Divorce Statistics
A lot of people my age, in their 20s, do not want to get married because they are afraid of getting divorce. They have witnessed their parent’s getting divorced or seeing what their friends have gone through, which is pain and loss. Many people think that 50% of marriages end in divorce but that is not true. 26% of marriages end in divorce, that statistic is significantly less than 50%.
If you are having trouble in your marriage and think that the only way out is divorce, then you are wrong. There are so many resources to help couples stay together, like marriage and family therapy. Two years after a divorce, 70% of couples said that they could have saved their marriage. 70% is such a large amount of people who could have kept their family together and saved themselves from heart break. Also, married couples who reported being very dissatisfied ended up being very satisfied or satisfied with their marriage.
I believe that marriage is sacred and that we need to do everything in our power to keep your relationship happy and healthy. It is important to be loving, kind, and to practice good communication skills with your partner. Communication is key and both partners need to express their feelings to each other. Sometimes women tend to assume that their husbands will know if they are feeling mad or sad, but men are not like that. Wives need to express how they are feeling to their husband because if they don’t, their husband will not know how they feel. Men also can hold in their feelings and the women will have no idea until it all just blows up one day. Communication is one of the number one problems with couples who are dissatisfied in their relationship. I know that communicating your feeling can be hard sometimes, but it is vital to your relationship’s success.

Predictors vs Protectors
There are certain people in this world who are just more likely to get divorced than other people. People who are low socioeconomic status have a higher chance of divorce than people in high SES. Also people with no education are more likely to divorce because they do not have the knowledge that they would have learned in college. Young couples, ages 17-19, are more likely to get divorced than couples who get married in their late 20s-30s. But, couples who are more religious tend to stay together more often, no matter what age they marry.
I got married at 19 and I was judged and warned by friends and family that I was at a high risk of divorce and I did not know what I was doing. But, in fact, I did know what I was doing and I did realize that I was young. I met the love of my life the third week of my first semester of college and Brigham Young University-Idaho. I could not wait to get married because I wanted to start my life with the person that I love most in this world. Some of my non religious friends told me that I was going to get divorced because I am young and what if I don’t really know the person that I was about to marry. I did know my husband pretty well before we got married but I obviously got to know him on a whole new level over the past year and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. We get to grow up together and help one another grow into the person that we want. I am currently very satisfied with my relationship and want to keep it like that forever. I know that my husband and I will have problems down the road, but I will do everything in my power to keep us together, and that is what everybody should do, try your absolute hardest and never give up.

Purpose of Parenting

What is the purpose of parenting to you? Parenting has different meanings for everyone but they are all important. I do not have kids yet but it is important for me to write down what I think the purpose of parenting is. Once I have my list I can evaluate it with my husband and decide why those particular things are important and what we can do to become better parents.

My list for the purpose of parenting: teach the gospel, have my children develop passions, teach them to be kind and loving, teach good communication skills, and protect and prepare them to thrive in the world.

Why become a parent?

Why have kids when you and your spouse are living in a one bedroom apartment, have student loan debt, and have a low income paying job? I believe that you and your spouse will both feel when the time is right to have children, even if you both are really poor. Personally I would not have children right now because I am really young and still have a year left in school, maybe three more years if I get my Master’s degree. But, when the time comes and I feel like I need to start having children than I will, even if I am still in school and poor.

I think that we all need to look at the bigger picture sometimes and realize that if God prompts us to do something than he is not going to leas us astray. Being a parent is a calling and I think that it’ll make me and my husband become better people. Parenting is going to be hard but it will give me qualities that I do not currently have. As of right now I think that I am a little bit selfish, but when I have children I will have to become selfless. Selflessness is a quality that we all have to work hard for and it is never going to come easy to anyone.

Parental Approach

Once you and your spouse decides to have children, you both need to talk about parental approaches. The technique that you use to parent your children will shape them into who they are. It is so important that you and your spouse agree on how you parent and make sure that your children know that their mom and dad love and care for each other. I know multiple families where the mother always says yes to their children but they dad always has to be the one to tell their children no. Using the good cop/bad cop technique will only make your children resent the bad cop parent.

Some useful parent techniques would be to offer contact freely. All people need contact because it makes them feel important and loved. Be open and give hugs and offer to cuddle with your child. Another technique is to teach your children to contribute. Chores is a good example because that helps your kids to learn responsibility and they will have a purpose in your household. Every day you should have a chore list that your children should complete, it can be as simple as watering the plants or walking the dog.

