Rewriting Those Vows

About a week and a half ago, I received one of several devotionals I see in my email inbox daily.  It's the Moments with You Daily Devotional from Family Life.  It talked about wedding vows - the marriage covenant all of us married folks made with God on our respective wedding days.  The devotional went on to discuss how we make those vows waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay before really knowing the person we're marrying - "before years of sharing the same house, the same bathroom, the same dishwasher, the same everything".  And before realizing all the little things that get under our skin about that person.  Even if you lived together beforehand, it's like something clicks once you're married.  Suddenly picking up underwear off the floor, or seeing a bunch of hair in the bathroom sink no longer seems cute.

At the end of the devotional, you're challenged to pray that God keeps you contented in your marriage for the lifetime you vowed to be together (and it talks about how).  It also suggests that you reaffirm your commitment to your spouse in a short letter.  So, I did.  I'll share a few snippets from my new vows to my hubby with you.  Hopefully it will encourage you to take 5 minutes and write a list of new vows to your spouse.  And maybe your spouse will surprise you with some new ones too!

• To love unconditionally (FYI, unconditional love means "regardless of one's qualities or actions")
• To listen
• To show grace (just like God has shown me, and all of us for that matter)

Again, those are just a few.  Please comment below if you thought of any you'd like to share.

This post was inspired by the Moments with You Couples Devotional from September 13, 2012.  If you have trouble finding it through the Family Life site, you can also read it here. 

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Who's Hot Who's Not?

With the change of temperature in our area this weekend came a reminder that Fall will soon be upon us. In our house, that means the annual "Temperature Wars" are beginning. To be totally honest, they've begun - as of this morning.

I had the windows open in our bedroom because I love a little fresh air when the weather's nice, as long as it doesn't cause too much discomfort with my allergies. Well, I might as well have dropped a nuclear bomb on Johnny because when he saw - no, felt - that cool breeze hit his skin at approximately 5:40 this morning, it was on! "These windows are open?" he asked with a mix of surprise, frustration, and disgust in his voice all at the same time. "Yes", I replied as I made what seemed like my eight-millionth trip to the bathroom this pregnancy, in my summer PJ's that do nothing to help regulate my nightly bouts of sweating like a pig.

After releasing my bladder and exiting the bathroom, I said to Johnny, "I'ma need you to work with me..." As you might notice, I didn't quite finish my thought because he was starting to get a little...frustrated. So I quickly explained myself before it got bad.

I simply told him that I'm sleeping in as few clothes as possible and still (as I mentioned earlier) sweating like a pig every night. I asked (as I do every year, multiple times during the cooler months) since it's getting chillier if maybe he could sleep in...wait for it...wait for it...pajama pants (as opposed to just underwear). And maybe even a long-sleeved shirt! He fought back dirty, with a reply about Johnny Jr., saying something along the lines of, "What if he's cold too?" I hesitated to answer, because of course I don't want my little boy to be uncomfortable at night.  But my thought was, I could just put him in warmer PJ's.

So that's basically where the Battle of the Bedroom Windows ended. This is likely just the first of many this fall and winter. When there are more, I'll be sure to share them as part of this series. In the meantime, if my hubby feels he was inaccurately represented, or simply wants to tell his side of the story on this one, he's free to post his rebuttal.  If any of you have a similar story, or thoughts in general about this, please share them in the comments section below.