Words of wisdom.
Tomorrow my husband and I will celebrate our 4 month wedding anniversary. As any married couple can attest, this is quite obviously more than enough time to understand every aspect and nuance of the marriage relationship. Not only have we already considered writing a book entitled “Raising Your Child – Tips from Non-parents,” but we have also learned some helpful dating and marriage insights relevant to absolutely everyone that I will pass along here for your general information and enlightenment.
#1. Marry an amazing spouse. We can’t recommend this highly enough. Nor could the process for this be any easier. Simply meet someone who is soon to be leaving for a ministry position in a foreign country and two days prior to their departure express your feelings for one another. Make awkward jokes about running away to Vegas together, followed by a casual goodbye at the airport with the thought in mind that you may not see each other for 2 years. Correspond frequently over the next 9 months via e-mail and the occasional Skype call. This process will make complete sense to friends and family and the people who question the actual existence of this mysterious long-distance sort-of boyfriend/girlfriend.
#2. Plan a wedding in 6 weeks. This is the only way you will actually get to date the person you have been talking to in another country. The key to effective 6 week planning is knowing someone who can help with every aspect of your wedding. This is especially helpful when you are blurry and light sensitive as a result of having your second lasik eye surgery to correct the effects of the first surgery (hypothetically speaking..).
#3. Watch as your 6 week wedding is pulled off perfectly thanks to the efforts of everyone involved (and a killer iPod dance mix for the reception). Spend 3 days in-country before moving halfway around the world with your new spouse.
#4. Cram 4 years worth of experiences into 4 months and then marvel at the circumstances of your story, and the way that it works despite its unique beginnings.
#5. Have date nights at the Pizza Company in between teams. Sometimes order the sausage pizza instead of pepperoni for variety.
#1. Marry an amazing spouse. We can’t recommend this highly enough. Nor could the process for this be any easier. Simply meet someone who is soon to be leaving for a ministry position in a foreign country and two days prior to their departure express your feelings for one another. Make awkward jokes about running away to Vegas together, followed by a casual goodbye at the airport with the thought in mind that you may not see each other for 2 years. Correspond frequently over the next 9 months via e-mail and the occasional Skype call. This process will make complete sense to friends and family and the people who question the actual existence of this mysterious long-distance sort-of boyfriend/girlfriend.
#2. Plan a wedding in 6 weeks. This is the only way you will actually get to date the person you have been talking to in another country. The key to effective 6 week planning is knowing someone who can help with every aspect of your wedding. This is especially helpful when you are blurry and light sensitive as a result of having your second lasik eye surgery to correct the effects of the first surgery (hypothetically speaking..).
#3. Watch as your 6 week wedding is pulled off perfectly thanks to the efforts of everyone involved (and a killer iPod dance mix for the reception). Spend 3 days in-country before moving halfway around the world with your new spouse.
#4. Cram 4 years worth of experiences into 4 months and then marvel at the circumstances of your story, and the way that it works despite its unique beginnings.
#5. Have date nights at the Pizza Company in between teams. Sometimes order the sausage pizza instead of pepperoni for variety.
Comments
In regards to tip #1, it is true that an amazing spouse is crucial to a happy marriage. If no "leaving for a foreign country in two weeks" prospective mate can be identified, I would suggest also considering the "reformed after a prison sentence" variety. It has been a wonderful experience for me :-)