Happy friday, dear friends. I hope the first week of January is ending spectacularly for you! I know I’ve had a great week relaxing with family and enjoying the 75 degree weather. I definitely did not pack appropriately for this trip (cue all my cute winter sweaters…). Today, I am writing about something that’s been on my mind lately! My husband and I have almost been married 9 months (though it honestly feels like much longer. I love this guy!), and we’ve learned a ton. We made a few resolutions together this year so that we can hold each other accountable and grow as partners. I’m going to be sharing our 10 resolutions for married couples (or significant others).
10 Resolutions For Married Couples
Pray nightly together.
Adam and I share the same faith, and that means we put God first in our marriage. One of our resolutions is to pray every night together. We typically pray at dinner time like most, but we feel it is important to do it before bed. We keep saying we will do it, but keep forgetting. This year we are going to make it a habit that will follow us through the rest of our marriage.
Cook together.
It isn’t a secret that I hate cooking. I really do, and I’m only sub-par at it anyways. My poor husband is often left scrambling when it comes to dinner if we aren’t cooking together. Along with our goal to cut the junk food and eat better in general, we’d like to cook together and maybe find the *cough* joy?? *cough* that so many people have already found. Maybe I’ll finally discover why the vast majority of humans like cooking. It’s definitely more fun with my husband around.
Go on more dates.
We love dating. And yes, we still date. I love love love date nights with A and it’s not just because he cleans up so well in a sweater and jeans. Our resolution this year is to make sure we don’t get caught up in fancy new jobs, life near my family and other things that love to get in the way of marriage. Friday nights are to be reserved for T & A Date Nights from here on out!
Explore St. Louis.
Or — for everyone else, explore the city you live!!! We have just moved to St. Louis and the city is full of exciting things to do. We can’t wait to explore this new city together, finding new places to eat, new activities to do and maybe meet some new people along the way (how do married, adult, not-in-college people make friends again???). I have only been to St. Louis a few times, so I know there will be plenty to occupy us for the coming year. Regardless of where you live, I bet there are things that you haven’t done yet that you want to do. Make it a goal to explore and get out of your comfort zone.
Practice talking positively.
I am queen of complaining, a habit I am actively trying to quit. Our pact to each other is to knock off the negative nancy chatter and start encouraging positivity in our everyday conversations. That doesn’t mean that you can’t vent your frustrations (because what are spouses for amiright?), but try to shift negatives to positives and figure out how you can change the situation. Be each other’s accountability partner in this attempt!
Appreciate each other more.
I am the luckiest wife in the world. Adam is kind, sweet, generous, loving…I could go on and on. But sometimes in the swift pace of life, I forget to tell him how much he means to me in all that he does for our little family. This year our goal is to make sure we remind each other of our appreciation for one another. We are growing together and this is one more way to strengthen that bond.
Work on showing love in each other’s love language.
Just because you show love one way, doesn’t mean your spouse does. That can lead to miscommunication and feeling neglected, among other things. We haven’t really had a problem with this, but we know we can ALWAYS do better. Working on showing love the way the other person BEST perceives it is a great way to keep the romance alive from the get-go.
(ps this picture makes me laugh every. single. time. I have no idea why I was so concerned about the cake??? It was so delicious???)
Go to bed together.
This isn’t always possible (depending on your work schedules). But A and I feel it is super important to do this as much as possible. When we get to bed at the same time, we can snuggle, giggle, talk about our days and whisper quietly to each other. I love that time of night. We can picture the future together and for some reason it seems sweeter when it’s at midnight.
Take time to find an activity for ourselves.
Wait…but you thought this was a list of resolutions for couples, right? SO true. But part of being a couple is the two of you bringing a unique personality to the table. A and I are very different. We don’t have the same hobbies. It is important for us to be able to do some things on our own so we can be 100% together. We like to say we don’t complete each other, we compliment each other. We are two whole people entirely on our own, but we get to have the BEST partner. “Me-Time” can make both of us happier and more pleasant together.
Set common goals together.
We both have dreams for kids, home decorating, future jobs, etc. This year is our time to grow as a couple and establish those goals. We are redoing our home and learning how to meld two different styles together. That is SO fun. Making these goals and deciding on things together is one of my favorite things to do. Time to make that a serious priority.
Well, friends. There you have it.
My 10 Resolutions for Married Couples. I love that I married my best friend. We truly have one of the most wonderful relationships. I am SO LUCKY. But even so, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can be working on to grow and strengthen our marriage. Everyone can do that!
What resolutions did you make with your spouse this year? I’d love to hear them! Leave them in the comments below!
