What makes a happy marriage?

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately four to six minutes to read from start to finish.

Have you ever wondered or thought about or realizing what makes a happy marriage despite the challenges, the disappointments, the disagreements, the difficulties and so forth that individuals faces throughout a marriage? 

I can honestly say that marriage isn't always easy, and it isn't supposed to be easy all the time. Otherwise how are you supposed to learn to overcome those challenges, those disappointments, those disagreements, those difficulties and so forth throughout a marriage? It is normal to face those kind of things throughout a marriage and there are tons of experiences when you would be feeling happiness and there are tons of experiences when you would be grieving for loved ones and friends that you cared about who passes away before you do. After all, it is just life.

This post focuses on what makes a happy marriage. Often times; friends and relatives most see happiness through posts, stories and statues that an individual shares on social media. Therefore, not many people would feel bothered to ask how's the married couple's marriage going and just assumed that everything is going all smoothly and great unless people already know that marriage has its ups and downs. 

"A happy marriage is about three things: Memories of togetherness,
forgiveness of mistakes and a promise to never give up on each other."
- Surabhi Surendra.

What type of memories do you and your spouse cherish the most throughout the marriage?
What was some of the greatest memories that you and your spouse enjoy remembering the most?
Do you and your spouse find some time to spend quality time together?

I know that my husband and I always do our best make greatest memories together, even if it's just watching movies and shows together or bike riding together or just going grocery shopping together. It is still valid memories of spending quality time together.

What type of mistakes would you and your spouse forgive about? Do you forgive your spouse for any mistakes that he or she has done?

Mistakes has happened in the past, and mistakes are still going to happen regardless. It doesn't matter how long you have been married to your spouse for; you and your spouse aren't perfect.

Forgiving mistakes is a choice. Forgiving mistakes starts with acknowledging what was the mistakes and understanding of why those mistakes are happening. Those mistakes can be whenever there is a disagreement, whenever there is an argument, whenever there is a misunderstanding of something that your spouse has said to you or vise versa and so forth. Forgiveness of mistakes can truly be powerful and sometimes after forgiving mistakes; you would be able to have peace, comfort and a gratitude feeling.

~ Have you and your spouse promise to never give up on each other despite the challenges that you both would face throughout marriage?

~ Have you and your spouse promise to never give up on each other despite the disappointments that you both would face throughout marriage?

~ Have you and your spouse promise to never give up on each other despite the disagreements that you both would face throughout marriage?

~ Have you and your spouse promise to never give up on each other despite the difficulties that you both would face throughout marriage?

~ Have you and your spouse promise to never give up on each other no matter what?

I know that my husband and I haven't promise to never give up on each other despite the challenges, the disappointments, the disagreements, the difficulties, and no matter what we face throughout our marriage. We know how to be strong, tough, continue to love each other no matter what, continue to do our best to support one another, find successful ways of having effective conversations, reassure to make sure that we both are feeling okay, and so forth.

Remember it is okay to be not okay during a marriage; always do your best to feel your best self and remember to speak up whenever something is not okay. Don't ever assume that every marriage looks great and going smoothly and well by just looking at posts, reading statuses and viewing stories on social media. Feel free to ask any married individual about how is her or his marriage going. The married individual shouldn't feel pressured to share with you into deep detail about his or her marriage is going.

Stay Tuned until next time.

Some Necessary Things that has helped me to be prepared For Marriage

Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five to eight minutes to read. 

If you are currently married to your spouse, what was some of the necessary things that has helped you and your spouse to be prepared for civil marriage or eternal marriage? Did you and your spouse had to take any necessary steps to make sure that everything will go smoothly on your wedding day?

Was there anything that you and your spouse would have changed to help you and your spouse to prepare better for marriage? Did you and your spouse felt calm or stressed throughout the wedding planning?

This post focuses on sharing some of the necessary things that has helped me to be prepared for eternal marriage. I must say; preparing for marriage was somewhat difficult and came with multiple challenges.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving
deeply gives you courage."

I remembered three years prior to meeting my husband online and while I was in Perth for short stay; I must admit I was nineteen years old, I was able to go on dates with mostly temple worthy guys, who has high standards and were returned missionaries. I didn't felt a desire to persuade myself to be ready and be fully committed into a relationship.

