Robert and Hannah

Married 15 years

Robert and I met at an Institute of Religion Family Home Evening gathering in October of 1993. It was my freshman year of college and I think I only attended two of the weekly meetings. The first meeting I went with my roommates. It was a big gathering where we played group games. Unbeknownst to me I had caught a young man’s attention, but he never approached me that night.

The following week, I attended my second Family Home Evening group activity. This time I was on my own, since my roommates couldn’t attend. There were only a few people there that night, and I sat next to a good-looking young man. It happened to be the same young man who had noticed me the week before. His name was Robert.

We played UNO together and hit it off right away. We teamed up on the other players and flirted throughout the night. He called me a few days later and asked me out. I wasn’t sure who he was, but suspected it was the same guy and said yes.

I had to work the night he wanted to go out, so we decided to go out after I got off work. This meant going to the midnight movie of Sleepless in Seattle. I then asked Robert over to our house for a dinner with my roommates and other friends a few days later. We began dating and continued for the next eight months. We got married July 1994.

How We Strengthen Our Marriage

With four children, work, and all the things life brings, we have to continually work at our marriage. Some of the things we do to strengthen our marriage are:

• talking through problems,
• finding time to spend together even if it is only a five minute run to the store,
• having a private e-mail account to send little notes to each other,
• texting or calling each other on work breaks,
• having scheduled alone time,
• going on dates,
• sharing articles we find on marriage, and
• working at greeting each other with a hug and a kiss when we get home.

We have now been married for 14½ trying, glorious, overwhelming, loving years and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

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This is one of the “How We Met” stories featured here on “Laura’s Strengthening Marriage Blog.” You can enter to win a Romantic Getaway to The Anniversary Inn by sending us a favorite photo of you and your spouse, and/or a wedding or engagement photo, by Saturday, February 14th, 2009. Tell us the story of how you met, how many years you’ve been married, plus something you do to strengthen your marriage (500 words or less). Send your photo and story here.

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