These are all such great ideas and I will definitely be implementing some of them into my resolutions! Go on more dates is definitely something I want to do more of, exploring our city and cooking together!
Shannon
The Bexter Review
Yay!!! I hope this is a perfect year for you and your spouse!
What a beautiful post Taylor, I love seeing the gorgeous photos and also just going through the resolutions and thinking about my marriage. This is something I could use, especially the praying, I tend to pray by myself but last night I actually asked my husband to join me, it was really nice and just that one time made us a bit closer. I will be implementing these tips and I am SO happy for you!!
Courtney Bentley || http://www.courtneyvioletbentley.com
You are SO sweet Courtney!! I love hearing from you. Praying together is really important to us for that exact reason. It brings us closer! I hope you have an amazing year!
I love this post so much! My husband and I have been married for 2 years and sometimes life gets in the way… date nights are so needed! And to stop and really appreciate each other!
xoxo,
Alison
http://prescribedtofashion.com/
I am SO glad you liked it Alison!!!
I didn’t realize you were married, Taylor! Great list! Active communication has been key to the success of my 12-year marriage to my best friend. I love him, and he is truly the best.
That is so amazing Dominique. I am SO happy for you!
Great tips! Love your wedding photos too – you guys are so cute!
You’re too sweet!
Great ideas my husband and I do a few of them (dates, cooking) and I think it is a great way to keep couples close.
Totally agree Jessica!
Fabulous article! Joey & I decided to put away money each month and save it for Christmas to go away somewhere warm with the girls! There’s way too much stress around Christmas ????.
I’d love to see you write a blog (include picture) of your amazing in laws and bring attention to ALS. My mom had MS.
Denise you are so sweet. That is an AMAZING idea to save for Christmas and go away! I totally agree there is too much stress around the holidays! 🙂 And that is a great idea about ALS. 🙂
These are such great resolutions and there is nothing more powerful than prayer.
Cheers, J
http://www.cheersj.com
Thanks Jenna!! 🙂
These are so simple and easy to do! It’s amazing how much we stop doing when we get married, taking for granted the most important person in our lives. These are great ways to strengthen your marriage. I especially love praying everyday. My husband and I have started to do that and we have found that it has helped us in so many ways!
I so agree Katriza!!!
These are great resolutions! My husband and I have different love language so working on showing each other in another person’s love language is definitely my favorite!
Belle | One Awesome Momma
It is SO great when you ca do that for someone else isn’t it???
I love this post and you have really great tips here. I have been married for 17 years and we rarely go on dates anymore. This is something we have resolved to change in 2017. I so agree about showing love in each others’ love languages, if you have different love languages it can really lead to misunderstanding and feeling neglected if your spouse doesn’t learn your language. Thanks for sharing some of your wedding pictures, they are absolutely gorgeous!
Thanks Julie!!! I really appreciate it!
Great ideas- My husband and I could certainly work on gong to bed together- he likes to stay up and watch TV (no TV in our bedroom) and I like to turn in early! Total opposites on that. Thanks for the inspiration. And your wedding photos are gorgeous and you look dynamite.
Amanda you are SO sweet!!!
We really work on the love language thing a lot!
That’s a GREAT one!
Great resolutions for couples. I think the key is just doing things together. Spending time together and making time for one another. That really goes a long way in a relationship.
That is SO true!
It’s so important to appreciate one another. Marriage is not easy and both people have to be committed to making the relationship work.
So sweet! Love the idea of couples resolutions! your wedding photos are beautiful!
Rachel | The Confused Millennial
You’re so sweet! Thanks! 🙂
Love the idea of talking positively. I mean, with your partner or with anyone. I am just trying to be more positive in general! And – the going on more dates is always a WIN!
Yes!! SO true, Karen!
First of all – beautiful photos! And I just love this post. So much grey advice here. My best friend and her husband do a “nines on the ninth” every month where they dress to the nines and go on a date night on the ninth of every month. For a long time my husband and I tried to do it on the second of every month because we got married on 6/2, but then, you know. Life happens! But I’d love to start it back up! Happy New Year!
Stephanie
theblondestyleblog.com
I LOVE THAT IDEA!!! That is AWESOME.
First of all – beautiful photos! And I just love this post. So much great advice here. My best friend and her husband do a “nines on the ninth” every month where they dress to the nines and go on a date night on the ninth of every month. For a long time my husband and I tried to do it on the second of every month because we got married on 6/2, but then, you know. Life happens! But I’d love to start it back up! Happy New Year!
