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Jared & Janice Sausalito Engagement

Jared and Janice have their friends to thank for their first meeting.

The two had been matched up and there were talks about a potential blind date, but they ended up first meeting at a friend’s get together. They both went to the party knowing they were going to meet the other person there. It was like having a blind date with all of your close friends in attendance. But once they saw each other, they were both thankful.

Jared was definitely interested in seeing Janice again. This time without all of their friends joining them. With the party in full swing, he finally got the courage to ask Janice for her phone number. And just as he began to utter the words the room fell silent. Though it made an already nerve-racking situation even more embarrassing, Jared walked away with Janice’s phone number and plans for an official first date.

Janice and Jared said those famous three words “I love you” while walking along the water’s edge in Sausalito. They decided to go back to that very spot for their engagement photos. The session was filled with love and laughter and I’m confident their marriage will be too.

Jared and Janice, I smiled my way through your photos. I wanted to go back and relive the entire session. I cannot wait to see you two again! Your wedding this November is going to be a special one. We are so excited for you both! Congratulations on your engagement! We hope you enjoy this very special time of life.

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10 Ways To
Show Affection

Vitaliy and I are sitting at a cozy coffee shop in Portland while I write.

This will be our last post in our Make Marriage Happen series for February: Be Affectionate. We wanted to make it good so we spent the last hour talking through ways we already show affection in our relationship and ways that we could improve. To start our conversation, we did a little research and found that the use of the word “affection” has dramatically decreased at the end of the 19th century. Have our acts of affection decreased as well? Let’s hope not. And if they have, let’s turn things around. One marriage at a time.

Affection: expressing love by doing something selfless.

Here are 10 ways to express affection in your relationship. I hope you find them helpful!

  1. Listen, don’t offer advice, just listen.
  2. Spontaneously hold hands, touch, scratch their back, squeeze, hug, kiss, caress.
  3. Cuddle for no reason and see how perfectly your bodies fit together.
  4. Anticipate each others needs and act on them before they ask for help.
  5. Volunteer to do the very thing you know the other person loathes.
  6. When it comes to making love, do the thing you know they enjoy most.
  7. Make yourself attractive for each other, just like you did when you were still dating.
  8. Maintain eye contact when talking with each other. Look into those eyes and really see inside.
  9. Sit next to each other. Be by each others’ side. A posture of togetherness.
  10. Follow with trust. Sometimes the best way to love is through entrusting yourself to another.

Make the first move. If you want affection, show affection. Love without expectation. Be selfless. And make marriage happen!

Photo of a caouple being affectionate with each other
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Praying for Ukraine

Some days, some weeks, just don’t go as planned. And I’m starting to learn that’s ok. Yesterday was one such day. And I’m beginning to think I’m in such a week.

We woke up Tuesday morning to terrible news from Ukraine. It’s hard to be genuinely concerned about your to-do-list when people are fighting and dying for simple freedoms in Vitaliy’s home country. Not to mention, his two sisters and brother-in-law are living in the very city where the majority of the fighting is taking place. I need to write a blog post. We need to edit these photos. It’s amazing how emotions can effect your energy and productivity levels. I’m not going to lie, I worked from bed yesterday. I answered emails while checking the latest live footage of Ukraine, reading the most up to date news articles, and trying to focus long enough to say prayers. Because what we really need is for God to move.

It’s hard to believe that only 8 months ago we walked the streets of Ukraine. In fact, we walked in the exact areas where the fighting is taking place. We were just there! But now we are here. And our family is there. And that’s hard. Prayer is real and it is comforting. It helps you focus on the only One who is able. But it doesn’t always permanently remove the fear of the unknown. It doesn’t take away the concern for your family. There still remains this heaviness in your heart. And then you are reminded to pray again. I can only imagine what Vitaliy feels as this is his people and his country.

I made myself write today. I honestly did not want to. My thoughts are all over the place and I didn’t want to formulate them. But I want to remember this time. This is history. This is part of our story. If I want to be a writer, I can’t just write when I feel like it. Sometimes you have to do art when everything in you is telling you not to. And sometimes you have to pray when everything in you is asking, what’s the point.

If you’d like to know more, watch or read. And please pray or spread the word. Thank you!

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