I enjoyed those past dates because it was able to help me to work out what exactly I was looking for in a future husband at the time. I obviously learned that during those dates, it helps me understood and the reasons why I didn't like certain things. I know that I didn't like to have a huge age difference, I mean like no more than three years difference because I didn't want to make myself feel awkward.

I also didn't like to put myself into unexpected situations for me to drive to the locations where the dates was because it felt like totally unfair on me and who knows what would have happened if the guys went ahead to change his mind and gone on a date with someone else when I just arrived to the location. I also didn't like to go on dates and not being able to talk to one another because dates are suppose to be able to get to know one another and feel comfortable of able to talk to each other.

I also didn't like people misjudged and just assumed that I was someone's girlfriend because it has made me felt uncomfortable and I don't know how it truly looked like if we were boyfriend and girlfriend on the first date.

During dating stages with my husband has truly helped me to get to know him a lot. There has been countless times that I could think of that my husband has been there for me, he often done his best to show me that he supports me, he often done his best to show me that he cares about me, he often done his best to always remember to tell me that he loves me, he often done his best to always remember to tell me that he misses me, he often kept me feeling happy, and so forth.

Being an endowed church member and being faithful to my covenants that I have made in the Temple was a massive blessing to me and my husband. I have been aware of engaged couples that an individual has to go and receive his or her endowments just not long prior to their wedding day even just on their wedding day. It makes me sad that the couple didn't have much opportunities to attend more than two endowment sessions and sealings prior to getting married.

Therefore, my husband and I had multiple opportunities when we were able to attend more than two endowment sessions, and sealings as individuals. It has helped me to prepare to know the blessings that comes from being sealed. It makes me feel joy and happiness.

My husband and I was able to be spiritual prepared by doing our best to have couple scripture study often and taking turns who gets to say the couple prayers prior to getting married. It has helped me to prepare for deeper understanding of the purpose why we have the scriptures available to us in our lives. It certainly became a habit for having couple scripture study and couple prayers because we continue doing that throughout our marriage thus far.

Prior to me leaving Australia last July, I was employed at Domino's and I was able to save up as much as I can. I knew that I was financially stable because I was able to do my very best to rely on the income that I was earning to pay all necessary bills and I was able to set a budget. Budget is a useful skill to prepare for eternal marriage because not all marriages are cheap and it's good habit to have a budget. Having a budget comes very handy throughout marriage, it's good way to keep track of expenses, and saving up funds.

Just getting sealed in a LDS Temple may seem to be FREE but you got to think about you still have to purchase marriage license prior to getting sealed in the Temple. Marriage license cost money.

I had multiple opportunities for me to be able to learn how to cook and what to cook for dinner meals. It has helped me to prepare of having a rough idea for what I can make dinner meals for me and my husband. It definitely is a lot healthier to cook dinner meals at home versus eating a lot of takeaways and at fast food restaurants.

I can think of a lot of other necessary things that has helped me to be prepared for eternal marriage. However I would allow you to think about, and ponder about what was some of the necessary things that has helped you and your spouse to be prepared for civil marriage or eternal marriage.

Stay Tuned until next time.

Don't Ever Ask Inappropriate Questions to Newly Weds

Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately four to six minutes to read from start to finish.

It certainly would seem this post took a lot of courage for me to share and speak up. I can clearly say that it definitely took courage for me to share this post for multiple reasons.

This post focuses on some of the questions that I have been asked by some individuals especially random church members who I barely met throughout my marriage thus far. I hope this post would be able to help and reach out to some individuals prior to getting married. I hope that they would acknowledge to have an understanding or to at least to know that the questions that I would be sharing would kinda be expected to be asked by other people throughout their marriage. 

I am seriously over and done with getting myself into unexpected situations when individuals thinks it is okay when it is totally not okay, and not appropriate to ask me pregnancy related questions including intimacy with my husband, job related questions when I'm not able to legally work in US yet, and so forth.

"It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner."
- Henry D. Taylor.

I often have been asked the following questions, I would like to explain why those questions are inappropriate and I would share a few experiences; 

"Are you pregnant? When are you due? How far along are you? When are you getting pregnant? When are you and your husband are going to start trying to have children? and When are you going to have children?"

