Real Couple Wednesday (Jane Doe)

This Wednesday I had the unique experience of talking to someone that wanted to remain anonymous. Because she was granted this, she was very open with me about everything. While going through a hard spot in your marriage it is hard to open up to any outside sources. This is the reason why I do Real Couple Wednesdays. I want others to realize that you are not alone. Marriage is very hard, and sometimes it can seem too hard. Please know that when you are faced with a hurdle you can work things out. Anyway, back to the interview. As I said, our interviewee, called her Jane Doe, opened up about troubles in her marriage. I thank her very much for sharing some very personal details with me.






Tell me about yourself (Age and Martial status)

I am 31 years old.  I am just really finding myself. I have known a lot of things about myself for a long time but even at this present moment in time, I am still finding out things about me. I am married. We have been married going on 9 years next month. My husband and I only knew one another for 8 months before we got married. Most people said that we would not make it and I totally disagreed with them up until a few months ago...now I am not so sure at times. Do not get me wrong I love my husband dearly, would die for him, but we have been having major problems and I do not know if the road we are traveling on will have a fork in it or stay straight.

How did he propose?

When he proposed to me: He called my mom and my dad to first ask them if it was ok that he asked for my hand in marriage. I got off work one night, he led me to the couch, and we talked about my evening at work and his evening at home. He then got on one knee and told me how much he loved me and that he wanted to grow old with me...he then asked me to spend the rest of our lives together. It, to me, was the most romantic thing ever...even to this day he tells me that he wants to grow old with me I still find it sweet and wonderful. As I said before I am not sure we are going to make it over this major hump that we are on...I hope that we do.

Tell me about your wedding?

Our wedding was simple yet beautiful. He and I got married in my mom’s backyard. We had friends and family. It was hot hot hot! I remember looking at Steve and feeling so bad for him...the sweat was rolling down him and I knew just how he felt. After the ceremony we went riding around, you know that thing you do.  When we got back we were walking down the driveway and I remember him grabbing my hand and saying to me “we did it baby...I love you.” We were not even sure that we were going to get married...due in part to a lot of things.

What do you fight about the most?

You ask what we fight about the most...bills....money...and here lately the things that I have done. He found out that I was emotionally attached to someone that was not him and he has not let me live in down. I am not saying what I done was right...I know that it was not.  All we do is argue over bills, if I have paid them and how the house is not clean enough. Believe me this is the cleanest house you will ever see...you can eat off our floors and we have animals He tells me that I do not do enough around here and that he does it all. This is how it has always been...he took care of the house due to he likes it to be perfect and I took care of the other things. He now believes that other men want me, and that I want other men. He thinks that I am sooooo hot that all men want a piece of me. This is my fault. So there that is...all laid out...I was unfaithful in the emotional area. I did not sleep with the guy and that is the truth. I could have but I did not. I didn’t feel right doing what I was doing in the first place and taking it to that level. The thought just made me ill and sent me into panic attacks.

Do you have a lot in common?

For the most part, we have a lot in common…we both like to fish. We both like to go on walks and car rides to nowhere...we both like music. There is a lot of things that we have in common but what we don’t have in common is nice too because we have learned new things from one another and have learned to love it just as much as the other one does, even if it is not our favorite thing.

How often do you have sex? Do you have the same sex drive?

We don’t have sex very often...used to all the time...and I stopped having sex with him. I got tired of the verbal berating that he gave me all the time. He never ever stopped even before the emotional affair he accused me of having an affair with anyone and everyone there was, and that just pissed me off. No matter how hard I tried to convince him that I was not. He would refer to the girls that he dated before; they all cheated, so why should I be any different. Only until recently have we started to have sex a lot and he has even wanted to invite other people into it. We did and it has turned out to be a disaster. I am sorry that we did it and then again I am not...if that makes any sense. He wanted it to happen, it did and he totally took it out of hand. Even though I thought that it would be a bigger mess than the emotional affair, it has not been but it still has not been the best situation or ideal. We do not have the same sex drive. He wants it everyday and all day. I could care less if we had it everyday. I would be ok if we did it once a week...and we fight about sex and how we do not have it enough. When we do have it he thinks that I think that he is not good enough...when in fact he is the best that I have ever had.

