What can YOU do with 12 words?

The challenge is on. Enter the 12-word essay contest and wow me with your word skills!

As a contest enthusiast myself, I've entered dozens and dozens of contests over the years, but this is my first time hosting one. I've been excited to host this for months, and it's been really fun to see how creative people get with such a limited number of words. 

Click here to enter the contest! 

Make sure you enter by Dec. 10, and then I'll announce the 12 winners on 12.12.12, who will score the great prizes pictured below. Maybe you'll be one of them!

Two in School

For only 11 more days, Ryan and I are attending the same university. We've been making the 6-minute drive together from our apartment to our Tuesday night classes ever since his car broke down a month ago. He goes to the construction building, while I visit the communication building down the hill.

We've been able to leave each other love notes in the car (when we're not driving together) and sneak in kisses after class. It's fun to be married and going to school. I realized when I caught this shot of the Weber State Stewart Bell Tower recently that these days of conveniently going to school together will soon pass by.

But that's okay.

You see, the countdown for Ryan's graduation has almost entered single digits. I'm so proud of him!

10 Simple Ways to Make Your Wife Happy

     

      While dream vacations and life milestones are important, it’s the simple things you do that make your wife happy. Show love and respect to your bride every day, and remind her why you were the best choice she’s ever made. Here are 10 basic tips for showing everyday love. Remember: Happy wife, happy life. (Hint: If you have a sign like the one Ryan's holding, it's likely  you're rocking the "husband" thing.)

     (Written originally for FamilyHow.com. See my article here.)

1.       Introduce her with a compliment. Saying something like “I’d like you to meet my beautiful wife,” or “Here’s my better half” goes farther than you may realize. Publicly recognizing her as your cherished partner validates that you love her.

2.      Embrace when you see her. At the end of a long day conquering office battles and keeping the kids from climbing walls, you could both use a loving hug. Make a point of showing you missed her and are glad to be reunited. A big kiss doesn’t hurt, either.

3.      Ask her how you can help. If this is a new one for you, she may think there’s a catch. With a sincere willingness to give a helping hand, ask how you can lift her burden. This gesture applies to more than yard work, but being in tune with her needs emotionally and spiritually, as well. Sometimes she just needs a listening ear.

4.      Let her pick the movie. Or, if you’re playing games, let her choose. She needs to know her opinion counts in your marriage. Taking turns with these simple choices makes it easier to compromise on the bigger choices together.

5.      Forgive her fast. She forgot to pack your lunch, or accidentally broke your TV remote. So, she’s human, after all? With all that she does right, let it go when she makes mistakes. After all, you’re no perfection yourself, cupcake!

6.      Hold her hand in public. Some women are less inclined to public displays, but when appropriate, reach out and squeeze her hand. With the reassurance you’re proud she’s yours, she’ll walk a little taller, and smile a little bigger.

7.      Write her love letters. You don’t have to be Shakespeare; the thought matters most here. Focus on specific things you love about her; the wrinkle in her nose when she laughs or how she finds joy in the little things. You can hide it in her makeup bag, under her pillow, or somewhere else she'll discover it. She’ll be happily surprised and treasure your words for years to come.

8.      Open the door for her. Chivalry is not dead. Opening the door is a gentlemanly way to take care of your lady. She likely grew up wanting to be a princess. Be her prince.

9.      Carve out time for consistent date night. In an on-the-go digital world, it’s easy to get caught up in the minutia of kids, work, community, extended family and even church responsibilities. Set aside a weekly special night just for the two of you. It doesn’t need to be costly or extravagant. Just make an effort to court her, as you did when you were dating.

10.  Let her fly. As her partner, you are in the best position to help her reach her dreams.

Inventory Time

What a heaven-sent weekend.

With family and friends, Ryan and I enjoyed General Conference, a semi-annual gathering of our church to hear leaders share inspired messages. Every six months, we are reminded of our priorities, and inspired to keep God at the center of our lives.

After conference, Ry and I talked about what stood out most to us. For Ryan, service was a key topic woven throughout the talks. Missionary work stood out to me, especially with the announcement of the new policy, lowering the age for both guys and gals to serve as full-time missionaries.

I walked away from conference with two messages imprinted in my heart. One came from Elder Uchtdorf on Saturday when he reminded us, "We are that we might have JOY." Life's too short to let it pass by without enjoying the journey. Being busy is no excuse. We're all busy. But in the end, I don't want to look back and regret not letting myself be happy along the way. I've decided to treat myself more often and choose JOY.

Second message? President Monson's Sunday invitation:

He added, "I have found, that, rather than dwelling on the negative, if we will take a step back and consider the blessings in our lives, including seemingly small, sometimes overlooked blessings, we can find greater happiness."

Tonight, I took his challenge. Journal in hand, I went up the nearby beautiful canyon, found a worn bench next to a gurgling creek and wrote out my blessings, one by one. I kept writing for an hour and filled PAGES, everything from health and ability to walk to thrift stores (both to donate to and find gems), supportive parents and in-laws, modern plumbing, and our ability to vote.

You're blessed too. If you take on this challenge, I guess you'll have an experience like mine: Once you start listing your blessings, you'll see more and more that's good in your life. We'd love to hear how it goes!

 Image courtesy of Mormon Newsroom.

His & Hers: BYU vs. Utah Rivalry

When you marry someone who loves your rivalry school, it's bound to make things interesting. Every year at Holy War time, we get seriously competitive (no wonder - this rivalry warrants its own Wikipedia page!) As you can see, our BLUE vs. RED family feud even extends into folding laundry:

 Ryan's a die-hard Ute fan, and got involved in student body campaigns, like the Go! Party (click here and check out the Go! video to see him.) Crystalee was literally a BYU Front Row Fanatic and BYU Student Alumni Vice President, planning big Homecoming and spirit events. Thus, we're both out to "convert" our future kids. Behold, evidence of our loyalties:

Crystalee won front row tickets  to the BYU/Utah game and all this BYU swag in 2007 for doing a stunt in the Front Row Fanatics contest. She made a peanut butter and banana sandwich with her feet and ATE it in front of a large crowd.

Ryan lived and breathed the MUSS for years, since his bachelor pad was literally across the street from the Rice Eccles Stadium. A Utah man, sir, a Utah man he is!

Crystalee's  known in the office for BYU school spirit - here's her decked-out cube at MarketStar in 2011.

Ryan's grin, happy to be with MUSS pals at a 2009 game.

Bring us together and what to you get?

Red and blue stockings at Christmas on our makeshift fireplace. 

A rivalry that knows no bounds - even in Sydney we sported our school colors.

Crystalee braved the MUSS with Ryan and Tami in 2010 - even wearing BYU gear. Recall the painful BYU loss in the last five seconds? Ouch.

Ryan insisted on including this picture from when we were dating. Yes, that's Crystalee in with the Utes, but she's trying to hide behind Swoop. (Don't worry, Cosmo, you'll always be her favorite.)

Tonight's game will leave one of us happy, and the other not so much. As Ryan said, "a lot is on the line with two years' bragging rights at stake." We shall see...

Gooo COUGARS and Go UTES!