Marriage Doesn't Suck
24 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsYou've heard about the old ball-and-chain and the jokes to run while you still can in the days leading up to the wedding. They say marriage is hard. We are third generation high school sweethearts with a decade of marriage under our belts and are wedding videographers who see marriages start from day one. We know that when you are intentional about your relationship and invest time with your spouse your marriage will rock. We're here to say Marriage Doesn't Suck.
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Episodes
Advice We Ignored
March 02, 2021 08:00 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MB8 pieces of advice given to us either about our relationship or on money that we ignored. Some of them we were right in ignoring them while others we were wrong. Here are the 8 things we ignored, but listen to the full episode to find out the stories behind all of them! 1. Don't go to college with your high school sweetheart. 2. Don't get married in your early 20s. 3. You should date some more people before you "settle down." 4. You should go down to one car/you shouldn't go down to one car...
Friday Five: Ashley's 5 Favorite Things
February 26, 2021 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.15 MBTomorrow is Ashley's birthday so she's solo today to talk about her 5 favorite items. These are things that have changed the way that she views life or items that make her every day life easier, healthier, or safer. Anndddd one completely fun, indulgent item! 1. About Time (her all-time favorite movie!) 2. Ninja Blender 3. Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist 4. Trekz Titanium bone conduction headphones by Aftershokz 5. FujiFilm Instax Go wish her a happy birthday on instagram @marriage...
15. Is Marriage Relevant?
February 23, 2021 08:00 - 34 minutes - 24 MBDoes anything change when we get married? For many us, we probably say no. So we started to wonder, why are people still getting married? What does marriage mean to people outside of the legally binding document with the government? In this episode, we dive into a study done by the Pew Research Center that they conducted in 2019 about marriage and cohabitation in the US. Find the full study and information here: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/11/06/marriage-and-cohabitation-...
7 Ways We Stay Connected
February 16, 2021 08:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MBDry spells and ruts are inevitable in a relationship, but we have found seven ways that help us avoid those pitfalls and stay connected through the mundane moments of life. Here are the 7 things we do whether things are really good or we feel a little distant from each other to keep our marriage strong: 1. We go to bed at the same time! 2. We eat dinner together every night. 3. We keep a marriage notebook where we write letters to each other back and forth. 4. We go for walks together! ...
Friday Five: 5 Things We're Really Into
February 12, 2021 08:00 - 4 minutes - 3.19 MBBONUS EPISODE: 5 Ways to Save Money Fast Today's Friday Five is 5 things we're really into. In any given season in someone's life, there are usually a few things that occupy their thoughts and get really excited about. And those things can change quickly. This is one of Ashley favorite questions to ask someone to find out what's on their mind or what they get really excited about in the current season. What's something you're really into right now? Share with us in our facebook group! Pl...
Date Night Fails!
February 09, 2021 08:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MBAshley and Mark discuss their biggest date fails. After 16 years of dates, there are bound to be some that went miserably. Hopefully they left you with a good story to share at your next dinner party. Remember, bad dates don't define your relationship, but shape the story of your lives together. This is a light-hearted episode where we get to laugh and share our experiences that didn't go quite as we had planned. Check out the movie Date Night starring Steve Carrell and Tina Fey, which our ...
Are You Ready For Kids?
February 02, 2021 08:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBCan your relationship sustain a child? How do we really know if we're ready for kids? Are we ever really ready? What things should we have in place before kids arrive on the scene? All of these things are the talking points of today's episode! Culture will tell you that you need to have a job, a house, and the right car before you have kids. We're here to suggest that maybe those things aren't the most important. If the bones of your relationship are strong, then the other things will fall ...
