Making Love Today

Eleven kids eleven and under, all under one roof! In this episode, Erica and Spencer discuss finding love after loss, how to be considerate of your partner, and the logistics of maintaining and growing a loving relationship while raising close to a dozen kids together.

After both having lost their first spouses, Erica and Spencer met on an online support group for widows and widowers. What started out as providing mutual support through tragedy eventually turned into love. Having now been married for only around a year, they are learning how married life is both similar and different the second time around. One major difference? Newlywed life this time involves raising Erica’s seven kids, and Spencer’s four. Tune in to hear how these two make love in their lives!

Biographical Info:

-Spencer is a general contractor, Erica is a stay at home mom

-They have known each other for 20 months and have been married for around a year

-When they met, Spencer lived in Virginia, and Erica lived in Utah. They now all live in Utah.

-Their children are Landon (11), Brayden (11), Emma (10), Lily (8), Harper (7), Sophie (7), Tanner (5), Avery (5), Amelia (3), Bexley (3), Caleb (2)

Check out https://www.rekindlelovetoday.com/post/erica-and-spencer-life-with-11-kids to learn more about this couple and ask them questions!

Follow us on Instagram @rekindle.love.today or on Facebook at fb.me/Rekindle.Love.Today.

Anne and Patrick discuss how James and Liza demonstrate the relationship skills of developing shared family rituals and building and reinforcing shared values. For a more in-depth explanation of these skills and more suggestions on how to incorporate them into your own relationship check out makinglovetoday.com.
Relationship Challenge of the Week: Identify your own family or personal rituals, whether they be daily, weekly, monthly, etc. Think about how your shared values enter into those rituals. Do your rituals reinforce your shared values? If so, great! Continue to use those rituals as ways to enhance your values. If not, why not? Do an honest inventory of what rituals you have that don't reinforce your shared values, and figure out what changes you need to make to bring the focus back to where it should be.
Follow us on Instagram at rekindle.love.today or on Facebook at fb.me/Rekindle.Love.Today

Anne and Patrick discuss how Joe and Stephanie demonstrate the relationship skills of asking for support and supporting personal growth. For a more in-depth explanation of these skills and more suggestions on how to incorporate them into your own relationship check out makinglovetoday.com.
Relationship Challenge of the Week: Use the Gottman method of asking as outlined in the episode. First, identify a specific need that you have. State that need to your partner in a neutral way. Then, ask your partner to do something specific in order to help you meet that personal need. All this should be done in a non-offensive, non-confrontational manner. Do this at least three times this week.
https://www.rekindlelovetoday.com/post/joe-and-stephanie-strengths-asking-for-support-and-supporting-growth
Follow us on Instagram at rekindle.love.today or on Facebook at fb.me/Rekindle.Love.Today

When Earl transferred law schools he wasn't necessarily expecting to find his future wife, but it didn't take long after meeting for Earl and Meagan to go from classmates to soulmates. Despite their immediate connection, the two of them came from very different worlds... well, at least from very distant states. With Meagan returning to California after graduation, and Earl taking a job in his hometown of Chicago, the two faced a relationship test perhaps more difficult than any of their law school exams.
Separated by thousands of miles geographically, Earl and Meagan faced down how to make a long-distance relationship work. Perhaps even more challenging in some ways, when they finally did get married Meagan had to learn how to find her place in Chicago, where Earl already had a lifetime of experiences and connections. Listen in to hear about how they faced these challenges and more as they learn how to write their own relationship manual, one page at a time.

While Brian and Farina both grew up within 20 miles of each other in Maryland, in many ways they came from very different worlds. Brian, the grandson of a congressman, comes from a traditional suburban background. Farina, a Native American and member of the Navajo Nation grew up witnessing extreme poverty.
Despite coming from such diverse backgrounds, the two of them have learned to appreciate and embrace each other's cultures and heritage. With Farina a university professor and Brian a stay-at-home dad they've learned to build a culture of their own which both embraces their pasts and provides them what they need as a couple.