Happy Sunday, readers! Chris and I are living the bleary-eyed but wonderful newborn days with baby David. He sleeps pretty well, and he is a content baby- except during diaper changes, which he hates!
Today, I am excited to introduce you to our Spotlight Couple for February, The Augensens! I connected with Theresa through Facebook, as we are both new Catholic bloggers hoping to help one another navigate this journey. Be sure to check out Theresa’s blog at https://impracticalpineapple.com/blog/ to learn more about everything from cutting pineapples to building friendship with the Saints! But first, let’s learn a little about her, her husband, Bobby, and their son, Isaac.
1. Tell us your story.
At the beginning of 2017, I was in a convent in Ohio, and Billy was a seminarian in Florida. In the Fall of that year, a few months after I had left the convent, I moved to Florida after a nationwide job search. It was at my new parish that I met Billy, who was still a seminarian. At the end of the year, Billy discerned out of seminary. Not long after, and much to our surprise, God brought us together again and we started dating. We agreed to take it slowly and carefully; God had other plans! Just 4 months later we were engaged, and on January 19, 2019 we got married! During our time of engagement, we found a new parish to call home. About 6 months after getting married, we bought our house in St. Petersburg, Florida, and then the day after we closed on the house, we found out we were expecting our first child. Our adorable little boy, Isaac Jude, is now over 10 months old and enjoys wreaking havoc everywhere! While 2020 brought many challenges with raising a new baby and navigating job changes, we can look back and see the blessings God has given us and look forward to whatever comes next.
2. What do you two like to do together?
We love going to the zoo together, and now it’s even more fun with Isaac! Billy and I also enjoy taking walks around our neighborhood where there are lots of birds and turtles. We have a lot of fun training together at a ninja gym (like American Ninja Warrior) when pandemics don’t get in the way.
3. What does your domestic church look like?
In our house, we have set aside one of the extra rooms as a “prayer room” for both family and individual prayer. We have a small altar set up, along with various saint statues and religious art. The Liturgy of the Hours is one of our favorite prayers to say together, though we are not always consistent. While right now our prayer life is disorganized, we do always pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be with Isaac before he goes to bed. We are working to get our prayer lives back on track, both individually and as a family, as holiness is a journey.
4. What was a trial you faced in your marriage? How did you handle it?
Before getting married, I usually had no problem getting out of bed right when my alarm went off. Billy, on the other hand, needed two alarms, the second of which was very loud and obnoxious, and even then, was slow getting out of bed. We did not realize how different our alarm systems were until we got married. I adapted to Billy’s alarm system, but quickly realized it would not work because the second alarm made me mad in the mornings. So then we cut out that second alarm, and it was okay until we were both having troubles getting out of bed in the mornings. Without us even realizing, frustration and tension was building, until one day it bubbled to the surface. After each of us talking about our frustrations and our alarm needs/desires, we decided it would be best for each of us to set our own alarm. That experience taught us that it’s always better to get any frustrations and annoyances out in the open and to talk our way through conflicts.
5. If you could give one piece of advice to a newly married couple, what would it be?
Talk about alarm clocks! Talk about little habits each of you has, recognize that you will do some things differently from your spouse, but if you talk about it, you can usually find a compromise.
6. This month’s Church Teaching post talks about our mission as Christian families to be communities of life and love. What is one thing you and your spouse do to strengthen the community bond within your family?
To strengthen the community bond in our marriage, we have made it a point to pursue common interests and passions together, and to encourage each other in pursuing our own individual passions.
I hope you enjoyed meeting this sweet family. I love how they recognize that “holiness is a journey” and we are in it together with our spouse! If YOU would like to be a Spotlight Couple on the blog soon, send me an e-mail or drop a comment below!