What is the hardest part of your marriage? The easiest?

The hardest part of our marriage...is getting over the humps that we have hit...and we hit them often. He had a rough childhood, and I know that it hard to overcome that childhood. It has made him the way that he is today. I do not want to be one of the people that have abandoned him. He needs someone to help him and love him despite all his faults.  I love him and believe in him. I know that he is a good man. I have seen it a million times. Nothing has been easy for us...we have so many things that have been thrown our way...miscarriages…our son who has issues...deaths and people always in our business....nothing has been easy for us.

How many serious relationships have you been in before?

For me there was one...I knew this kid all my life and was with him for many years right before my husband. I was sure I was going to marry this boy. He had a few.

I want to thank ‘Jane’ for answering my questions. It can sometimes be hard to open up, but I think this may help others.

Real Couple Wednesday (Holly and Daniel)

I struggled to find a couple for this week. It seems I have exhausted the volunteers. I decided, even though I have a page on myself (my love nest) and on my wedding, it is time for me to answer these questions.

When did you know you were in love with Daniel?

Adam was about eight weeks old, and in the hospital. We had been dating for a total of two weeks, and he had been hands-on (the best he knew how) with Adam. However, when Adam hit the hospital for RSV, neither of us had ever been in a situation. Dan would come to the hospital right after school, and send until he had to go home. When the unthinkable happened; Adam stopped breathing and had to be airlifted by helicopter, we struggled with the fact that he could not come with me to the hospital to stay. However, he was the one person that would call every night, at exactly 9pm. He would ask how Adam was and make sure I was taking care of myself. This is when I knew I truly loved him. He was the rock I needed at a time I felt by myself. He showed me how much he cared.

What did you do on your first date?

For our first date, I was invited to go to his H.S. prom. However, tickets were sold out by the time we started to date. We went to dinner, and then he left to go to prom. I tease him now that he ditched me on the first date.

How did he propose?

He had his parents conspire with a plan to catch me by surprise. I was told to take Dan to the local lake to help him find his uncle to invite him for supper. When we got there and out of the car, we started to walk to where I thought his uncle was fishing. When we got to a bridge over looking the water, there were three roses with a ring tied to them on the ground. He regrets tying it to them now, he was shaking so badly. I will never forget how he said it; “Will you give me the honor of being your husband, and of having you as my wife?” Of course, I said yes…and then my sister and some of our other friends (who helped organize the whole thing) popped out from behind the trees.

For my wedding check out the wedding page of this blog.

What do you fight about the most?

This question is hard to answer. We fight about many different things, but not very much of one thing. We do fight over the house chores, lack of communication, money, and raising the kids. We don’t fight a lot, but just a lot of about many different things. Most of the time when we fight about something, it is resolved and on most occasions we don’t have to bring it up again.

Do you have a lot in common?

Not really. Dan and I are very opposite. However, this is part of the reason we marred each other. We can compliant each others strengths and weaknesses. As far as hobbies go, we don’t share a lot. We have tried mixing things up, and including a bit for each of us or adapting a hobby to be more suited for the other, but this has not worked well yet.

How often do you have sex? Do you have the same sex drive?

We do not have the same sex drive. If it were up to him, it would happen more often. For me, I could often care less. I feel as if it is just another thing on my to do list. However, the last few months have sparked a new connection with us emotional, and that has elevated each of our happiness with our sex life. It has now become 2-3 times a week. We both hope we can hold on to this trend.

What has been the hardest part of your marriage? the easiest?