Friday Five: 5 Ways to Save Money Fast
January 29, 2021 08:00 - 4 minutes - 2.99 MBBONUS EPISODE: 5 Ways to Save Money Fast Today's Friday Five is 5 ways to save money fast. Earlier this week we talked about how we cut up our credit cards 4 years ago and one way that we were able to do that is by having an emergency fund. And you need cash stashed away to have that cushion. Here are some quick ideas of how you can save some of that money really fast! What's one of your favorite ways to save money? Share with us in our facebook group! Please subscribe, share, and review ...
Why We Stopped Using Credit Cards
January 26, 2021 07:00 - 39 minutes - 27.5 MBBut the rewards! Your credit score! How can you manage?! That's a terrible decision! Almost 4 years ago we cut up our credit cards and never looked back. In this episode we talk about why we said goodbye to our reward points, stopped worrying about our credit score, and started using cash. That decision accelerated us in how we were winning with money; ie, getting our of debt, growing our investments, and being able to give more generously. This was a big and tough decision for us. Ashley ...
Unmet Expectations
January 19, 2021 07:00 - 31 minutes - 22 MBDifferent, unknown, and met expectations can be a huge source of tension and strife within a relationship. They are a symptom of poor communication. Unmet expectations are something we ALWAYS hear about when it comes to problems within a relationship. Here's a few examples: how much time each partner spends at work versus quality time as a couple or with the family. Who's going to cook and what they're going to cook. Responsibilities when it comes to children. Sex: how often and how adventu...
Friday Five: 5 Mistakes We Made While Dating
January 15, 2021 05:00 - 4 minutes - 3.05 MBBONUS EPISODE: 5 Mistakes We Made While Dating Today's Friday Five is 5 mistakes we made while we were dating. We dated for 6 years before we got married and here are some things that we really messed up on. Thankfully over time and growing up, we've managed to rectify (most) of these mistakes and have only grown stronger because of them! What's something you wish you knew before you got married? Please subscribe, share, and review our podcast to help others find this message. Join our fa...
Forever Young, Have Fun!
January 12, 2021 06:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MBAutopilot. Tunnel vision. The mundane. How often do you find yourself stuck on these instead of joyfully, playfully, intentionally loving and laughing with your partner? How often do you revisit those feelings at the beginning of your relationship and lean into them from time to time? Today's episode is all about embracing your youthfulness and keep that spark going in your marriage! Don't let committee meetings, 401k plans, and the looming meal plan steal the magic from your relationship. ...
Choose Your Own Adventure
January 05, 2021 05:00 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBGet ready to get intentional. It's a new year and time to upgrade your marriage! Athletes plan for the big championship game and we work all our lives to succeed in our careers, often planning for the end in mind, so why don't we do that with our relationships? Several years ago we took a course called the Family Mission Statement course where we made a plan for our family. We talked about our past, dreamt of our future, and made a plan of how to get there. In this episode we dive into impo...
Friday Five: 5 Goals
January 01, 2021 05:00 - 4 minutes - 2.82 MBBONUS EPISODE: 5 Goals Today's Friday Five is 5 goals that we made for the new year. Every year we make several goals in a few different categories. Some of the categories that we look at to direct our goals are physical/health, financial, family, marriage, mental health, and spiritual. Today we talk about 5 of those categories and give you some of OUR goals for 2021! Do you ever make goals? We'd love to hear what you're working towards this year! Please subscribe, share, and review our p...
How We Instantly Diffuse Tension
December 29, 2020 05:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBOur relationship is as old as a sophomore in high school. In that time we somehow managed to find a technique that helps us instantly diffuse the tension when we're stuck in one of those hamster wheel-type arguments. Do you know those? Those arguments where no progress is being made, no one is listening and no one is hearing? Yeah, we have those too. In today's episode we give you one of our scenarios where we were never able to make traction in an argument. And how using an easy, soften-yo...
Dealing with In-Laws
December 22, 2020 05:00 - 37 minutes - 25.5 MBIN-LAWS. The family you inherited because you chose the partner you did. You didn't get to choose your family and you don't get to choose your partner's family. But somehow we need to figure out how to navigate those relationships. For the first ten minutes of the episode, we talk about our own advice for dealing with in-laws. As a recurring theme on our podcast, our first piece of advice is to be on the same team as your partner. Your partner becomes a higher priority than your parents or ...
