June 29, 2008
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One evening after putting the kids to bed, I was reading an article in the newest Backpacker magazine about two people who hiked the Continental Divide Trail from New Mexico to Canada and then back. It took them almost 200 straight days on the trail to complete the task.
As I was reading, my wife came in a said, “Why don’t you take a month and go on an adventure? You’d love it. Why don’t you go and do it?”
A month ago I posed this question to you my loyal readers. There were some great responses. Most everyone who commented stated they would head outdoors and/or travel.
Now that summer is in full swing, I’ve planned out my adventure and I thought I’d share it with you. Continue reading…
Popularity: 32% [?]
June 12, 2008
There are several bloggers that I read regularly. Many of which several thousand other people follow as well. Recently I began contacting some of these bloggers seeking a contribution for The Simple Marriage Project. Whether it be a guest post, a few thoughts, or an interview with them and their spouse, I am hoping to broaden the perspectives involved in creating a Simple Marriage.
To get this series off and running, Jonathan Fields of Awake At The Wheel has graciously shared his take. Thank you Jonathan for your thoughts. Be sure to jump over and check out all his work as well as one of my favorite posts, Six Timeless Rules For My 6-Year Old Daughter.
Jonathan says: Continue reading…
Popularity: 48% [?]
May 18, 2008
Throughout the summer I am going to attempt something a bit different from the normal postings here at Simple Marriage Project. Every so often I am going to pose a question or discussion topic to extract some thoughts, wisdom and tips from readers.
So to get this party started, here’s what happened to me last week.
One evening I was reading an article in Backpacker magazine about two people who hiked the Continental Divide Trail from New Mexico to Canada and then back. It took them almost 200 straight days on the trail to complete the task.
As I was reading, my wife came in a said to me, “Why don’t you take a month and go on an adventure? You’d love it. Why don’t you go and do it?”
So what would you do if you were in my shoes? If given a month to live an adventure, what would you do? Continue reading…
Popularity: 18% [?]
March 31, 2008
For the past several months, my wife and I were making preparations to place our house on the market. We weren’t looking to move to an enormous house, but since we have two kids now, we were looking to gain another bedroom and a bit more storage space. After several weeks of preparation and organization, a couple of things became clear.
1. We have a lot of junk in our house. No wonder we are tight on storage space, we have too much stuff. As part of the organizing, we got rid of 2 pickup truck loads of stuff, and we still have too much of it left. Half the garage is now housing most of this until we do more purging.
2. The houses that would be a “move up” in space and amenities were more than we wanted to spend. For the past several years my wife and I have been working to live below our means. To move would stretch us a little beyond where we want to be, not that we can’t afford it, but why try to afford it? Part of living within a simple marriage is to live simply. Continue reading…
Popularity: 26% [?]
March 3, 2008
If you have been married for any length of time you know full well the amount of work that has already taken place. Yet, there is still more work looming.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were some short cuts to experiencing more blessings in a marriage?
While there are no easy tricks or short cuts that will lead to success in marriage (there is simply no way around the fact that marriage takes work) there are some different hacks you can try that may bring about another level of passion and adventure.
Some of these my wife and I have tried with success, a few others we are attempting along with you. Continue reading…
Popularity: 32% [?]
February 19, 2008
What does it mean to be committed to something?
Am I to give everything for the sake of my commitment?
Will I lose myself because of my commitment?
We make commitments all the time. To jobs, community, creditors, family, spouse. At the outset, these relationships begin with a commitment; but it quickly turns into something else. If we affirm the economists claim that behavior is basically driven by self interest, then we will buy into the entitlement culture that we live in. The question for most things in our lives becomes “What’s in it for me?” This question traps us in a world where the dreamer is considered a fool. The passionate artist becomes a hopeless romantic longing for love that can never be attained.
The implication of this type of world is that if you don’t come up with a good enough offer for me, I am not interested. I deserve better. I am entitled to more from you. You owe me something. If I am to care about what you have to offer, there must be a payoff.
If my commitment is conditional on your response or delivery of a promise, then it never really was a commitment. It was a deal. Continue reading…
Popularity: 15% [?]
January 31, 2008
As much as possible, I strive to be very intentional in my marriage. To be aware of what is just below the surface between us and try to bring it up to the light. To be more conscious about my choices in my marriage and my life rather than simply react.
Do you ever have times where you feel like you are on relationship autopilot? Coasting along with no real agreed upon destination. Only a general idea of where you both don’t want to go.
If you don’t know where you want to go, any route will do.
I don’t want to live my life this way. Life’s too short and we only get one shot at it, I want to enjoy the journey. Anyway, marriage is a journey, not a destination. Continue reading…
Popularity: 24% [?]
January 11, 2008
It’s time to face the facts, we all have some concern about what others think of us. If we didn’t, then the time we spent picking out our clothes, preparing ourselves for going out, worrying about what we drive, or where we live would not take near as long as it does. We also would not watch the TV news shows, visit the gossip sections of the Internet, or look at the magazines in order to know what other people are wearing or doing or who said what to who about what. We would not have the desire to know what other people are doing in order to emulate their life. Hollywood stars would just be other people. No paparazzi or journalists following their every move. It seems that many people are more interested in watching other people live than they are in living their own life. Spectatoring runs rampant.
At some level, we want to be noticed and liked. But when this desire goes beyond living from our core values and dreams, we live life according to others. Namely, our family and friends and coworkers determine our life for us. We spend more time doing what other people want rather than what we want. Continue reading…
Popularity: 30% [?]
My name is Corey Allan. It's nice to meet you. I began blogging during the summer of 2007 with the belief that it's possible to get more out of marriage and life. Blogging seemed like a great way to share ideas and find others who want more as well. With your help, our little project can change the world.