April 19, 2007

  • a weekend to remember



    Because it's even more important to work on the relationship than the wedding planning, Mr. Eggplant and I are going to a three-day marriage conference this weekend. It's called "    A Weekend to Remember" and it's hosted by Family Life, an organization that focuses on guidance for the most important matters of family life: marriage, parenting, and other real-life issues; with the goal of preserving the sanctity of marriage and family. It'll be good for us to have some guidance since marriage will be a drastic life-change for us because we don't currently live together.

    I know that deep, intimate relationships take a lot of work. I expecting that marriage will bring out both the worst and best, in Mr. Eggplant and I. I'm sure we'll disagree, argue, and make-up a million times. But we've both agreed that divorce won't be an option for us and marriage itself is worth preserving.

    Mr. Mr. Eggplant and I also attended a pre-marital counseling session a month ago with our pastor. Did you know that the top issues that couples fight about are:
    1. Money
    2. Sex
    3. Career
    4. Child Rearing
    5. Housework

    Mr. Eggplant I have talked about these topics quite often (especially money), and here's what we've come up with:

    1. Money: Mr. Eggplant     and I have very different money philosophies. He's conservative and practical. I'm definitely impulsive and spend quite a bit more than he does. I know the bulk of our conflicts will revolve around this subject. But I can also say that since we've been together, I've learned to adopt more of his money-saving tendencies (which are much more conservative than my shopoholic habits, so this is probably a good thing).
    2. Career: I don't have an urge to climb to the top of the corporate ladder, so hopefully this won't be a big issue for us. I'd happily be a stay-at-home mom (and have a side wedding business ) if Mr. Eggplant's     income permits me not to work. But right now my work hours are longer than his, so if I don't adjust my schedule, I can see this growing into a hot topic. I mean, who's going to feed him if I don't come home? Also, there's a good chance that we'll need relocate to another area when he goes back to school for an advanced degree and I may be reluctant to move.
    3. Housework: I predict this will be another hot topic. Mr. Eggplant is a germaphobe while my motto is, "If God made dirt...". I can go without doing laundry for a month. But that might also be because I have a department store's worth of clothing in my closet. So far he's agreed to wash the dishes and take out the trash if I clean the bathrooms (toilets, tubs, sinks)... Hmmm... who thinks he's getting the better end of the deal?

    The conference this weekend will be good preparation for us. If you're interested, they hold conferences     across the nation. 

    I'll tell you how it goes!