I saw a pinterest post that mentions, "Stop asking women when are they getting pregnant. - Because endometriosis, Because PCOS, Because other fertility issues, Because miscarriages, Because they can't afford to, Because mental health, Because congenital heart defects, Because they don't want to!" 

I know that woman bodies are truly powerful but also it can truly destroy someone's life. I must say; my body has done some changes since I have been married, it honestly felt like and look like that I was pregnant. I often got so frustrated even at times when I don't even fully show it after having been asked those sort of questions. I was repeatedly been told by an elderly couple and a few others agreed with them for me to go and see an obstetrician doctor and find out what's going on. I kept delaying, and I refused to see an obstetrician doctor until eventually last month, I finally saw an obstetrician doctor. 

Within a month consist of two obstetrician doctor appointments in person, one obstetrician doctor appointment over a phone call, two different blood tests - total of six vitals that led me either feeling unwell or sore afterwards, two different ultrasound appointments, a pap smear test, and so forth. I didn't ever expected to have what I have now and indeed it did made me a little disappointed but I'm still being hopeful that those two things that I have now would go away on its own either soon or sometime this year. 

"Have you done it? Have you had sex?" I would consider that question is inappropriate because it's not about them to know about your sex life. It should definitely be only between you and your spouse, no one else. 

"As soon as you found out that you're pregnant less than twelve weeks, you are going to share the pregnancy announcement with your family and friends, am I right?" That question is definitely inappropriate, you shouldn't be feeling any kind of pressure when to share the pregnancy announcement at all because someone has told you so. 

It is simply not fair on you and your spouse. You and your spouse should determine when is best to share pregnancy announcement. I WOULDN'T EVER be sharing pregnancy announcements less than twelve weeks into pregnancy. I would share pregnancy announcements when I'm confident and ready to share the exciting news.

"Are you currently employed?" I'm not currently employed because I can't legally work in US yet and I don't have my green card. Even after getting my green card being approved, my husband and I both already agreed on for me to not feeling forced into working. 

"Have you and your husband submitted the federal taxes?" "How did you both do the federal taxes? - like did you had to pay for any fees and also shared information about federal taxes" That question is inappropriate, and very personal. It should be between you and your spouse for submitting federal taxes and how to do it without any troubles. I am so over with reading the same information especially anything that I already know about over and over again. 

Stay Tuned until next time.

Aren't Marriages Full of Learning?

Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening,

this post should take approximately four to six minutes to read from start to finish.

Are you currently married? Are you divorced from your previous marriage? Did you learned anything new throughout your current marriage thus far? Did you learned anything from your past marriage?

It is just four days away until my husband and I reach our six months of our marriage. I remembered messaging a certain amount of friends on Facebook about how their marriages going sometime before I got married and I always got similar replies from those friends and their replies ensured me that "married life is the best, being able to live with an eternal companion is great, and so forth."

Barely no one won't ever tell you what to expect and what would you be learning throughout a marriage prior to your marriage and throughout your marriage. Sometime before I got married, I had total of three people who was willing to share with me a few things what to expect during a marriage. I'm somewhat grateful that they have shared with me those certain things with me because it has been handy and helpful throughout my marriage.

Often times, people see marriages as a massive commitment and comes with sacrifices. It is true, marriage is a massive commitment. There are multiple ways of understanding how marriage is a massive commitment. Marriage isn't certainly easy at times, marriages does comes with its own ups and downs.

Sometimes marriages comes with a lot of expectations, trying out new experiences, trying to find successful ways of keeping the marriages last a long time, full of learning, and so forth. Prior marriages comes with being physically, mentally and spiritually prepared although throughout the marriage, there are going to be times to be physically, mentally and spiritually prepared.

"The way you feel in the temple is a pattern for how you want to feel in
your life." -  Elder Neil L. Anderson.

I must say; throughout my marriage thus far, my husband and I have learned so much. We both constantly learning something new. My husband and I both remind each other at times about what makes us happy, what makes us disappointed, what makes us to feel proud, and so forth. My husband and I constantly learning what our likes and dislikes in food choices, we always do our best to satisfy with each other's efforts, we constantly give each other compliments, and so forth. 

Marriages can be a tough topic to talk about to some people. If there are certain things that you didn't get the chance to learn prior to your marriage, you may or may not feel that you would have learned lots during your marriage.