The hardest part of our marriage is the unconventional roles we play in our family. He is a SAHD, and I work outside of the home. This cause friction between us, and the outside world (which then causes more problems for us). Because these are not the traditional norms, we have to give each other the appreciation and assurance that we are doing what works best for us. The easiest part of our marriage is our conversations and friendships. We can still, after eight years, have conversations for hours about all kinds of things. We can treat each other like friends, which makes our time together fun. We like to laugh, and can poke fun at each other in a teasing good time kind of way.

 How many serious relationships were you in before?

I have been in two serious relationships prior to Dan. I was in a four-year relationship with my first love that turned into four years of physical abuse. I thought I was going to marry him and have kids. I am thankful now that I did not, I would not have turned into the person I am today. The second was a quick fling marriage with a child. We were married for about nine months, and only together for a couple before we got married. Although it was quick, I did fall in love and get my heart broken.

There you have it…the microscope has been turned on me.

Real Couple Wednesday (Stephany and Talbot)

This Wednesday, I had the honor of interviewing Stephany Nicholson about her relationship. This has got to be the most telling interview yes for Wednesday's feature. Stephany and Talbot have been together for some time, and had their ups and downs. I was very surprised by how open Stephany was with me. Many thanks goes out to her and her family for completely the weekly questionnaire.

Tell me about yourself (age, martial status)

I'm 30, living with Talbot who is 27. We've been together for five years now. We moved in together after I found out I was pregnant and he was looking for a place to live. I told him I was unsure about things and that he didn't HAVE to stick around. I didn't want him to feel stuck. Lucky for me and for our kids, he is still here. Despite two of our kids not being his biologically, looking at him with them you wouldn't know it. He treats them all equally but I know his heart has a special place for Alyssa because she is ours.

 

 

What do you fight about the most?

Our fights are mainly petty and don't go too far. Mostly they are about the kids and how we handle them. Both of us have our own style and there are times we disagree.

How often do you have sex? Do you have the same sex drive?

Sex is ... difficult. I wouldn't say we have different sex drives so much as bad timing. I prefer mornings but he sleeps in and he prefers nights... I get tired and fall asleep early. It's hard to sync up but it never becomes an issue that we get bitter about. Neither of us really stress about it. We each know we are loved and that when we have better timing, it will happen. Sometimes it is a few times within the span of 24 hours; other times we will wait a couple of weeks before we can find the 'groove' so to speak

What has been the hardest part of your marriage? the easiest?

I would say the hardest part of our relationship is working around the kids. They can be very messy and we are just now getting organized around the house. Cleaning can be nearly impossible if they are having a bad day with each other. It stresses us out and both of us will get frustrated, sometimes with each other, because we just want to get the housework done. I think the easiest part is we both know not to fight about the common things others fight about. I know many couples who argue about money, who works and who does not, who does the most at home compared to the other, or they just constantly nag one another because they have jealousy issues. We don't waste our time with that sort of stuff. We don't fight about money because we don't have any. We both work hard in different ways and have taken turns being at home with the kids while the other works. We have been in one another's shoes so it is not an issue when it comes to how much effort it is to care for three kids compared to working a full time job. Jealousy used to be a factor on both parts but I think it is a lot better now.. As I said, we both know we are loved.



How many serious relationships were you in before?

For me... I had probably three relationships I would consider serious. Talbot had one... possibly.

Real Couple Wednesday (Ryan and Mindy)

 This Wednesday, I had the rare occasion when a husband decided to answer my questions. He is a friend of mine for some time now. His relationship is very long lived and full filled. I am very grateful that Ryan decided to be the first man to answer the questions. I am hoping that more husbands will step up and be willing to share their insights in their relationships. Ryan and Mindy have been together for a very long time, and have a little baby boy. Thank you Ryan for being part of Real Couple Wednesday.

Tell me about yourself (age, martial status)

I am 28 and have been married for about a year and a half.

How did he propose?

The way I proposed was wrapping a ring around a stuffed horse. (She hates horses and I thought this would change her mind about them)

 Tell me about your wedding?

