Hey there my loves! Happy Sunday!

I know it's not an every week thing where I am posting on a Sunday, but I wanted to surprise you guys with something great today, and I thought what better way to surprise my readers then by posting on a day they won't expect it? :) I'm super excited to bring you guys another giveaway, oh but trust and believe me.. this one is MUCH better than my last 5K giveaway!

Well lovelies, we have reached the end of the #LoveandMarriage series and I hope you guys have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it! If you missed any of the posts, no worries! Just click the 'Love' tab at the top of my page to view all of the posts from this series plus some great others, or just click here.

Now we aren't finished just yet! Here's my last #loveandmarriage post... for now *wink*.

You been with your man for some years now and you're starting to get lazy sis. You used to pull out the sexy lingerie on a regular, wear those high heels he loves and that dress that he wants you to wear every time you go out. Bro, you getting lazy too. You not buying flowers on a regular like you used to and you'd much rather have 'Netflix and Chill' than go out on most days. It's cool. We all have our moments, but we have to realize the moment is happening, catch ourselves, and SNAP OUT OF IT! SPICE IT UP!

 

Hey lovelies! Happy Monday!

We have made it to the LAST Monday of April. I hope you all had a great weekend. I spent my weekend taking are of my hubby who had his wisdom teeth removed. For you married gals out there, you know that I was dealing with a big baby! I'm glad he's feeling better now though. :) Anyway, this year is just moving right along, isn't it? May is literally right around the corner now and I just can't believe it! I feel like April just started and now we are bringing up the rear end of it. If you're anything like me, by this time of the month, you're already thinking about the plans you may have in store for next month, and if you're anything like me, you know next month will be BUSY.

Hey lovelies, Happy Friday! :-)

So, I promised you guys I would bring my husband back to TJE and I really try to keep my promises. Even though he doesn't always cooperate with me, I have finally been able to recruit my husband once again to share his unedited thoughts here on TJE. This time, I asked him to write the TRUTH (in his opinion) about marriage. A lot of times, when we are seeking advice about marriage we hear the story books answers, but we all know that isn't always the case. We can always count on Marcus to keep it 100 in all things, so I thought this would be a perfect addition to my #loveandmarriage series.

When talking to friends and family about the dynamics of our relationship, most would probably say that we are truly best friends. We laugh together, make fun of each other, have more inside jokes than anyone else, and we are generally happy like all the time. While the a fore mentioned is very true, we aren't perfect. We face hard times just like everyone else. Sometimes I talk too much and sometimes he's annoying. However, I'm not going to be talking about the small nit-picky stuff in this post, but more-so the big things that test your marriage's foundation.

In my opinion, it is the hard times that show us who we truly are. Everyone can be happy and supportive when things are all good, but what about when they go bad? Now, let me just start off by saying my husband and I have only been married two years so I won't even pretend that I know everything about marriage and relationships and the hard times we will face down the road because I'm sure you veterans in the game have me beat, however, we have been together almost 8 years and so I can speak from our experiences from dating, to living together, to getting engaged, to marriage.
I can think of a few hard times we have faced as a couple, from being long distance to my aunt passing away and him supporting me through that to family drama, but one of our hardest times thus far in our relationship would have to be the tail end of 2013 and beginning of 2014. I had just graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and accepted a job in Houston, TX and my husband (boyfriend back then) was living in NYC. We had been long distance for a long time so it had been decided he would move to Houston with me. This meant leaving a super successful job on Wall Street, and starting over as a financial advisor in a place where we really didn't know anyone. Basically, starting from square one once again.

Needless to say it was a struggle. This was the first time in our four years of being together that I saw my man struggling. Not just physically, but this job was weighing on him emotionally. If you're not familiar with the financial advisor world, let me just tell you, building your business is a process and they tell each person that when you start out and they even tell you to prepare your spouse and family because it is an entrepreneur job that will require many sacrifices in the beginning. Unless you are fortunate enough to have someone hand business to you, you literally start from the bottom and have to build a clientele based around cold calls and door knocking. He was stressed, he was overwhelmed, he was defeated, and he needed my support.

To make a long story short, he eventually overcame after a few long and hard months, and he is a pretty successful financial advisor now, but we both talk about how rough it was back then and how the support we showed each other really got us through. We argued a lot during this time for sure because he was stressed, I was worried, he was frustrated, and I was trying to figure out my role in it all. However, we stuck together, prayed together, I gave him words of encouragement and wisdom, we compromised, and we overcame that obstacle together. Now, I'm going to be completely honest and tell you that I really don't think that is our biggest obstacle we will ever face. We will probably have more because that's just the way life works. We will be tested in more ways than I can probably think up right now. However, I know that obstacles and hard times are a way for Marcus and I to grow closer together. Any time we face a disagreement or hard time, we feel closer together in the end. I am confident that we can handle any hardship or storm that comes our way simply because we won't give up and we are doing things today and now to prepare us for the things that lie ahead.

Things like....

• Praying together and apart.
• Praying for each other and our marriage.
• Keeping our communication open and honest.
• Not holding grudges and handling small arguments early and letting them go.
• We spend time together weekly; just us. Never stop dating!

When your spouse (or your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner or your relationship as a whole) is facing any type of struggle or hardship, here are three important ways you can support and be there for each other.

1. Be considerate of your significant other's feelings.
If you know they are going through a hard time, the WORST thing you could do is kick them while they are down. Emotions are usually at an all time high when going through a hard time, so be extra careful with your words and be patient with one another. Also, this goes for ANY situation. Be careful what you say in the heat of an argument. Words CANNOT be taken back. You may forgive your significant other for the evil thing they said to you, but you'll never forget it and it can come back up again later.

