Weekend to Remember

In case you didn't notice all the hearts everywhere, Valentine's Day is coming up.
For us, our (almost) annual tradition for this particular holiday is attending the Weekend to Remember conference.  With wonderful speakers, great discussion, a date night, and intentional activities for spouses to work on together, it has been a wonderful investment for our marriage.  Each year, we have plenty of issues to work through, and we leave with our marriage much stronger as a result.  It is such a great investment...and a lot of fun!

This year, we are considering attending a retreat that focuses on grieving the loss of a child.  So, we will not be attending the Weekend to Remember this year.  But, I think you should.  :-)

If you're engaged, the communication that happens at this event will lay a great foundation for a great marriage.  If you're newly married, it is a wonderful way to invest all that wedding money you received as gifts.  If you've been married for a long time, it is a great way to spend some time intentionally focusing on your marriage and working through the issues that all marriages face.  If you have remarried, the Weekend to Remember has assignments specific to your needs as well.
  
Again...I can't recommend it enough.  Think about it.  :-)
And if you're in New Mexico, the conference is up in Bernalillo this weekend.

You can download the flyer for Weekend to Remember here.
If you'd like to watch a promotional video, click here.
I also wrote about the conference a few years ago here. 
I have heard good things about The Art of Marriage event as well, put together by Family Life and hosted at churches.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritan's Purse.  Last year, 7.6 million shoe boxes were collected and sent all over the world to children in need.  That means that 7.6 million children experienced the love of Jesus in the form of dolls, stuffed animals, coloring books, soap, toothpaste, cars, etc.

We are big fans of OCC, and this year has been even more fun.  Caleb is enjoying buying toys for "little kids who don't have toys." Stuffing shoe boxes is a great way for Caleb (and us) to learn to share what God has given us. Check out their website to find a location near you.

Free Jessica Sprague Class

I love her classes. I got hooked through a free one she did this summer, and she is offering another free one in a few weeks. Registration is Monday. Check it out.

A Weekend to Remember

When we were married, Brandon and I committed to try to attend some type of marriage enrichment event every year. This year, we were able to do it the weekend of Valentine's Day!**

Family Life, a ministry of Campus Crusade, has an amazing marriage conference called A Weekend to Remember. Because we are on staff, we get to go for free. So, of the almost five years we have been married, we have been to three Weekends to Remember, one Love and Respect conference, and a weekend in a cabin with some friends and our nursing infants. I am so grateful to have a husband who values our marriage so highly.

I HIGHLY recommend this conference. Family Life's materials have been such a significant help in our relationship, and this weekend was one of the best of our marriage.

**NOTE: We were only able to do it this weekend because Caleb's favorite babysitters, Denise and Trevor, sacrificed their Valentine's Day to take care of our little boy. It was their first V-Day as a married couple, and they gave it up for us! Thanks so much, friends!

Do you have this yet?????

Helping our friends Steph and Daneel move today, I found out that not everyone knows about this amazing product.  I have had a few favorite cleaning supplies, but this little piece of foam is truly a wonder.  It makes cleaning tubs and showers so much easier, and I know I will use it more and more now that my little man is getting better at drawing on things we don't want him drawing on. 

Just thought I would share.  :-)  Brandon was against me using my blog for advertising, but I think that everyone needs one.  

Have a happy Tuesday!  

p.s.  Steph and Daneel, we already miss you!  And Kyle and Chrissy, we hope to see you guys soon.  :-)

Settlers

When we were engaged, I remember telling Brandon that I am not competitive.  I lied.  Or, at least I soon found out something new about myself...I do like winning.  

Brandon introduced me to Settlers of Catan.  He was already addicted, and I was soon to follow.  I thoroughly enjoyed beating him on the rare occasions that it happened.  After four years of marriage, we still love playing games.  Last night, Brandon beat me twice at Settlers, and I am about to go beat him at Cribbage.  :-)