Another good parental approach would be to give your children choices and have them face their consequences. For example, in elementary school I wanted to wear a new hat I got from California to school even though I was not aloud to wear a hat to school. My mother gave me a choice to wear my new hat to school, wear it right after school ends, or have my mother put my hair up in a pony tail. I decided to wear a hat, but my teacher made me take it off and I was embarrassed because my hair was really messy. In this situation my mother obviously knew that I was going to have to take my hat off at school, but she gave me choices so that I could learn to follow the rules at school.

Working Parents
For the first ten years of my life, my father worked and my mother stayed home. Everyday my mom would pick me up from school, make me a snack, play a game with me, then help me with homework. I loved that my mother was a stay at home mom and I loved how good she was at it. When I was eleven my mother had to find a job as a social worker. I was confused and sad that she had to work. My brothers picked me up from school and I ended up making them an after school snack. I was sad and frustrated that my mother got a job, but now I realize that it was good for her and my family’s finances.My mother loves her job and makes a difference in what she does. My mother keeps moving up and gets promoted often because she is such a hard worker.
Now that all of my siblings are out of the house, my mother still works. I know that sometimes she would rather stay home, but she is working so that her and my working father can uphold the lifestyle that they are used to. They both live in Summerlin, a town in Las Vegas, which is a really expensive place to live.
When you and your spouse are deciding on a place to live, it is important to look at the housing prices, food costs, etc. If your husband is only going to make 50,000 per year and you want to live in Newport, California then you may want to reconsider. My husband is going to be a firefighter in Washington and he makes a good amount of money, but if I want to live a lavish lifestyle than I need to consider getting my Master’s degree and working part time.
Equality when it comes to money
Both agreeing on where the money is going is vital to a marriage. It is so hard to agree sometimes, but you just have to suck it up and figure something out. My husband, Ben wants to spend our money on vacations and hiking/camping gear. I would love to spend money on clothes, going out to eat, and vacations. But at this time in our lives, we only have enough money to spend on the necessities like groceries, rent, and gas.
In five years when Ben and I have lots of money to spend I am a little nervous that there will be arguments about where the money should be going. My husband and I will always agree on what vacation to go on and where to eat, but we will have a hard time agreeing on my shopping allowance and Ben’s hiking gear allowance. I know some married couples that both work and they have separate bank accounts. Those couples use the money that they individually make and then spend it how they like, which is not healthy. The point of being married is to make decisions together and compromise the things that you want. I think a good way for both partners to be able to spend what they want is to both have an even amount and make sure that it fits in your budget.
Budgeting
“The American Bar Association recently indicated that 89 percent of all divorces could be traced to quarrels and accusations over money” (Elder Marvin J. Ashton). Money can rip families apart if you don’t handle it properly. If your family is struggling, it is super important that you make a set budget and strictly follow it.
The first step to making a budget is it to look at your bank account and write down everything that you spend and then put it in categories like food, entertainment, rent, car/gas. Next you will have to write down the costs of things that you can not change like rent or gas. After you figure out you necessity costs, you need to make some changes with the things that you can change, like entertainment. You will have to give up things you love like going out to eat or going to the movies. I know that this is super hard, but being poor won’t last forever if you continue to work hard.

