THE SECRET TO MARRIAGE

Today is mine and Joe’s 30th anniversary!!! WOW, that is a long time! I have been married to Joe for over half of my life. When an anniversary comes around, it is always a time of reflection. I think about the good times and the bad times, the laughter and the tears, and what we would change if we could.When you have been married for a long period of time you have a LOT of history. There are all kinds of private jokes and stories that only the two of you know about. Certain words or phrases will send Joe and me into laughing fits. But, what would I consider the secret to marriage? I think it is the small things that matter the most. Small random acts of kindness and love will far outweigh a diamond ring in my book. Money does not equal love, buying me items doesn’t mean as much to me as a little random act. Encouraging me to travel to Las Vegas, without him, was a gesture of love. Joe HATES with a passion for me to travel, so this was a HUGE gesture. He loves golfing, so this year he arranged for me to have some clubs so that I could start going with him in the afternoons. I try to get my blog posts done as quickly as possible so that I can spend some quality time with him at night. And recently I have started sleeping without a fan so that he could sleep better. This was a HUGE gesture on my part. It boils down to a few things, love, kindness, forgiveness, laughter, and the willingness to change. Nothing ever stays the same and you have to be flexible. Our marriage is not perfect and there are things that I would change if I could go back in time. However, the one thing that I would not change is the decision to marry Joe?I bought this dress/tunic a couple weeks ago. I attended a trunk show at a friends house and bought a couple of items. Here is another one I bought. She posted this dress on her Facebook page, and I knew I had to have it. The color of blue and the lace on the bodice and sleeves just reached out to me. As soon as I arrived I started scanning the clothing racks to see if I could locate the dress. She had brought one dress in each size. I found it and grabbed the large, which is the size I would normally get in most clothing, but in boutique clothes the sizes can run small. I held it up to me and it looked like it would fit so I continued shopping. In a few minutes, I heard a lady ask if there were any more sizes in overstock. They said there were a few things, what was she looking for, and she held up this dress saying that she needed a large. Whoops! I knew I needed to get there early. Lol! This floral lace dress has a label that reads Easel.

I chose a really pretty set from Plunder for my jewelry. I wanted something shorter to fit in the v-neck of the dress, so I picked the Rosalie. This necklace is an art deco style necklace with pearls and accents of blue and pink. The matching earrings are the Margaret. Remember that I am offering 10% off any order over 50.00 (excluding the taxes and shipping) I will send you a check. The first refund checks have been mailed, and I will put another round of checks in the mail on Tuesday. To place an order, go to www.plunderdesign.com/party/ts. I only have on one bracelet and it is from Stella and Dot. This is a retired cuff that I bought a couple years ago.

I have a pair of navy leggings on that I bought at Old Navy and my 3/4 length boots c/0 Rialto. Here is how I wore them the last time. These are called the Coras Tobacco Boot and they also come in black.My purse is one that I bought at the overstock store in town. This one was in need of some repairs which took all of 3 minutes to fix. This is a really nice Python print in brown by GILI.

Marriage is never easy and if you think it is, then you haven’t been married very long. Lol! However, I would still have flown out to Tarrant County Texas and gotten married by Judge Valdez, even if I had known everything that was going to happen down the road. Joe and I need to take a road trip back to Texas and eat at BoBo’s Chinese restaurant, that was our first meal as newlyweds. Hahaha

10% off any Rodan and Fields order over 50.00 (excluding the taxes and shipping) I will send you a check. Sign up as a Preferred Customer and you will receive 10% off any order over 80.00 plus free shipping and handling. Add my extra 10% off, and you will be getting your products for a total of 20% off. That is CRAZY!!!! To place and order or look at some of the products, go to www.tstephens5.myrandf.com. If you have been wondering about these products and would like to hear more, email me. I was going to share some before and after photos, but they were so incredible that I was afraid everyone would think they were fake. This company is changing people’s lives! Google before and after shots to see what I mean. I am giving away a full-size Multi-Function Eye Cream from Rodan and Fields for this months giveaway. If you have not already entered the contest, go here to see how to enter.