Friday Five: 5 Holiday Activities
December 18, 2020 11:00 - 4 minutes - 2.82 MBBONUS EPISODE: 5 Fun Holiday Activities Today's Friday Five is 5 fun married and/or family activities to do this week leading up to Christmas! These are all activities that we've done with each other or with our kids this month and thought we would pass them along to you! Did you do any of these activities together? If so, post a picture and tag us so we can see! Please subscribe, share, and review our podcast to help others find this message. Join our facebook group to get in on more of ...
Married with Kids
December 15, 2020 05:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBWhich relationship is more important once kids enter the picture? The one with your kids or the one with your spouse? Once you become parents, it's more important than ever to keep your marriage a priority. We need to nurture and invest in our marriages for ourselves AND *FOR* our kids. Our quote for this episode is by Jim Burns, author of Creating an Intimate Marriage: "I'm convinced that a marriage of priority and integrity will be one of the best offerings you can provide for your childr...
How You Talk About Your Marriage
December 08, 2020 05:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBWhat is the conversation like about marriage while you meet at the water cooler at the office? Or with your lunch group, or your group of friends or even your family? Do you typically hear people talking positively about their marriage or spouses? Or do you find that the conversation drifts to complaints? In this episode we dive into a conversation about how we talk about our marriages or partners both in person and on social media. We dive into WHY we find it so easy to complain. And in co...
Friday Five: 5 Things To Ask Your Partner
December 04, 2020 05:00 - 3 minutes - 2.64 MBWelcome to our first BONUS and Friday Five Episode! Every other week we will have a Friday Five episode where it'll give you 5 quick things to invest in your marriage to give it a mini upgrade OR you'll just find out 5 fun things about us! Today's Friday Five is 5 things to ask your spouse this weekend! These are questions designed to get to know your partner a little more and deepen your relationship. At the end, we take a minute to answer these questions ourselves! Did you ask any of the...
Fight Right
December 01, 2020 11:00 - 32 minutes - 22.5 MBIf you've been married for a couple of days, you've probably gotten into some kind of fight. Over the years there will be fights that are the short, snippy remarks throughout a mundane day. Then there are the bigger, value-based arguments that cut a little deeper and can last for days, weeks, or even years. As married couples we're not going to agree on everything. You should never go into marriage thinking that you'll never fight. Our goal with this episode is to give you some pointers to ...
(In)Dependence
December 01, 2020 11:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBOur culture values independence. We live in a "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" society. "You can't rely on anyone but yourself." Dependence on the other hand is seen as a weakness. Something to be ashamed of. It's not a quality we often use a compliment. So how do independence and dependence work within a marriage? Can we still be independent individuals once we get married? Is there any benefit to dependence within a relationship? In this episode, we discuss some of these ideas and act...
Marriage & Money
December 01, 2020 11:00 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBMoney fights is a leading cause of divorce. Financial stress can be an incredible burden on a relationship. We get it. The two of you want different things. Maybe he bought something without discussing it with you or she's racking up the credit card debt without you ever really noticing. When you've got debt or disagree on where your money should go, things can start to crumble within the relationship. In Marriage & Money, we discuss some of the basics that have worked for us. In Ashley and...
Intro: Marriage Doesn't Suck
November 29, 2020 01:00 - 7 minutes - 5.25 MBWe're Mark and Ashley. We're teammates, lovers, and investors in marriage. To us, marriage is exciting, rewarding, fun, inspiring, and definitely does NOT suck! We've been married for 10 years, are third generation high school sweethearts, and believe love stories can change the world! Join us on this journey as we cover topics like money, fighting, independence, parenting and faith. Come celebrate marriage with us! Please subscribe, share, and review our podcast to help others find this me...