BrauchTalk

M and I recently celebrated our one year anniversary in July. Before the big day came, we discussed what we were going to do for one another as far as gifts. I was pretty nervous about trying to find a suitable gift for M. A one year anniversary is a big thing, and I wanted to get him something really special. I think M was pretty much in the same boat as me. So finally after talking about our plans, we decided that instead of buying gifts for each other, we would go away for the weekend and celebrate by just having time with each other. And what was even better was that I had no say in any of it. M planned a surprise weekend getaway for our one year anniversary, and it was the best thing we could have done!

It’s hard to believe that M was able to keep a secret from me for as long as he did. Usually he’s the one who can’t wait to open Christmas presents, so we open them a week early. When he gets excited about something, he usually wants to tell me right away. So when the day came we were leaving for our anniversary trip, and I still hadn’t heard a peep about what we were doing, I was pretty impressed. The only thing M had informed me was that I would never be able to guess one of the activities he had planned. It was so exciting to be going somewhere and have no clue about where we were going to stay and what we were going to do.

We drove a couple hours to our first destination, and M was right, I never would have guessed what we would be doing! He had planned a three hour segway tour around our destination city. To be honest, I was really skeptical at first. I knew M was Mr. Technology and it didn’t surprise me the activity he had planned. But soon after we got comfortable on our segways and touring the city, it turned out to be such a blast! We drove on bike trails around the river, crossed bridges, toured a little bit of the city, and had a little off-roading time. It was so much fun! Afterwards, I had to apologize to M for being a little unsure about the whole segway thing, because it turned out to be a great time. It was one of those things that I would never choose to do for myself, but M broke me out of my comfort zone and I actually found it to be enjoyable. It was really fun being able to enjoy a new experience together. Continue reading ‘A Memorable One Year Anniversary’

It’s tough enough being a college student, but trying to find a balance between homework, working a part-time job, and having time for your spouse is even harder. It feels that the older I get, the more stretched out I feel. I’ve got a finger in everything that’s going on around me, and trying to take care of my obligations at the same time. I am partially writing this post for selfish reasons. I want to write out a personal plan to follow so I can make it through the school year and still be employed and happily married at the end of it. So if you’re in the same boat as me, let’s compare notes and make this busy time in our lives run as smoothly as possible.

My plan for my relationship: My relationship with M, first and foremost, has to be kept Number One. I never want a piece of homework or a call from work to take priority over him. I’m not saying it’s okay to skip studying for a final just to watch a TV show with him, but time with each other is important to me. And I’m not saying I’m going to the extreme of making a literal schedule in which I have to pencil him in. That’s kind of weird, if you ask me. I just want to be sensitive to the amount of time I am spending with my husband. I don’t want to neglect our relationship. Sure, there are times when things really need to get done, possibly for a deadline, but it’s healthy to step away for a break now and then. And even then if M would need me for something, I wouldn’t hesitate to help him. And now that M is back in school, I see the importance of making time for your spouse even more so. Although I’ve been pretty understanding so far about him needing to do schoolwork, there are still times that I wish he would just step back for a couple minutes and give me some attention. And he has been really good about that too. So no matter what school may bring, I’m not going to forget that I have a spouse that needs my attention as well. Continue reading ‘Managing School, Work, and Marriage’

When trying to make a decision on whether to get a puggat or not, M and I soon found that there is very little information about the breed out there. Now that we’ve had our puggat, Roogy, for over two months, we have really seen his personality come alive and learned some things about puggats that nobody told us. So hopefully telling you of our experience with our dog will help you decide whether a puggat is a good match for you as well.

We got Roogy when he was eight weeks old from a dog breeder a few miles from our home. The pups had just been taken away from their mother and were in a new and strange environment, making them deceivingly timid. Even though baby puggats may appear to be shy, they most likely will not stay that way. However, each individual puggat will ultimately have a personality of its own, so keep in mind before you go looking as to what type of dog you are looking for. Our puggat happened to be the only pup that would crawl up to us and check us out. The others were very shy, although they slowly became more playful as they grew more confident with their surroundings. Continue reading ‘Puggat Personality’