Not long after I married my husband, Geoff, we moved to Chicago, so that he could attend medical school. We met a couple at church (not the Smiths pictured here) who had been married 8 years. I remember thinking, “8 Years! What must that be like?” I couldn’t fathom EIGHT years—that seemed like eons away. And now here we are, we’ve been at this marriage thing for nearly thirty years and it seems like a flash in the pan. In this episode I’m joined by my husband and our very good friends, The Smiths—Randy and Diane (pictured here). Not long after we were settled in Chicago, I got a call from Diane. They had had plans to move to California, so Randy could make working with his brother-in-law an official position, but they found themselves living in the corporate apartment on the north shore of Lake Michigan. We were already fast friends so this was news that was as delightful as it was unexpected. We spent about four years together in the windy city and it was during those years that our friendship as couples—and future families was solidified.

In this episode, we all sit down together to reminisce and to talk marriage. We discuss topics and questions submitted by friends and followers via Instagram.

Here are the QUESTIONS discussed in this episode:

From Karen: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve experienced in your marriage and how have you overcome them?

From Cheryl: What advice do you have for empty nesters and (almost) empty nesters?

From Karen: Do you have ideas and insights for Newlyweds?

From Roberta: Me time? Family Time? Us Time? How do you balance it all?

We have several additional questions that we chatted around, so there’s definitely the possibility of a round two—stay tuned—and let me know if that is something that you would enjoy.

I’m not sure it was super clear in this episode that Diane has recently received her license as a Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California. Visit her website. So, while we are not experts, we do have a trained therapist in our circle and she brings a great deal of expertise to our conversation.

To learn more about Tracey Clark’s Picture Nature class, click HERE and use the EXACTLYENOUGH promo code to save $20 at checkout.

Learn more about the song Love & Marriage, sung Frank Sinatra