In honor of Jim and me celebrating our 31st anniversary, I am giving away a free copy of Awaken Love: The Truth About Sex that will Transform Your Marriage. To enter the drawing, comment below about a favorite anniversary memory and I will draw a name on Oct 8th.
Our Anniversary
My husband has always been so sweet about our anniversary. Just this morning he left a beautiful bouquet and a homemade card for me. And I am sure that we will have amazing sex tonight. But our anniversary often leads me to remember just how much my feelings about sex have changed over the years.
With 4 daughters and our extended family living across the country, we rarely got away for an overnight to celebrate our anniversary. Usually we ate a nice dinner with the kids, exchanged cards and I tried to get myself excited for sex that night.
I remember one year in particular when my parents were in town to watch the kids. Jim was so excited to reserve a room in a nice Bed and Breakfast. All I could think was that he would expect sex. I felt resentful and bitter because I thought I needed to give something in return.
Really, it’s sad. I don’t think Jim had any idea that I felt that way because I never talked to him. Bitter and resentful I thought “You think you are doing all of this for me, but really you just want sex.” Which of course was a lie.
I feel bad that I didn’t have the courage to talk to him. But more than that, I feel bad that I did not understand the truth about sex. How might life have been different if I started out marriage by taking an Awaken Love class?
Engaged Edition Coming Soon!
That’s one of the reasons that this year, Jim and I sat down and recorded a 40-minute video called Awaken Love Engaged Edition. Packed with God’s truth, discussion questions, and tips to understand each other, couples can use the videos on their own, or pastors can supplement premarital counseling. The Engaged Video will be available this month as we update the website to prepare for husband’s video coming next Spring.
My Favorite Anniversary Memory
So what is my favorite Anniversary memory? Hands down – having sex on a moving train. But this year we go on a river cruise… so who knows what will happen. Don’t forget to comment about your favorite anniversary memory to enter the Book give away drawing.
If you have been enjoyed my new book Awaken Love: The Truth About Sex that will Transform your Marriage Bed, help spread the word by sharing on Facebook, or leave a Review on Amazon.
The Author
Thanks for sharing your favorite anniversary Ruth! My husband and I have been married for 6 years. My favorite anniversary memory with my husband was the year after we got married. We were living in Italy at the time and we spent the week in the beautiful Tremiti Islands. We spent the day snorkeling and swimming in the sea, ate the most delicious and fresh sea food for dinner, went on a romantic walk through the piazza after dinner hand-in-hand. We didn’t have a care in the world and were really able to shut the world out and really just enjoy each other.
Sounds lovely
Hi Ruth,
First of all happy 31st anniversary to you and Jim! My favorite and most memorable anniversary was our 20th. Since we were married so young (16 and 17 in 1982) we could not afford a wedding. On our 20th anniversary our church blessed us with a vow renewal ceremony and a honeymoon! It was beautiful! There was not a dry eye in the house (including mine). There was something very heartfelt about repeating our vows “for better and for worse, till death do us part” after experiencing a lot of tough times in the first 20 years. This year, on November 24, we celebrate 36 years. We have 3 grown children 36, 32 and 31 and 8 grandchildren. I am 53 and my wife is 52 years old.
Wow! What an amazing story. Thank you for sharing.
I agree with Ruth—that’s an amazingly beautiful story, and wonderful to see the church community wrap themselves around you and support and lift you two up. Congratulations on 36 years.
Here’s to many more!
The most recent was just like yours. On a train coming home from a family reunion in Chicago.
Wooh!! Woooooh!
This October 20ht we celebrate our 17. One of my favorite anniversaries was when my parents watched the kids, we got a hotel room, had a great diner and a concert. Was a wonderful time to get away. Since then we try to get away when we can.
Nothing like getting away from the kids for a few days. Especially when my husband does the planning.
I really wish I had a favorite anniversary memory…we have been married for 15 years and it’s been rough. But I look forward to the future and all that God will do to bring healing and restoration. We are both committed to “death do we part”, and we want our marriage to start being all God indented it to be. If you could do kindly, please pray for us Ruth. This site is helping me take baby steps. ?
God,
We praise you for the baby steps, and we ask you for more! Renew intimacy, release healing, and bring freedom for Netty’s marriage.
My favorite anniversary memory was getting away to a little bed and breakfast that’s about an hour away. We had so much time alone to just talk, relax, recoup and enjoy each other. My parents took the kids and we were able to fully let go of anything stressing us out at the moment. We are actually headed to the same bed and breakfast this weekend as a celebration of following Dave Ramsey’s steps to become debt free! And so my parents will have the girls again while we get away, celebrate and relax together!
Praise God for parents that help young couples reconnect and celebrate!
Happy Anniversary!
My wife and I could really use this book. 🙁
Congratulations, Ruth & Jim on #31! That’s wonderful. Blessings!
My hope is that my upcoming anniversary will be the best memory. My bride and I will be celebrating our 25th later this month, but we’re getting way to the tropics—just the two of us—for a few days to celebrate and commune in November. I don’t think our experience is vastly different from others in the ‘sandwich years’—many anniversaries came and went in a blink of a day as we tended to our three boys on one side and our aging parents on the other. With The LORD calling our parents home and our boys old enough to care for themselves for a few days (meaning that empty-nesthood is just over the horizon), my bride and I are investing in ourselves and our marriage with intention this anniversary (which is a nice big milestone number to boot!).
