time, during a particularly stressful time in my life, there was an issue that came up. In hindsight, it was […]

“Give your best to each other, not your leftovers after you’ve given your best to everyone else.” ~Dave Willis It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But how often do we pour more effort into our jobs, our friends, or even the never-ending pile of housework than we do our husbands or wives? Sometimes we take our […]

Do you have any fun childhood memories that still make you super happy? One of my very favorite childhood hobbies was reading. If I had some free time, 99% of the time I was curled up somewhere with a book. Not only that, but I read several at one time. I kept a book in the […]

“If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. You shield it and protect it. You never abuse it. You don’t expose it to the elements. You don’t make it common or ordinary. If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. It becomes special because you have made […]

(If this is your first time visiting A Mocha for Your Tuesday, then click here to read the story behind our series!) Joel and I have this very specific grocery shopping routine. On Wednesday nights after prayer meeting at our church, we start hitting up our favorite grocery stores. Shopping is just way more fun when […]