Communication while dating
Having open and venerable conversations with your significant other can be awkward or even embarrassing. When I first started dating my husband, Ben, I had a hard time communicating with him. I just wanted him to read my thoughts and recognize my wants/needs instead of telling him what I wanted or needed. On the contrary, Ben was very open from the first day we had met. Ben knew he liked me so he would tell me that he thought I was gorgeous and how he wanted to date me. I had always been so shy about my feelings because I was worried that I was going to be turned down so I just shut down.
When Ben and I were dating he noticed that I was not communicating affectively so he sat me down and asked why I could not express my feelings. I honestly did not know why I couldn’t communicate well on certain topics but I was open to change. Ben worked with me everyday on how to express my feelings and it started to work. I noticed that our relationship was starting to blossom and we were bonding and getting along so well.
I think that it is important to establish open and healthy communication at the beginning of your relationship. I know that having venerable conversations are hard but once you have them, your relationship will get so much stronger. Telling your partner your wants and needs are vital because that is how you are going to be happy in your relationship.
Communication within your marriage
Once you get married or start living with your partner, you will realize that communication is the most important part to having a successful relationship. You need to be open about what you want/need in your sex life, household responsibilities, parenting styles, etc. But sometimes a simple conversation such as you telling your husband he needs to do the dishes turns out to be an hour long fight.
A common argument that Ben and I have is about camping. I hate camping and I think that it is the most miserable activity ever, but my husband has a passion for it. David Burns wrote a book about communication and how to deal with problems in a healthy way. There are five steps to his process and if you follow these five steps then you and your spouse will have a healthier relationship.
The first step is called the disarming technique which means finding the kernel of truth. For example, Ben got mad at me because I bailed on another camping trip. Instead of me getting mad at him and saying how I hate camping, I simply say, ‘’You are right, I did bail on another camping trip and I am sorry that I did that.”
The second step is to express empathy. I have to realize that Ben was probably feeling hurt, sad, mad, and frustrated that I do not want to go camping. I am feeling mad, annoyed, and sad that I do not like the same hobby that my husband does. I then tell Ben, “Your must be feeling frustrated that I bailed on another camping trip.”
The third step is inquiry and to talk more about the subject. I could tell Ben, “Maybe I do bail a lot and shut your camping trips down, what do you think?” Ben and I will then talk about our feelings on the subject of camping.
The forth step is called when/ I feel or have felt/ Because/ I would like. For example, “When you told me that we were going camping this weekend I felt worried and anxious because I get scared when I sleep in the middle if no where. I would like us to find a way where I could feel more comfortable while camping, maybe car camping?”
The fifth step is to express genuine or authentic appreciation. I could tell my husband, “I love you and I love that you are so passionate about camping. I know that I do not love it but I would love to go on more hikes with you. Thank you for being so patient with me about this subject, I really appreciate it.”

Personal Crisis

Ben and I got married May of 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. We ended up moving to North Western Washington because my husband was working as a forest firefighter. In my ‘Marital Adjustments’ blog I previously talked about living in a pioneer house that was 30 minutes away from anything. My husband would leave weeks at a time to go on dispatches with his team. I was having such a hard time because I was lonely, depressed, and bored. Not until recently, I discovered that I was a little bit depressed over the summer. I would deny on going on outings with my in laws who lived 30 minutes away because I just wanted to sit on the couch all day. That behavior is not like me at all because I love to be active and social. At that point in my life I was going through a crisis and I did not even realize it.
I do not think I knew that I was depressed because my husband would always cheer me up when he got home. Ben would drive 40 minutes with me a few times a week so that we could go to my favorite ice cream place, Mallard’s, in Bellingham. My mother in law and sister in law would text me every day asking if I needed something and would always invite me to go hang out with them. My sister in law, Merry, would bring me treats that her mother bought me and it would make my day.
Looking back now I realize how important family is during a personal crisis. Some days over the summer I was so miserable and bored, but with the support of my husband and his family I got through it. You have to rely on your family during trials because they will always be there for you and will do anything to make you happy.

When my husband ended his job August 1st, I was super happy and couldn’t wait to move into our brand new apartment in Rexburg, Idaho. Once we moved to Rexburg my husband and I were having so much fun spending time together. Ben and I would play soccer and volleyball outside at the park for hours because it was so warm. We would also get frozen yogurt from the shop that is located across the street from our apartment and it was my favorite thing ever.
As the months went on it started to get colder and colder. I was not able to go on leisurely walks outside because the weather was in the negatives. The only time I went outside was when I walked to class or walked to the gym. In the winter months I normally spent at most 30 minutes to an hour outside. This is something that I am not used to and I absolutely hate the cold. I have lived in Las Vegas my whole life, so I have not gotten used to the snow.
In January my husband noticed that I was sad and over emotional for no reason. A few months ago I was as happy as I could get but now I felt terrible. I had no motivation to do school or anything except for watching television. My husband was worried about me so we talked to our parents about it. My mother and Ben’s mom mentioned that I might have seasonal depression, which I ended up having. My husband decided that he was going to do all that he could do to make me 100% happy. Ben took me to Michael’s craft store and bought me a bunch of crafts and paints. Ben also made sure that we went to the gym everyday because working out helps with seasonal depression. I realized that when I occupied myself with painting or working out then I felt much better, but when I was just sitting at home dong nothing I felt terrible. I wondered why I felt amazing for about 2 hours of the day, the the rest I was depressed. A few weeks ago I decided that I was going to be happy and have good thoughts because I did not want to feel depressed anymore. To my surprise it actually worked! You are in charge of your brain, your brain is not in charge of you. You decide how you decide to handle a crisis, the world doesn’t have to.