2. Give ENCOURAGEMENT; not just advice.
Sometimes you don't need to be told what to do.. sometimes you just need to be told you can do it. I know for a fact that my husband doesn't need me to give him advice all the time, but he just wants to feel like I believe in him. There is nothing wrong with stroking your significant other's ego and when they are facing a hardship, stroking it a lot never hurt anyone (no pun intended).

3. Face the challenge together.
When two become one, your problems become his problems and vice versa. Asking the other "what can I do to help you through this?", and really meaning it will go a long way. If you're in a relationship and you don't feel the pain your significant other goes through as if it is you, then there is a serious problem there (IMO). When I hurt, Marcus hurts and vice versa. I never want to see him go through anything, so we face it together no matter what. Never put anything your spouse is going through on the back burner labeling it as "not my problem" because it is most definitely your problem too!

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Whatever you do, don't give up on each other. Hard times come and go, but your marriage should see them, and push through them all. I encourage you all to put these things into practice NOW so that when a real hard time arises, it'll be much easier to deal with. You don't always think your best in the midst of an argument or during a stressful situation, so form the positive habits now for a more smooth transition. I'm curious how you guys get through your hard times. What are some things you do that could help other people? Drop me a comment below and let me know! :)

Thank you so much for reading. xo

Hey guys!

I hope you all had an amazing weekend! I am very glad to be heading home today. I feel like I haven't seen my own bed and shower in a long time and I definitely miss it. I had a good time in New Orleans this past weekend with my husband. It felt good to reconnect after being in Dallas all last week. We didn't get to do much in the city due to Marcus being a part of the wedding we were there to attend, but I enjoyed the time I got to spend with him nonetheless. I'm looking forward to a week in Nashville. Now, let's get into this outfit deets!

Hey y'all! Happy Friday!

I hope you guys have had an awesome week and you're ready for the weekend because I know I am! I wanted to take a minute to tell you about the Elegant Ladies Fashion Show I attended about a week ago. If you did not know, Nashville Fashion Week was the first week in April and this show was the Saturday before NFW officially began.

Hey y'all, happy Thursday!

I am counting down the hours, minutes, and seconds until this day is over because tonight, I will be reunited with my husband and then bright and early in the morning, we will be hitting that road to New Orleans! I can't wait because I feel like I haven't seen my husband in a long time. Last weekend I was in Atlanta and then as soon as I got back home from that, I had to head out to Dallas for work! I can't wait to spend some much needed quality time with him and celebrate our anniversary.

Happy Hump Day lovelies!

I hope you all have been having a great week thus far. I'm a little exhausted from this work trip to Dallas, but I will be okay! Thank you all so much for all of the sweet anniversary wishes yesterday. I enjoyed my trip down memory lane sharing photos with you guys on Instagram and Snapchat.

Anyway, it's time for another #LoveandMarriage post from yours truly and today, I want to talk about the habits of happy couples. Well, let me rephrase that; I want to talk about the things happy couples DON'T do.. which probably explains part of the reason they are so happy. I don't have much of an intro for this, so let's just jump right on into it!

Singing, "Do you know what today is? It's our ANNIVERSARY! ANNIVERSARY!" :)

Geez, time seriously flies because I cannot believe I have been married to my wonderful, amazing, handsome, husband two years today! I feel blessed every day, but today, I woke up feeling more blessed than ever. I say it all the time that I'm not sure how I got so lucky to find my soulmate so early in life, but I am so happy God saw fit for us to find each other.

Happy Monday lovelies!

I hope you all had a great weekend and you're ready to start this week off right. This is going to be a jam packed and super busy week for me, but I think I am ready for it. It's also a little bittersweet because tomorrow is my husband and I's wedding anniversary, but I am heading to Dallas today for work and I will be there until Thursday. :(

Hey Fabulistas!

It's Friday and I'm excited because this afternoon, I am going on a little mini vacay to Georgia for my friend's birthday celebrations and I can't wait.

First things first; shout out to my husband for being on the other side of the camera for this! I may be a TAD bias, but I'd say he killed it! He's looking extremely handsome in his spring attire. :)

Now, it's not an every week thing I'm posting something on a Thursday, but with our anniversary coming up in a few days, I'm feeling like writing and sharing more than ever. You ever been so overwhelmed with happiness that you want to share with everyone around you so that just maybe, they can experience the same happiness? I just want to put out all that I know/have come to know and although I'm no expert on any of this stuff, I do feel like I have some valuable things to share and I hope if everyone can't relate, a few of you can! I have been trying to get everything out that I want to say in my regular posting days, but sometimes it's hard to do that. Basically, I just have a lot to say, so bare with me. :)

SURPRISE!

Since our anniversary is rapidly approaching, this month on TJE, I will be spending a lot of time talking about 'Love & Marriage'. I thought it would be fun to do a series surrounding my husband and I to celebrate our love and how happy and blessed I feel to have him in my life. I will be talking about good times, bad times, funny times, and every time in between, and my husband will make his second TJE appearance this month as well! I know, I know, y'all love him more than me so just wait, it'll be another post that is REAL.. no sugar coating! I'm super excited to share this area of my life with you guys in more depth, so let's get the ball rolling.. shall we?

Hey my lovelies! Happy April! :)

I hope you didn't get tricked on April Fool's Day this past weekend. I literally don't trust anyone on April Fool's simply because back in the day, I used to play tricks on people all the time. Which, it's actually crazy that people used to believe me because I'm a horrible liar. I always laugh and give myself away! The last time I did an April Fool's joke, I almost made my Mom and aunts cry so I haven't done any since then HAHA!

Anyway, let's talk a little bit about wearing the "little black dress" in the spring!