1. Have multiple computers in the house.  It is so much easier for when you both need to work on school stuff or keep with the latest new story or blog post.  Set aside some time for computer related activities each night or on some sort of schedule.  My wife uses our laptop and I use my desktop downstairs.  It works out great.  We seem happier than if we are each nagging on each other for the computer.
2. Take pictures of memorable events with a digital camera. I posted earlier about taking cool, untraditional wedding pictures.  These tips can be applied to your everyday life as well.  Take pictures of fun events or funny events.  Photos last a long time in their digital form.  Make sure you back them up because it can be devastating if you have a hard drive fail on your computer.
3. The electric crock pot. Seriously, this thing rocks in our house.  Throw some meat in it with some potatoes and carrots and you will have a meal with little to no work.  Stress free cooking for the both of us.  Plus your house can smell great if you let it slow cook over night.
4. New dishwashers rock.  We still have the first one we ever bought but it still is sweet.  We will be buying another one someday.  This takes away the stress of doing the dishes by hand.  I do not think I could ever go with out one again.

There are plenty more ideas for how technology makes the world and marriages go around.  I am sure I will follow up with other posts on the subject.  Feel free to leave comments on how you see technology applying to marriage.

We bought our Wii when they first came out. It was so much fun to play the free game that came with it. We played every night and we had a riot. I felt like I was twelve years old again. We were competitive and that was OK. Some couples can have problems with too much competition. Being competitive and having fun can turn a cold winter’s night or a rainy day into a fun time with your significant other.

Laughter is the medicine that soothes the soul. I was attracted to B for her fun laugh and sense of humor. Playing the Wii will generate a ton of laughter. We plan on buying some more games when the new Mario Kart and Mario game come out later this year.

We also enjoy having other couples over to play the Wii. We can play team tennis with them and have an awesome time. Some couples will want to buy the gaming console because they had so much fun with their significant other. I feel that video games on the Wii can now include more people than just young kids.

An article in the Chicago Tribune talks about Nintendo Wii’s finding themselves in retirement homes:

A lot of grandparents are being taught by their grandkids. But, now, some grandparents are instead teaching their grandkids.

The Wii has become so popular at Sedgebrook that on Sunday afternoon there will be a video game bowling tournament in the lounge. More than 20 residents have signed up to compete.

“We’ll even have a fan for people to dry their hands before they bowl,” said Dierbach, head of Sedgebrook’s entertainment committee.

If the retirees in Lincolnshire are any proof, video games are no longer just kids’ play.

My Grandma played Wii Bowling over Christmas and enjoyed it. She laughed harder than anybody in the room.

This is proof that video games can generate relationships and also strengthen them through a sense of fun and community with both couples, friends, and all ages.

I can spend hours and hours on the computer. It can range from messing with php to playing with image editing to reading about politics to basically everything else. I have to be in the mood for certain stuff though. I spent a lot of time messing with the computer at college. I could stay on the computer for 5 or 6 hours and it would feel like 20 minutes would go by to me. It is still like that today. I don’t spend that much time on the computer unless B is away doing something else and doesn’t care.

We would frequently have conversations like the following…(Anything in single quotes is me in “Mental la la land”)

B: How much longer will you be on the computer tonight?
Me: ‘…uh…hmm…cool…’ oh, you want me upstairs?
B: Yes, How much longer until you are done?
Me: I just want to finish this one last thing.
B: So 5 or 10 minutes?
Me:’…so close…man…hmmm….’ oh, sorry. What did you say?
B: SO, 5 OR 10 MORE MINUTES?
Me: Yeah, I think so.

The 5 or 10 minutes would zing by faster than road runner outrunning the coyotes trap. It would turn into 30 minutes, 1 hour, hour and a half. She would get mad at me and yell downstairs asking if I was done. It would hit me that I have gone way over the time I told her. I always feel bad! Always! I never did it on purpose or anything. I think I suffer from NADD which is Nerd Attention Deficiency Disorder.

It always bothers B when I spend too much time on the computer. She knows it is a necessary evil of my field of work and all but it still bothers her. I know one of her needs is quality time and love. I need to figure out how to balance it all out and make time for everything. How hard is that? I am spending even more time doing less of what I “really” want to be doing on the computer now that I am in Grad School for my Masters. I have to read a lot and do a whole bunch of papers. There has to be a happy medium where I can fulfill my need for computer time and where I can fulfill B’s need for time with me.

What do all of you do to deal with this type of issue? It can be an issue with your wife, girlfriend, fiancé, mother, dog, roommate,…etc. How do you manage time for yourself and then others? Please leave a comment below or send me a comment privately. Make it a great day!

B and I drove to an informational meeting at The University of Phoenix. I have been looking heavily at getting my Masters Degree for the last 2 or so years. I looked around locally and there wasn’t too much to choose from. I had been reading and hearing about the University of Phoenix for some time. I also had been getting information from Cappella University. The University of Phoenix is for full time working adults who want to keep working full time and earn a degree at the same time. B and I were really impressed with the U of Phoenix.

I was glad that I brought B with me to see the informational meeting. It really inspired her to want me to go for it. I think she even said when we were walking to the car that she wanted to get her Masters degree just because of the meeting and how the degree is earned. The U of Phoenix pioneered online education even before there was the World Wide Web. I love innovation! It would have been hard to go to that meeting by myself and then come home and try to sell it to B if it was what I wanted to do.

That is a key thing that I have been learning throughout our relationship and our first year of marriage. I need to communicate my feelings and wants and needs to my wife all the time so she can get a feel for me and help me with critical decisions. I love being married! B is so understanding and loving. She puts up with me when I lay in bed and talk myself to sleep about how I can start my own business or how I can be the best business person I can be. I am so driven to aim high and go for it all! She always tells me that she doesn’t work that way or think about business stuff like I do. She puts up with it and encourages me to think and do what I can to make my self a better person.

She totally wants me to get my Master of Business Administration/Technology Management. I am so happy! I am trying to decide when I want to start. I need to pray over that decision to see if it is truly God’s desire for me. We always need to ask God for our direction in life. He has it all mapped out. Step by step, day by day, decision by decision. He gives us the freedom to choose our own path and he knows what we will choose even before we choose it. Please keep my wife and I in your prayers and ask God for guidance for us! He has great things in store for each and every one of us! God bless! Make it a great day!

My wife (B) and I started this site because our faith and relationship is the foundation of our marriage. Our love for each other, of course, is the cement that holds it all together. We want to share our thoughts, ideas, and stories with you with our hope being that you will benefit from our experiences and apply them in your life.

Technology is apart of our lives as well. It is there by default because I work with it everyday and I am obsessed with all that is technology. Technology will make for some good stories because it is a sensitive subject in our marriage. There will be a lot more to come from that and all other topics here on BrauchTalk. Welcome and make it a great day!