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Things People Never Talk About
Movies and television shows make it seem like sex is not a big deal and that it is a quick process for both parties to achieve an orgasm. First of all let me talk about how big of a deal sex really is. In this day and age, some people perceive sex as a social behavior, which is not good for your mental health. Every time a woman has an orgasm or even gets turned on, they experience a release of a chemical called oxytocin. When oxytocin is released, it makes the women feel attached to the person that she just had an intimate experience with. Men do not usually feel this sensation when they have sex/make out with a woman, so that makes it easier for the man to go from women to women. I have multiple friends who use dating apps like Mutual and Tinder to find men to have sex with. One of my friends has been rejected after having sex so many times that she has given up hope to find love. That example right there just shows that having spontaneous/social sex is not healthy because in the end it will just make you feel bad about yourself.

So many movies and television shows portray sex as an easy and spontaneous way to have fun with someone. Movies also make it seem like sex is a quick and low maintenance process, which is not necessarily the truth, but that is what I believed before I got married. After I got married I realized that all of the movies and television shows were 100% wrong about sex. First of all there is something called gravity, but that is all I am going to say about that. Secondly, men and women get stimulated very differently. I feel like no one talks about this but not every women gets an orgasm from just penetration. In most cases men have to figure out how to turn their partner on before they precede to penetration. Foreplay can sometimes be a long process, but it is a very important step to take because it will make sex more pleasurable for the woman. It is vital that the husband makes the wife feel comfortable and that the couple talks to each other about what their needs are.

Misunderstandings
Has your husband ever asked you to have sex and you just didn’t feel like it because you had a hard day? Then once you say no to him you feel bad because you want to please him but you just are not in the mood. Well, that is a totally normal and healthy feeling. Men biologically have a stronger sex drive than women. It actually takes longer for women to feel turned on then men, so it is normal that your husband is down for sex 24/7 because men can get instantly sexually aroused. Sometimes your husband might get a little but frustrated that you don’t want to have sex and that could make you sad or even mad at him because he does not understand that you just don’t want to have sex! This situation has happened to me multiple times because I have been constantly stressed out with school work. In some situations I end up getting angry at my husband because he does not understand what I am feeling. At that moment it would be easy for me to walk away and be angry at him for the rest of the night, but that is not a healthy way to solve problems. The best way to handle this situation would be to sit down with your husband and tell him why you do not want to have sex, which could be because you are stressed or maybe you feel like you are not getting pleased when you have sex. No matter what the problem is you can always talk to your spouse about what you are feeling because they love you and want the best for you. I know that sex can be an awkward subject, but it is so important that you are open and honest with your spouse about your sexual relationship.

After the Honeymoon

You get off of your honeymoon and you and your spouse are super excited to start your new life together. This right there is most likely the happiest you have ever been and you do not want it to end. But a couple months into you being cramped up in your crappy apartment calls for a reality check. I was so happy that I was finally able to live with my best friend, aka husband and could not wait until we arrived at our new place. It was the first of June, our pioneer house was about 30 minutes away from the free way and in the middle of the Washington forest. Once my husband and I pulled into our 100 year old house, my mouth dropped, I was absolutely terrified. It was a nice house, but just really old and a little bit creepy. I was used to living in the city and now I was 19 and living with my husband in the forest.

I did grow to love that house, but it was really hard for me and a total culture shock. When my husband would leave for his job as a forest firefighter, I was really lonely and sad. I had no friends and my husband’s family lived over 30 minutes away. When Ben would unexpectedly stay late at work, I would cry and wish that my husband could be with my 24/7. I honestly felt mad at myself because I was so sad when he was gone, but now I realize that is not 100% a bad thing. Missing my husband so much just meant that I love him so much and that I wanted to be with my best friend. In this situation I could have done a lot of things better though that I regret not doing. I needed a hobby of my own to keep my happy and occupied while my husband was at work. I could have painted, made crafts, or practiced photography because those are the hobbies that I love. It is so important that you are able to practice your hobbies when your spouse is gone because it will significantly help your mental health.

Mutual Decision Making

A huge transition to marriage is mutual decision making. This topic can be extremely hard and causes lots of arguments and can turn into divorce. My husband and I are both very stubborn and have a hard time being wrong, which is not a good thing. I think that making decisions together is one of the hardest transitions going into marriage because two different people have to agree on one very important topic.

