Being married to a man who gets me is one of my greatest joys in life. We’ve had our share of ups and downs. We’ve fought over the normal finances and how to raise kids. We’ve hit the extra bumps of childhood cancer and deployments that have taught us to survive over long distances. Even in the moments where we’ve wanted to give up, we’ve pulled each other through. There is no one else I would rather go through the ups and downs with.

Lori Shumaker hit the mark in the post she linked up last week Taking Time to Nurture Our Marriages. John and I have had a few opportunities to get away since having kids. Most of our “vacations” over the last few years have been to Memphis, TN. And by vacation I actually mean week long medical trips for our daughter to St. Jude Children’s Hospital. We haven’t had many fun vacations over the years. We are definitely due for a full fledge family vacation.

John and I have found a few weekends to enjoy each other’s company. Before he deployed we took a weekend and enjoyed it with his friends at Comic-Con in Dallas. For our ten year anniversary we went to Taos, NM to a gorgeous bed and breakfast where we ate all weekend, soaked in the hot-tub in our room, and nearly died on a mountain biking trip. It was the perfect weekend. Since then our getaways have been through the Army’s marriage and family retreats. Any chance you have to go on one take it. Each one keeps getting better. We’ve had the opportunity to go to Ruidoso, NM and just a few weeks ago Tucson, AZ.

BOOK REVIEWERS NEEDED

If you are a book reviewer I would love for you to consider reviewing my new book Finding Joy: The Year Apart That Made Me A Better Wife. Interested? Just Click Here for more information.

Now for what you’re really here for!

The #JoyHopeLive Linkup

Co-Hosts for #JoyHopeLive

Hope N. Griffin from Finding Joy in Everyday Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Look around my blog for book reviews, military life, and more. I will be tweeting out your links over the next week. Be sure to share on your own twitter account and hashtag #JoyHopeLive so I can retweet.

Mary from My Life in Progress. Be sure to follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Visit her blog as she shares her experiences, thoughts, life & faith with you. She will be visiting your posts and commenting.

Vanessa from Tapestry Chronicles. Be sure to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Visit her blog as she shares her life, projects, and faith with you. She will be pinning your links to our pinterest board.

There are so many ways we can pursue joy in our lives, but it has to come from the heart. Being momentarily happy and possessing an internal authentic joy in the face of difficult circumstances are two very different things. I believe it is the little moments of happiness that help shape and prepare us for the difficult life circumstances we all face. My question is what do you do in your everyday that brings you happiness and fosters a deep found joy in your life?

By linking up, you agree to the following rules:

1. Add a link that captures how you Find Joy in the Everyday. It can be a craft, book review, personal story, etc. Just make sure it captures joy.

2. Tweet or share on Facebook your link with #JoyHopeLive (this makes it simpler for me to give you a retweet and comment). Each week we add the posts to a pinterest board. Go love and share some pins.

3. Comment on the posts you love and the two directly before yours. Be sure to include #JoyHopeLive when you do so they know where you found them.
4. Come back on Friday and vote for your favorites!

5. Grab the button! Share it on your sidebar or in your post so others will join us next week.

JoyHopeLiveLinkUp

By submitting a link to this party, you are giving the co-hosts permission to feature your post on their blogs and/or social media platforms and utilize your post images in order to facilitate this feature.

Now you can also post your link on the pinned post on Hope’s facebook page for ease in sharing one another’s posts and getting more interaction. When you share a link on your social media be sure to add #JoyHopeLive. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you will receive a reminder of this linkup every Wednesday morning.