Our wedding was perfect except for the pasture showing up 5 mins before the ceremony and left immediately after.

What do you fight about the most?

On the rare occasions we do fight it is usually about stupid stuff like money or one of us forgetting to do a chore.

Do you have a lot in common?

As far having things in common, we don't have a whole lot but that just means we each try new things.

How often do you have sex? do you have the same sex drive?

Our sex life has gone down some since having the baby but we do still have an active sex life I would say about once or twice a week.

What has been the hardest part of your marriage? the easiest?

The hardest part of the marriage would be raising our son; it had been just us for so long that when we added a new life we had to change just about everything we did. The easiest would be reaching a decision about things. We always sit down, talk about all the options, and decide what is best for us all as a family.

How many serious relationships were you in before?

I would say as far as "serious" relationships go, this is probably my first.

Real Couple Wednesday (Christine and Michael Rice)

 The time has come again for Real Couple Wednesday. I interviewed Christine Rice. She is a fellow writer and was willing to share with us. She provided a glimpse into her life for everyone to see that you are not alone in the same struggles. I am very grateful that Christine decided to share with us.

Tell me about yourself (age, marital status).
I'm a 30-year-old married female.

How long have you been married?
6 years.

How did he propose?
He got down on one knee in our apartment and sweetly asked me if I would marry him.

Tell me about your wedding.
It was a small wedding of only about 10 people (just immediate family). The wedding and reception was held at my parents' house--the house I grew up in. The ceremony was performed in the front yard and it was the most beautiful early-July afternoon. It was truly the best day of my life.

What do you fight about the most?
Differences in perception. We're both stubborn and we each think we are always right.

Do you have a lot in common?
Yes. We went through similar situations before we met. However, we also have clear differences, and that makes life interesting.

What has been the hardest part of your marriage? The easiest?
Dealing with finances and disagreements is hard. However, our love for each other always resolves our arguments. The easiest has been our mutual feelings of emotional attachment and compatibility, which has made our marriage long lasting.

How many serious relationships were you in before?
Three. But this is the longest and most loving relationship I've had.

Real Couple Wednesday (Kristin and Steven)

The time has come again for Real Couple Wednesday. This week I interviewed Kristin. She was willing to share many things about her life. She gives a very open and honest picture about what it is like to be married in today’s time. Kristin is a follow writer, and if you want to read more from her check out her blog here:

I’m Just Saying…


Tell me about yourself (age, martial status) I am 44 and Steven is 37. We are married.

How long have you been married? 13 years

How did he propose? He got down on one knee, pulled a ring box out of his cowboy hat (he was a professional bull rider at the time) and handed it to me, asking me to marry him. When I opened it, it was a yellow Lifesaver (like in the commercial). Then he pulled the ring out of his pocket and put it on my finger.

Tell me about your wedding? Our wedding was just my parents, his parents, the preacher, and us. We wore kind of western wear and went to eat afterwards at Garfield's, then dancing at a local club that was having a western night. Five years later when my first marriage was annulled, we got married on our anniversary in the Catholic Church.

What do you fight about the most? Sex, money, and our kids (and not necessarily in that order)

Do you have a lot in common? Not really. Well, we do more now, I guess. We go to church together, we love doing things with our kids. But, we have a lot that isn't alike either, which at times causes a lot of tension in our marriage.

How often do you have sex? Do you have the same sex drive? We have sex 1-3 times a week. We absolutely do NOT have the same sex drive. We used to do it all the time (daily), but since my hysterectomy, I have no sex drive. While I know there are lubricants and all, seriously, not the same as being interested. Plus, he gripes so often about how little I want to (including accusatory comments that he denies are accusatory, and "jokingly" saying he's going to find someone else) that it makes me want to even less. However, when we do, it is generally fantastic.