Lest a forecast disqualify me, I’d say my fondest is #24 last year: With similar intention my bride and I escaped to a B&B just down the California coast. Sunsets, sea lions, sea gulls, lovely dinners, power intimate communions, and just being a couple, just married and not married-with-kids for a weekend. Divine!
Love it! Thank you for sharing.
Definitely an overnight get-away surprise my husband gifted me with our first year of marriage. It was so peaceful and special — even with our little tag along 3-month-old:)
Hi Ruth,
I rented a nice hotel room downtown and had champagne and chocolate covers strawberries waiting for my wife. She relaxed for a little while and I met her there after work. We had an amazing dinner at the Oceanair, a romantic horse and buggy ride under some blankets with wine and finished off the night with some fun in the hotel room!
Still looking forward to doing the horse and buggy ride sometime – in the summer.
We are just at 8 yrs, but for our 5 year we went on a wonderful vacation and conceived our first child. It was a true blessing to share that week together away from the stress of life.
What a memory you made on your vacation.
My tenth anniversary is in November. I feel like I’m still in the “before” part of your story, but I’d like to be in the passionate “after” part you describe. I keep a drawer with our anniversary cards in it. The words of love we’ve shared are so precious to me.
Be encouraged, that if you are reading here, then God is working on your marriage. Praying that God awakens you to His amazing gift and that you discover an intimacy you never dreamed possible.
Happy 31st from a couple celebrating their 32nd today! Our favorite anniversary memory was when we cheated….not that kind of cheating…..she drives a school bus and I work for a heating contractor, and October is bread and butter season for us, so we took our 30th anniversary trip in August. We went to Niagara Falls, Ontario. We have wanted to go since we were dating but never had the chance to (or the money to) until 2016. It was worth the wait. We spurged for a room overlooking the Canadian falls, opened the windows on our 8th floor suite, and used the falls as the backdrop for a wonderfully unforgettable night ?
Sounds amazing. We went to Niagara in Sept and loved it, but made the mistake to stay on the US side. Next time, I am going for a hotel high up and overlooking the falls like you. Happy Anniversary
For our 10th anniversary I made my wife pack a suitcase with no idea where she was going. I told her possible weather and suggested clothing (lingerie and other goodies also). As we were walking to board the plane she finally saw the destination on the display…. New York City. We stayed in a 5 star hotel and flew a helicopter around Manhattan and ate amazing food at amazing restaurants! Of course lots of fun time in the room too. I’ll never forget and I’m sure she won’t either. Super fun.
Wow! Your wife is one lucky lady.
Hi Ruth Mel and I have been married 33 year this past August. One of our favorite anniversaries was going away to stay in a converted railway carriage included an outdoor bath under the star. Very romantic. Such wonderful memories made
Sounds super cool
Happy Anniversary!
Our favorite anniversary would be our 10th. Dropped off our 4 young children at their uncle and aunt and headed for Europe. 7 days in Italy and 7 days in Southern Spain. There is something about those 2 countries that is incredibly romantic, specially in Spring.
Sounds amazing. How fortunate to get away for that long.
Our 10th anniversary was my favorite so far. We went to Mexico but honestly it wasn’t even the destination that stands out, it was how much we could relax and reconnect without littles in the next room or by our side over the long weekend. The sun & pool didn’t hurt, either. 🙂
Yeah, just getting away makes a huge difference – especially to a warm place.
Thank you for sharing all of your amazing anniversary memories. I am excited to announce that AHG was the winner of the book give away. Ruth
Hi Ruth! Our anniversary is June 10th, and in our second year of marriage our daughter was born on June 11th- so we have NEVER celebrated an anniversary. After taking Awaken Love we learned how important it is to make time for each other. We also decided to change when we celebrate our anniversary. In a few weeks we are going up north for 4 nights while grandma loves on our children. We are so excited to have that much time to focus on each other and try some new things! Thanks for your ministry.
Hope you have a wonderful time together celebrating God making you into one.
Ruth
My husband planned a trip up to Northern Minnesota to a BnB where we had separate cute little cabins and then ate together with other couples in an old train car breakfast that was all homemade, farm to table ingredients. I loved it because we were in our own cabin and didn’t have to worry about being loud during sex. I’m into organic foods and health and the food was such a fun part because he really thought of how much I would love the farm to table food. Also, I love junk, thrift stores, and re purposed stuff and he planned a day of just browsing through different stores in the area as we ate and munched along the way at different places. This weekend was such a treat and special 20th Anniversary and I didn’t plan a thing, he planned everything that he knew I loved and enjoy. We had a great weekend. We were going to make this place an annual place but the couple who ran it were selling their property and moving so we were the last group of couples that were going to be served. Boohoo…but I’m sure glad we got to enjoy it once!
Love that your husband knows you that well! Thanks for sharing.
Ruth
For several years in a row, we’ve been blessed to have the kids stay with friends or family, so that we could go on a wine tasting getaway weekend. It’s now one of my favorite traditions! We didn’t get to go this year because of a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel with our kids. That has l such a blessing, but I still miss the getaway tradition and am looking forward to getting back to it! It’s so connecting to get away together for a few days to relax and enjoy time together with wine, beautiful scenery and no distractions!
What a great way to relax and getaway!