I think it’s true that we are stronger together, whether in marriage, through friendship, or even business. I think it rings true for all human relationships.

As I began to think about the future of this blog and my Make Marriage Happens series, I felt like I wanted to come along side others who have this same passion for marriage as I do. If we bring our voices together, surely our message will be heard louder. The first person I thought of was Lara Casey. She too has a business rooted in encouraging couples in the start of their marriages. With a baby on the way, an adoption in process, and a new book, I emailed her assuming she wouldn’t have the time to contribute. But as always, her generosity seems endless.

Lara, thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing with our readers this week. I have no doubt that someone reading this will leave encouraged today. You are a constant inspiration in my life to make what matters happen. And your powersheets and conference have given me the tools to do the hard work of bringing dreams into realities. Congratulations on your new book and baby (possibly babies!) on the way. May God continue to bless you so you can continue to be such a blessing to others.

Without further ado, please meet Lara Casey, read an introduction to her life and business, and how she met her husband Ari. Then come back later this week to hear an honest lesson she learned in marriage and one of her favorite date night ideas.

I went to school for music theatre, was a personal trainer, and I am the Editor-in-Chief of Southern Weddings magazine where our mission is to encourage meaningful beginnings to married life.

I am also the founder of the Making Things Happen Conference, creator of the PowerSheets goal setting system, new author of Make It Happen, and grateful gardener. I know for sure that we were all created for a purpose. I used to feel lost and chased elusive perfection. It ran me into the ground. God is still working on me, but now I know that the things in this world aren’t “it”. To me, making “it” happen means choosing Him. There is endless freedom in that. And if I would have read all of this years ago I wouldn’t have believed it.

I met Ari eight years ago when I was a personal trainer and he was in my hometown of Pensacola, doing his Navy flight training. He came up to me in the gym and asked me for workout advice. We quickly fell in love and eloped to Vegas five months later! Our marriage was a mess in the early years. We were two ships passing, sleeping in separate beds, and chasing all the wrong things in life. Then God started to shake things up. You can read our whole story in my new book. Only God could have made the impossible changes happen in our lives. Our marriage was radically changed as we both began doing things God’s way. Our journey wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. Now we know that the impossible is possible with God. He can change anything.

Photo by Gina Zeidler