Stephanie
theblondestyleblog.com
I am sharing this with my husband ASAP. I love the idea of couples resolutions. Why work on being better on your own when you can be better together!?
I’m so glad you liked it!!! I TOTALLY agree!!! Working together is always better.
My husband and I sit down every New Years and make goals together and it is seriously so good for us. We work together side by side to have the kind of family we have always wanted!
That is AMAZING, Debra! That is exactly what my husband and I want to do.
Girl, I loved this post so much! Such great resolutions for couples! PS-your wedding pictures are amazing!
xoxo,
Amy
http://www.styleandsequins.com
You’re so sweet! Thank you!
Communication is definitely the key to growing together. Wishing you the same magic you feel at 9 months at 9 years and beyond. 😉
Thanks Roxanne!! 🙂
Love this! The times when we’re talking right before bed are some of the best. I cherish those moments so much.
Me too, Jenny!
So wonderfully written! The first one is the key though. All the rest will come around. So I live in St Louis (St Charles) too! I’ll add you to the Missouri Blogger Women group. Welcome!!
Awesome!!! I live in O’Fallon! Thanks Terri! 🙂
Great tips! I love the Love Language one. After taking that quiz, it really opened up my eyes on what *I* need from a relationship. I definitely need to have my fiancee take it as well!
Yes, you totally do! Knowing what works for you both is key!
These are such great resolutions for a married couple. It can be a bit hard. My husband and I are both super busy and our schedules don’t line up well.
That can be so hard!!!
practice talking positively is a great resolution and speaking from experience it made a huge difference in my relationship. Also I love going to bed together. Even if I end up getting up due to insomnia it’s worth having tried.
Great ideas! My husband and I have been married for 14 years this year, and we have two kids, a teen and tween. It’s so hard to set time for ourselves. Making that a priority in 2017!
Yay so happy for you!
I read this entire blog and I am a single guy but I think this will help me in the future when I am married. I will share it with my future wife someday. I agree with everything I read.
Thanks Scott! I really appreciate it!
These are all really great. We have 7 kids and no one to watch them so our dates dont happen outside the house but this year I want to make a point in having more dates at home when the kids go to bed like we used to!
I think that is great!
Love all of these tips! Your wedding photos are amazing too!
You are so sweet!
I agree that going to bed together is huge. My husband and I are on opposite schedules, so it’s hard for us and I wish we could change it. maybe you guys can take a cooking class together?
That is an AWESOME idea!
Clark and I have always gone to bed together. With the only exception being one of us is out of town. Otherwise, we ALWAYS go to bed together, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We love to cook together too! But I did see someone say something about taking a cooking class together, I LOVE that idea!!!
I love that idea too!! You guys are like the perfect couple!
I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE. Every. single. one.
Also your wedding pics are completely the bomb dot com.
Coming Up Roses
THANKS SO MUCH. I can’t wait to hear about Mexico!
Not only is your post beautiful, I love how you’ve put in thoughtful advice along with the fun playful wedding pictures 🙂
Thanks Deb!!! I am so glad you liked it!
These are all great resolutions for married couples. My husband and I definitely need to work on going on more dates together.
That is so important!
Never thought of that, to create Resolutions as a couple. It’s a great idea. Going on more dates and appreciating each other is definitely so important!
I totally agree!
You are so beautiful! The wedding dress is stunning and your hubby looks so handsome. My favorite take home from you is — go on more dates! With three kids at home – date time is crucial for my husband and I! I love your wedding pictures. My husband and I got married in the Bountiful Utah Temple. Best wishes to you in 2017!
xo Debbie | http://www.tothineownstylebetrue.com
I love that! What a gorgeous temple!!! 🙂 I love seeing my fellow LDS ladies on the blogging scene! 🙂
Taylor, these are so great! While Brad and I aren’t married yet, we have been together for 4 years and these are great resolutions to have. It’s also a great way for us to connect stronger before our wedding this year.
Yes! SO true lexi! I am sure your wedding will be beautiful!
These all great for newlyweds. But I can’t get over your wedding photos. They’re so beautiful.
Thank you SO MUCH, Jasmine!!! 🙂 We had a stellar photographer!
I love the idea of cooking together more. My husband used to travel for work and cooking together has been our favorite now that he’s home. It’s such a fun thing to do together.
It is the only way I will cook!!!
This is a great list and I agree that it’s so important! My husband and I try to do everything we can together and it’s made the difference in our relationship. I think the most important one on your list is to go on more dates and activities together. There’s nothing like spending some quality time with your sweetheart, keeping in touch with each other in the midst of your crazy life.
Love your wedding photos and you picked a beautiful temple!