The most important advise I have ever gotten is the only way make true peace with someone is not being right, it is simply meeting half way. Marriage is hard and it means that you are going to have to do things that you do not like to do. My husband, Ben, loves camping and hiking with all of his heart but I hate camping with all of my heart. This camping argument has been an ongoing feud between the two of us because we are both trying to get our way. About a month ago we finally sat down and talked about the subject of camping. We came to terms that I would go car camping in the summer and that I would go hiking with Ben except for the winter months. This compromise was hard for the both of us but I knew that I could not take away something that my husband loves so deeply. Ben also knew that it wouldn’t be healthy for him to go camping and hiking without me and resent me for not going. I know this argument sounds silly but it is a great example of mutual decision making. I know it is hard for stubborn people, like me, to make decisions with your partner but once you learn how to meet half way, your relationship will blossom from there.

Dating
This week I am going to talk about dating and how to do it right. First off all no one is asking out people on dates anymore! In college I feel like most people skip dinner and goes straight to hooking up. 20-30 years ago boys would actually ask girls out on dates and then drop them off at home without expecting anything else to happen after. During my first couple weeks of school I had some of the worst experiences because none of the boys knew what a date was… WELL let me tell you what a real date should be!
Secret to the Perfect Relationship
I am going to tell you a secret that is going to change the way you think about dating… the secret is to wait to get physically intimate before you really know the person… and no, you do not know the person after a week or even a month of dating someone.
The first step to get to know your potential girlfriend/boyfriend, is by spending lots of time together. You need to get to know the good and the bad sides, it is also very important to pick up on red flags. Next you need to talk to the person and share personal life stories because that is going to bond the two of you. The next step is trusting the person. You need to trust that your potential partner is going to love you and only you for the time that you are together, and maybe that is going to be forever. After you and your potential girlfriend/boyfriend establish trust, you need to see if they are reliable. Reliably is important because you need to know if your partner is capable of taking care of you. A good way to know if you can rely on your partner is to see if they are successful at school, their job, and if they have realistic future goals. If you know, trust, and can rely on your potential partner then you commit to that person. I advise that you only commit to a person if you are ready for marriage. You are just wasting you and your girlfriend/ boyfriend’s time if you are not willing to take the next step for marriage. The last step is the best one, which is physical touch. At this point you know that you can trust that your partner is not going to hurt you and you can rely on them to take care of you.
I am aware that it is extremely hard and not 100% realistic that you can wait 3 months to kiss someone that you really like. To be honest, my future husband kissed me the day after we met. My main point of this whole thing is to really KNOW the person who you are getting serious serious with before you get hurt.
My Love Story
On the Friday of my third week of my first semester I went to a rooftop party that my apartment complex was hosting. After the party was over my friends and I were standing on the sidewalk in front of my apartment because we were thinking of fun activities to do that night. Suddenly a few guys came up to my friends and I then asked if we wanted to go to a bonfire with them. All of my friends kindly denied but I was determined to meet some new people and have fun. A few minutes later, a convertible full of people pulled up to me. A cute boy who had red hair asked me to sit by him (my future husband, Ben). We all drove to the bonfire and I got to know Ben, he was literally the most fun person I have ever met. Ben and I ended up holding hands, cuddling, and talking from 1am-9am. I have never connected with a person so well in my entire life, I was so excited because Ben was so straight forward. As time went on Ben took me on super fun dates like scavenger hunts, traveling to Utah, and going sledding in the sand dunes. 4 months after I met Ben we got engaged and then 5 months after that we got married.
Did Ben and I get married super fast? Yes! Did friends and family judge us? Yes they did. Would I have waited a little bit longer to get married? No way. I am 100% aware that what I did was a little bit crazy, but Ben and I felt super good about getting married so that is what we did. And yes my love story was a terrible example of ‘the secret to a perfect relationship,’ but no one is perfect.

#Regrets

I was in second grade when I got my first phone. I remember it being pink and my older brothers telling my parents it was not fair because they were not allowed a phone until junior high school. I received a razor with a keyboard in fourth grade, and by junior high I had an IPhone. I was on Facebook, Twitter and had no restrictions.

I had no filter at that age when I posted or messaged my friends. When I had a young crush during junior high, I posted my feelings on Twitter about him. My older brothers were monitoring my phone, and told my parents who were really embarrassed about my comments on Twitter. It was the first time I realized the power of a phone and that messaging can have consequences. I was not allowed back on Facebook or Twitter until high school. I also remember being with a group of friends and not interacting with any of them because we were all on our phones.

Once in high school, I was obsessed with my phone along with all of my friends. I had my phone in my hand at all times. I would stay up at night messaging friends and my first official boyfriend. I was tired most of the time at school, because I could not stop messaging or observing what my friends were doing. I also posted things that now I would be embarrassed to post, due to being young and I was not mature.

