Common Sense Marriage

My in-laws have started a new blog where they'll be writing about building a healthy marriage. Over their many years of marriage, they have learned hard lessons and now have a great passion for sharing those lessons so other people do not have to experience the same difficulties.

The blog is at: http://CommonSenseMarriage.com

Check out their own introduction below!
If you're interested, go to the website and subscribe in order to get email updates.

Since they're still new to the world of blogging, your comments, participation and feedback would be greatly appreciated!


Greetings from Alan and Darleen Nobile!

We are excited to share a new adventure of ours with you…  Many of you know that we have been leading marriage classes at our church and that it has been both rewarding and enlightening.  There is such a need for good counsel and common sense wisdom.

We personally struggled alone through many years of difficulty in our marriage.  Thankfully, Jesus in his infinite mercy guided us through and we have a marriage now that is blossoming and rewarding.  In the process, we learned so much about personal development and selfless service to our spouse and we yearned for a vehicle to share with others what we’d been taught.
 
Of course it took our tech-savvy son and his wife to introduce us to the world of blogging!  The result is CommonSenseMarriage.com where twice a week we share some nugget of wisdom that we hope will help others grow personally to better serve their spouse.

We invite you to visit us soon!  Here is how you can help us…

•        Sign up if you wish for automatic updates for new posts. 
•        Please share with your married friends who might benefit. 
•        Share your comments and ask questions.

 
We’d like to hear your ideas and help you if we can.

In Him,
Alan and Darleen Nobile

It has been a While...

I feel like I have neglected my blog and while I have every good intention to write more often, for some reason the days come and go and I never get to it. So, since it has been a while, I thought I should just make a list of a few things that have been going on in our lives:
 

·        Our home has been filled with visitors and that makes me so happy! We have had fun times with family and friends who drove north to be with us. Those of you who have set aside time to be with us: Thank you! You have made us feel very loved.

·         John and I visited Vancouver BC (one of my all-time favorite cities) a few weeks ago. I will post some photos soon!!!

·        We have been trying to get cool photos of eagles during this mating season, but I think we may have to wait until next year because we drove out looking for them and it looks like they have moved on from our area.

·        I dream of going to a warm place (aka Hawaii) every single day. I miss the sun and its warmth.

·        I wish we had a Chipotle in our town…and unfortunately, I have not been able to convince John to drive 65+ miles (each way) to get me a steak burrito bowl with black beans, grilled veggies, corn, sour cream, cheese and lettuce.

·        While exercising is not one of my favorite things in the world, I have been walking a lot these days – which makes me feel super healthy, but I also feel exhausted and often have to convince myself that exercising will pay off in the long run.

·        John makes the best pancakes in the world! Yesterday he made us strawberry, chocolate chip pancakes that melted in my mouth. Yum! I want some more right now.

·        For lent, we have decided to read the bible together every day.  While this is something we often try to do, we are really good at getting busy and not making it a priority to spend time in the Word daily.

·        I have been somewhat obsessed with cheese lately and I am pretty sure I could eat anything with a slice or two of Monterey Jack cheese.

·        John and I have been praying about many decisions we will be making this year. It turns out that 2012 is bringing some BIG changes our way and we are excited about what is to come while desperately seeking God’s direction and guidance. (We thought 2011 was a year of changes…but we had no idea that was just the beginning!). I promise to share more about these changes with you all soon!

Away From the Computer

I took some time away from computer this week. It turns out that I can live without a computer and the world did not fall apart in my absence (not that anyone even noticed that I was away from the Word Wide Web).

What did I do while away from my desktop?

Well, I read…a lot. As a matter of fact, I finished reading The Help.

I love reading, but I rarely get to read because other things distract me away from my desire to read. However, once I start reading, there is no stopping me until the book ends…and then I don’t know what to do with myself because I miss the characters…and I wish there were more pages to read.

That is what happened to me this week.
My inbox is currently loaded with emails (mostly junk) and every time I open my email I close it again because I don’t want to deal with everything that is sitting there. But the weekend is almost here, so maybe I will catch up on Monday.

Happy weekend everyone!

Snowshoeing at Mt. Baker

I have wanted to give snowshoeing a try for a long time and I finally got to do it this past weekend! Since snow sports and I don't get along very well (mostly snowboarding), I wanted to try doing something that would not be so painful, but would still allow me to be at the mountains, enjoying the breathtaking view of nothing but snow and sharp peeks.

The weather this past Saturday was beyond perfect, and I was so excited to go to Mt. Baker and enjoy the sun and the snow!

Here are a few photos taken by John:

Forever Reign

I went to church last night and left with my heart full of joy and thanksgiving! I spend the day thinking of the song "Forever Reign" and I wanted to share it with you:




You are good, You are good

When there's nothing good in me

You are love, You are love

On display for all to see

You are light, You are light

When the darkness closes in

You are hope, You are hope

You have covered all my sin

You are peace, You are peace

When my fear is crippling

You are true, You are true

Even in my wandering

You are joy, You are joy

You're the reason that I sing

You are life, You are life,

In You death has lost its sting

Oh, I’m running to Your arms,

I’m running to Your arms

The riches of Your love

Will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

You are more, You are more

Than my words will ever say

You are Lord, You are Lord

All creation will proclaim

You are here, You are here

In Your presence I'm made whole

You are God, You are God

Of all else I'm letting go

Oh, I’m running to Your arms

I’m running to Your arms

The riches of Your love

Will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign

My heart will sing

no other Name

Jesus, Jesus

Oh, I’m running to Your arms

I’m running to Your arms

The riches of Your love

Will always be enough

Nothing compares to Your embrace

Light of the world forever reign