My husband and I had an opportunity to do the NEATEST date night recently, I've been dying to tell you about it!
First, let me start off by saying,
I am slightly obsessed with
my husband. He is my best friend, he's handsome, hilarious, his name is Bubba which is super sexy, and we are waaaaaaaay too perfect for each other. We have a great relationship, rarely ever argue, and I'd rather spend time with him than do just about anything else.
BUT...
...our relationship isn't perfect
gasp! glass breaks! brakes screech!
Come on, no one's relationship is perfect! But I will say, there are definite tools that can help make your relationship as strong as possible.
Did you know that only 17% of marriages are happy? (
source)
17 percent? Seriously??
Is there hardly anything more important in this entire universe than the relationship you have with your spouse? If you think otherwise, you may want to recheck your priorities.
One of the leading causes of divorce is communication problems. Unfortunately, finances and money problems are a HUGE contributing factor. No bueno.
My husband and I are constantly reading relationship books, listenings to talks and speeches, and discussing our relationship in detail to help keep our relationship smooth, happy, and to keep the lines of communication wide open. Talking about finances, kids, family issues, sex, goals, and everything in-between is difficult at times. But it's SO IMPORTANT to be comfortable talking to your spouse, especially (in my opinion, anyway) about finances!
There may just be the perfect thing to help...
Date Night Couples Class
My husband and I recently attended a date night couples class put on by Kirk from
Amber Creek Family Counseling.
Kirk is a family therapist that puts on these awesome couples
dinner workshop classes to help you kill two birds with one stone - you get to eat delicious dinner and enjoy a kid-free date night, while strengthening and improving your relationship!
...talk about a win-win.
Here's how it works:
- You sign up for the class of your choice. They have 3-hour Dinner Workshop classes ("More From Marriage" which is the one we attended, or "Decoding your Teen"), or shorter 1-hour Couples Classes (various class options HERE).
- You attend the class with small groups of other couples at their facilities in Sandy, UT. He usually likes to keep it to 6 couples or less so it's a nice, intimate group so you can ask questions and feel comfortable getting involved in the class.
- You enjoy a powerpoint presentation given by Kirk, which is full of helpful (and sometimes hilarious) video clips, examples, stories, and info.
- The class is broken up by ...mmmm....catered dinner. We had a ton of fun sitting and chatting with the other couples while we all ate. We made some great friends!
- We returned to the class full and rejuvenated and enjoyed the rest of the presentation.
The 3 hours went by way faster than you'd think! At the beginning of the class you get a thick folder full of handouts and conversation starters. Attending the class gave my husband and I tons of important things to talk about, and we both decided it was an invaluable experience for us as a couple.
One of the things he taught that really stood out to me is that
we shouldn't ever feel guilty taking "self-time". He said we all need AT LEAST 30 minutes a day where we do...well...whatever WE want to do! Meditation, running, shopping, stretching, taking a bath, whatever it is.
He said, "many people say 'I just don't have time' for self-time. However, when they get sick, they are magically able to make time to go to the doctor. We always have time, you just have to make it."
This hit close to home. I sometimes neglect to fulfill my husbands emotional needs or even take care of myself (which makes it hard for me to be able to take care of HIM) because "I'm so busy". But it's true! As soon as the flu hits, I'm out for 3 days and suddenly "have time" to rest. You caught me, Kirk! He said by making sure we have a little self-time we will recharge our batteries each day and be able to give 100% of ourselves to our family, and most importantly (yes, above kids!), our spouse.
Kirk was entertaining, knowledgeable, friendly, and put us all at-ease. We highly recommend this class!
I truly believe that in order to get your finances in order and keep your family secure, happy, and debt-free, you and your spouse MUST learn to communicate properly. A class like this would help you more than you know!
The good news?
One of you will WIN a couples class AND a $60 gift card to The Cheesecake Factory!
($100 value!)
Enter to win a "Date Night Package" provided by Amber Creek Family Counseling. The gift includes:
- One free admission for two to a fun, relaxed Couples Class at Amber Creek Counseling,
- Plus one $60 gift card to The Cheesecake Factory
Click
HERE to enter if you can't see the widget below:
Entering is as easy as one click! You have one week to enter, and you do NOT have to be a resident of Utah to win. Ya-hoooo! Good luck :)
