Hi there! Third Sunday of the month means we get to meet a modern day couple trying to live out their own Holier Matrimony. Our very first Spotlight Couple will be… my husband, Chris, and myself! I promise we aren’t full of ourselves. I just want to introduce us a bit more to all of you, and I also wanted to give my future Spotlight Couples an example to follow when they write up their own answers in the coming months. So without further ado… The Story of Us.
- Tell us your story.
Chris and I met at a Halloween costume party hosted by the local chapter of the Knights of Columbus while we were in school at James Madison University in VA. By some crazy coincidence (or God’s sense of humor), Chris was dressed as Batman, and I was dressed as Catwoman! We dated somewhat long-distance for a year and a half after we graduated and settled into post-college life.
On a rainy Tuesday afternoon, Chris showed up in the parking lot of the school where I was teaching and proposed. I had been ready to marry him for months already, so of course I said yes! Our year of engagement and even the first two months of our marriage continued to be long distance, but our April 2016 wedding was beautiful and so much fun. In the seven years since then, we have moved with the Coast Guard to the Miami, FL area, and then to northeastern NC, and had three children: a daughter named Ellie (6) and then two sons named Jack (4) and David (2). It has been a busy few years, but we have had fun and grown together through it all!
- What do you two like to do together?
With young kids at home, we don’t get out too often, but Chris and I enjoy watching sitcoms like The Office and Frasier together after the kids’ bedtime. We also love playing board games with friends and exploring new places when we get the chance.
- What does your domestic church look like?
It’s important to us to go to Sunday Mass as a family, even though that can mean a little bit of chaos! I try to pray the Rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy out loud when I am driving with the kids in the backseat so they hear and will slowly learn the prayers. For the past two Advents, we have done the Jesse Tree ornaments and associated readings with the kids, and that has been a wonderful experience for us all!
- What was a trial you faced in your marriage? How did you handle it?
I get pretty bad morning sickness in the early weeks of my pregnancies. This past summer with this third baby, I was basically out of commission and unhappy for almost three months. There were definitely times when I felt like Chris was insensitive to how miserable I was; on the flip side, there were also times he felt frustrated and exhausted having to pick up my slack after coming home from a long, taxing day at work. Chris learned that it helped me a lot when he would commiserate and give me a little break- “I’m sorry you feel gross. Why don’t you go lie down for a bit?” Meanwhile, I tried to find other sources than just him to rely on when I needed help, so that he wouldn’t be completely overwhelmed: I bought more microwaveable meals, picked up food at restaurants a little more often, and had a few friends help out, too.
- If you could give one piece of advice to a newly married couple, what would it be?
When it’s time to make an important decision, try not to even let yourself settle on a preference until you have REALLY listened to your spouse and to God.
- This month’s post on Church teaching relates to how marriage and family life reflects the nature of God. What is something you have personally learned about God’s nature through your marriage/ family?
I never really understood how God could go from punishing His disobedient children with poisonous, biting snakes, to relenting and delivering them to a beautiful promised land flowing with milk and honey a few verses later… until I had toddlers.
Hope this helped you get to know Chris and me a bit more! Do YOU want to be a future Spotlight Couple here on the blog? Comment below or send me an e-mail!