What has been the hardest part of your marriage? The easiest? The hardest part has been losing one of our twin daughters at 3 months. While it pulled us closer in some ways, it has closed him down in others, it has also been something we struggle to communicate about, and even now which is almost 13 years later. The easiest part is when we forget all the B.S. that happens in our lives and we just relax and have fun. Anytime we do something with our kids, that's always easy. In our Venture River photo album on here, you can see us laughing on a ride. Those are the best times...when we forget the stress.

How many serious relationships were you in before? 2. My high school sweetheart, which was off and on from 6th grade through about 19 or so. He cheated a lot and got someone else pregnant. I was also married for 8 years.

Just an addendum, I know it seems I railed on Hubs a lot. I love him and cannot imagine my life without him. And thankfully, he is willing to do things he's not interested in to expose our girls to many things that I'm interested in. But he knows I will also do the same. So he goes to the Fox Theater to see Broadway shows and I watch wrestling. LOL.

Long marriages: They are possible

Long marriages: They are possible

All too often, we hear articles about divorce. Divorce is a subject of many blogs, articles, and news reports. However, not everything has to be about divorce. There are couples that have lived through it all, that have made it their mission to be committed. Here are some inspirational couples to look toward when it gets tough to stay married even one more day.

Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher

 

This couple from North Carolina have celebrated 85 years of marriage. In this article, they say that the formula for a long marriage is faith, family and just a few big fights. If these two love birds can make it this long what is another year with your spouse. 

Bob and Nona Ballard

 

This couple from Oregon have been married for 74 years. This very happy couple shared some of their secrets in this news report. They seemed to have a very good time joking with each other. The good times and the bad. They say the secret to a long marriage is compromise.

Geoff and Pat Bunyan

 

As of today, the Bunyan's have been married for 62 years. When they celebrated their 60th anniversary they were interviewed my a paper. Their relationship started as friends, and pen pals. As their letters grew more intimate they fell in love on paper. It is a wonderful love story that should be the subject of a best seller.

 

 Daniel and Holly McDorman

Seeing these other couples just gives me more hope for my own marriage. We have been marred for almost seven years now. I am hoping we can someday celebrate a long and happy life together on someone's blog post about long marriages. 

Check these out:

 

Couple talk: tips for a long marriage

Top ten reasons my husband and I will last forever

Real Couple Wednesday (Kim and Montez)

 

The time has come to interview another couple for Real Couple Wednesday! Today we are learning about Kim and Montez Dones. This couple holds a special place in my hear, and I am really grateful that Kim was so open and honest about her relationship and the trials they have to go through. 

Tell me about yourself (age, martial status)

I am 30, almost 31... I have been married for a little over two years and we have been together for a total of nine years almost ten...but if u ask my husband, he says that the first two years we were together we weren't "really" together. In a sense, he's right. We met when I was in college and the first couple of years we weren't serious...I guess but I’m a woman and I count those years!!!

How did he propose?

I sent out save the dates late spring of 2008, I had chosen the date for our wedding even though he hadn’t proposed. I wasn't waiting, I took charge! I had booked the reception hall, the church, had a photographer and the cake decorator. The dresses and tuxedos were chosen. Everything was almost done! It was a little over a month after that on my 28th birthday that he proposed to me...at my job. I was anxiously waiting for the flowers to be delivered but instead he came in, dropped to one knee asked me to marry him in front of my boss who was recording the proposal! It was very sweet. A huge surprise, he did it on his own time, after I stopped nagging him about it! September 1 2008, I found out I was pregnant. The next three weeks I decided that I didn't want to be in a wedding dress 8 months pregnant...I was guessing that's how far along I would have been, so I started canceling everything...the reception hall, the church, photographer, etc. I had stopped planning the wedding, after all, I was going to have a baby and nothing in the world could have been more important to me at that time. On September 21, we had our first sonogram to find out how far along I was and when I was due. We were so happy! Shocked that we were pregnant, but we had passed that, all the emotions of having a baby ended with happiness about going to the doctor. Disappointment and tears set in when we were told that we lost the baby and surgery would be scheduled for the following Monday, it was Friday. All weekend long, I felt I had nothing, after all my happiness was taken away in a matter of seconds. Monday came and gone and soon our wounded hearts were healed and I was back thinking about the wedding.