The following list is some things that you or may not learn throughout your marriage;
~ You may or may not learn the importance of having a main provider in the home who makes the most income and able to afford to pay all the necessary bills including paying rent and groceries.

~ You may or may not learn the importance of having an emergency funds for up to six months and it certainly does come in handy when after losing a job, and while applying for other jobs to be employed again.

~ You may or may not learn the importance of having food storage. Food storage is wonderful and comes in handy when you ran out of food, and you're going through a shut down - to stay indoors for a period of time and you aren't allowed to go out to anywhere.

~ You may or may not learn about ways of how to effective budget between you and your spouse. Budget is wonderful, and it often best method to keep track of the spending expenses, how much you are saving and knowing how much you have in your current bank account.

~ You may or may not learn about the importance of staying out of debt. Getting into marriage with debts can be handy and a hustle. Pay off the debt/s as soon as you can. Don't delay it and try to avoid getting into debt again.

~ You may or may not learn the importance of how effective communication helps a lot throughout a marriage. You may not always agree with your spouse's choices, but do your best to be supportive and always find ways to appropriately express your feelings.

Stay Tuned until next time.

What Are Some Blessings Comes From Marrying a Temple Worthy Spouse?

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three to five minutes to read from start to finish. 

I hope each individual of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will have an opportunity to be sealed to a temple worthy individual inside a LDS Temple one day. If you don't get the opportunity to be sealed in this life, there is sure be opportunities to happen in next life. 

Have you ever considered about thinking any of the blessings that comes from marrying a temple worthy spouse? What inspires an individual to marry his or her temple worthy soon to be husband or wife? Why does it matter to the couple?

As I was growing up during my late youth years and throughout my YSA {Young Single Adults} years; I always made a goal to be sealed inside a LDS Temple for time and for all eternity one day. I kept in mind that I always wanted to make sure that I would always do my best to remain temple worthy, having a current temple recommend, and date temple worthy guys who has high standards. 

"The Temple Sealing has no greater meaning as life unfolds. It will help you
draw ever closer together and find greater joy and fulfillment." - Richard G. Scott.

Five months approaching to six months ago; I had the opportunity to be sealed with my husband in Dallas LDS Temple for time and all eternity. There are has been many wonderful blessings that I have acknowledged throughout the past months of marriage thus far. 

I would like to share with you some blessings that comes from marrying a temple worthy spouse, as known as my husband and those blessings aren't in order. 

My husband has been able to be a Provider for me and him in the home which means he is currently employed to make sufficient income to be able to pay for all necessary bills, paying rent, paying groceries, and so forth. I know there has been times whenever his work consist of extremely long days, and he somehow has the strength to remain awake until sometime after he gets home. 

My husband has the Melchizedek Priesthood. There are multiple blessings that comes with marrying someone who has the Melchizedek Priesthood. There has been times throughout early into my marriage, my husband has been able to ask me if I would like a priesthood blessing. I often said "Yes." because it was during those times when I needed a blessing at most.

After three months of marriage, my husband and I take turns with asking for a blessing. My husband and I often have been able to feel promptings of the Holy Ghost whenever my husband is giving me a blessing and we both ended up in tears of joy towards the end of the blessings. 

My husband is a Returned Missionary. He served a full-time two years mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Most times after our couple scripture study in the evenings, I often have questions about certain scripture passages and verses. My husband often loves answering the questions that I have and he helps me to understand why the answers that he gives me is true and correct. I know that for him serving a mission has helped him to provide those answers for me. 

Sometimes, my husband shares with me some of his memorable experiences during his mission and often times, it makes him to have gratitude for serving a full-time mission.

My husband has a current Temple Recommend. Often people would see having a spouse who has a current Temple Recommend is one of the greatest blessings. I must say, I always seemed to have greater spiritual experiences at the Temple whenever my husband and I go to the Temple together.

I always enjoy whenever my husband and I have the opportunities to participate sealing sessions together. We often hold each other's hands tightly, I often reflect on our own sealing, and some of the sealing sessions that we were able to participated prior our own sealing. I don't know if my husband reflects on anything, but I do know that he feels the spirit throughout the session.

Stay Tuned until next time.