#MeanGirls

My feelings were hurt on a few occasions because I would ask to hang out with a friend, and then find out later through snap chat that I was not included in an activity or fun night out. I remember feeling very left out and sad that I had not been invited.

During my first semester of college, I was close to my roommates. Around the fourth week of school, I went on a camping trip. On my way back from the camping trip, I received a lot of snap chats from them and text messages saying that they missed me and were excited to hang out with me. I was very pleased that my roommates were excited to see me and I was looking forward to spending time with them. Seeing their messages on my phone after a cold and miserable time camping made me feel happy. I came home to raw meat on my bed along with tape separating my roommate from me saying that I could not walk on her side. I was so mad and upset and felt deceived. I realized that my roommates were just hiding behind their phones because they were too scared to just confront me face to face. They would also snap chat all the fun things they were doing during the semester without me. I felt down every time I saw their posts and felt very sad about it. I have never been bullied before and it was just a shock to me. I tried my hardest to avoid them and not let them bother me, my future husband at the time helped me deal with that miserable semester.

#NoRegrets

Social Media is very powerful and can be a great resource and also very destructive. I have felt a lot of different emotions as a social media user. I do believe after having experienced over sharing, being left out, fake friends that a child needs to be mature to have a cell phone. When I am a parent, I will not allow my children to have a phone unless they are old enough and mature enough to handle the responsibility. I will also take my children’s phone at night so that they are not up late messaging, and looking up things that are not healthy to their development. I think it is important to realize as a parent that children do not have the emotional intelligence to monitor themselves. It is a parent’s job to ensure that social media does not take time from important family time and relationship building.

Why are Family Traditions Important?

What is the first thing you think of when someone asks you what your family tradition? Is it opening up one present on Christmas Eve or a big breakfast on Saturday morning? Every single tradition your family has is very important. Traditions bond the family and creates excitement for every member of your family.

My family Traditions

Whenever my high school teachers would ask me what my family traditions were, I never really had an answer. Other kids in my class would always have an awesome tradition like going to Hawaii every Summer. I had such a hard time coming up with a tradition for some reason, but now I realize it was because I thought that traditions had to be big events, which they do not.

My family has lots of small traditions and routines that we follow. The first tradition that I can think of is every Christmas Eve my parents take my brothers out to eat at a place called Lawry’s Prime Rib. This restaurant is one of my favorite places to eat because everything is top quality. This Christmas Eve I got to bring my husband, Ben, and he was amazed about how good the food was.

A small tradition my mom and I have done since I was little is making treats on Sundays. When I was little my mom and I would make the same chocolate chip cookie recipe, even though I did not like it very much. Once I got older I started to gain an interest in baking. I would find different recipes on food network and try a new treat on Sunday. My older brother started gaining an interest in baking too, so he started to help my mom and I in the kitchen.

My favorite family tradition happens every three years. My grandma pays for my mom’s side of the family to go on a cruise. We go on a week long cruise in the Caribbean and it is the best thing ever. First of all there is unlimited food all day long and I get to spend time with my cousins. Every night for dinner we all go to our assigned dinner table and dress up nice clothes. I love going to this dinner with my family because in the day time we all do our own thing but at night we come together and have such a fun time. Plus, we can order as many entrées as we want!

My Husband’s Family Traditions

Ben’s family has tons of little family traditions that they participate in year round.

During Christmas time Ben’s family goes caroling with his 9 younger siblings. On Christmas Eve their family opens up matching pajamas that they were that night and all day on Christmas. Shortly after Christmas Ben’s family goes to Seattle and a place called Snowflake Lane. They all stay the night in Seattle and find new places to eat at each time they visit.

On the 4th of July the family wakes up early to go to the Sedro Wolley, Washington parade, which is a small town about 20 minutes away from their house. After the parade they go to their auntie’s house for a huge bbq with all of his cousins. Later that night the extended family gets together to have a huge firework show!

Ben’s family also goes to Canada often because they are only 30 minutes away from the border. In Canada they have the tradition of buying over 20 Indian samosas, which is a maida shell stuffed with filling and deep fried… you should try them because they are amazing!

Merging of Family Traditions and Different Cultures

Now that I am married to Ben we have to figure out which family traditions we want to use in our own family. In order to merge our separate traditions we will have to eliminate the ones we do not want. Next, we will take all of the good traditions and start practicing them. It is also not a bad idea to take the family traditions you like from a friend or a work colleague. Finding your own family traditions are so important and it is vital that you practice the ones that will bond your family for life.