Tell me about your wedding?

We decided that we were not starting all over with the booking and the planning so we decided that we were going to Vegas. The wedding was very short and very intimate. A few friends and family members, but it was nice.


What do you fight about the most?

My husband and I don't fight, we argue, the majority of are arguments are about his stepson. We have different views on how to raise him, how to treat him and punish him. However, now that he is 18 and leaving for college those arguments ate somewhat non-existent. Communication is our biggest issue. It's not that we don't communicate; it's that we don't fully listen to each other. We hear some things and we "assume" the rest. This causes friction between us. We both have acknowledged this and both are guilty. In trying to work on this, we will repeat what we heard the other say so we know and aren't assuming.

Do you have a lot in common?

I would say it is probably fifty fifty for things we have in common. Even though we may not have something in common, we are supportive of each other. He loves movies; he can watch them all day. I am not a huge movie person; I like a movie every now and then. But for him, I will sometimes, watch movies with him all day. I know it makes him happy that I watch movies with him. It's not always about "me" in a marriage. I compromise and he does too. He hates grocery shopping. But I love grocery shopping with him and he knows that, so he will go with me.

How often do you have sex? Do you have the same sex drive?
Our sex life is, well, random...random is a good word. Some weeks we will have sex every day. Other weeks we will have sex maybe once. Everyone knows the lyrics to the song "life." between working, cooking, cleaning, mowing, friends, family, being tired, etc sometimes sex gets pushed to the back burner and it's the same with us. We both love sex, though his sex drive is much stronger than mine, we do have a great sex life.

What has been the hardest part of your marriage? the easiest?

The hardest part of our marriage is me being a stepparent. It is hard and it causes friction between us, we try not to allow it, but at times we both are stubborn in what we believe and neither one of us will back down. The easiest is living together. We are both neat freaks! I never have to tell him to make the bed, clean his bathroom, take out the trash; he just does it because he hates messes as much as I do! We don’t ever argue about our home and how it is managed...we work well as a team.

How many serious relationships were you in before?

I have been in one serious relationship before this one. Well may e two but the second one was long distance and I was more into him thane was me.

Real Couple Wednesday

Real Couple Wednesday (John and Nicole Roy)

Many times, we feel alone in our struggles for relationships. You are not alone. There are many couples out there just like you. Every Wednesday I will be interview a couple to highlight a different relationship. I send them the same questions. How much they open up is up to them. Some couples will take the plunge, reveal many secrets, and share their struggles. While others may just what to tell you what let them to the happiness they have found right now. Either way, we will get to know the couples every Wednesday.

For the first couple, we have John and Nikki. After each of them suffered a divorce, they found happiness in each other and developed a family that is truly a Yours, Mine and Ours.

These answers came from Nikki.

When did you know you were in love with John?

 The first day we hung out together. He fell into my arms, I hugged him, and I just felt something I never felt before. It was odd.

What did you do on your first date?

We went out to eat at Sullys and then we went to a movie. It was really nerve wrecking!

How did he propose?

In my dining room, he had changed his mind and he was going to propose to me at a family function but he could not wait anymore. He had picked my rings up at Kay and was just too excited.

Tell me about your wedding

We really did not have a wedding. Since we both have been married and had our big wedding, we went ahead and had our Moms and Dads & some of our siblings (and my grandparents and two close friends) come to the courthouse in Monmouth and we got married by a justice of peace. Afterward we went to my Mothers house for conversation and cake. A month later, we had a celebration of our marriage at J's Aunt Dianas house, which was nice, because all of the family was there because it was also the weekend of the annual family reunion.

Read more about what it is like to raise such a blended family at: Nicole Sky's Blog

Thank you Nikki for answering our questions and being the first couple on Real Couple Wednesday!!