365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 1 365-Day Couples Journaling Project Stacy Duplease Smashwords Edition, Copyright 2012 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 2 REMEMBERING YOUR PRESENT, LLC POQUOSON, VIRGINIA Website and Blog: www .2 turtlesdesigns . blogspot . com Copyright © 2012 by REMEMBERING YOUR PRESENT, LLC and Stacy Duplease. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy or copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. Copyright © 2012 by REMEMBERING YOUR PRESENT, LLC and Stacy Duplease. All rights reserved of photography on cover of this book. All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Remembering Your Present, LLC & Duplease, Stacy. 365-Day Couples Journaling Project ISBN 978-1-4661-6571-7 Pease visit: www .2 turtlesdesigns . blogspot . com PRINTED AND CREATED IN THE USA 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 3 Dedication 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 4 Acknowledgments 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 5 Day 1 An Introduction to Couples Journaling Date: Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 9:29 AM Subject: 365-Days Couples Journaling Project: Day 1: (Revised) An Introduction to Couples Journaling Welcome to a blog post series near and dear to my heart. There are so many dull/numb, growing apart, not understanding, dying marriages out there. This means there are many hurting people out there because of these marriages as well. Healing needs to happen. There are also the couples who are thriving and going strong, but want to finish their race at the end of their lives just as strong, if not stronger. No matter where you are on the continuum, this blog post series is for you. AN INTRODUCTION TO COUPLES JOURNALING The idea of a couple can be a romantic one. Or, it might remind you of war depending on your experience. That being said, the idea of couples journaling is meant to help bring out contentment and diminish the draw toward war as a couple. This 365-Day series of Couples Journaling is meant to focus on couples who are: dating, engaged, married, and separated. It might even help those who have divorced to either repair their marriage or learn what not to do, and what to do, next time. I will warn you, though, this book's main focus is on marriage. Therefore, you can still apply it to where you are in the stage of your relationship with that special somebody even if you are not married. 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 6 Couples journaling is meant to draw you closer as a couple, to record memories, to plan, to dream, and to grow as individuals and as a couple. A MARRIAGE IS WORK The Premise: If only we, as a society and as couples, put as much work (if not more) into our marriage, all the way through, as we put into our wedding and honeymoon then, things would be drastically different in our marriages. SOME OF THE PROBLEMS WE FACE IN MARRIAGE More often than not, we take our marriages, and each other, for granted. We are so busy getting through life that we might forget to work on our marriage in order for it to have the chance of standing through the decades let alone through the years or months. Marriage takes intentional and aware living. It takes focus and attention. We tend to overlook this in the busyness of life. Speaking of busy, we tend to get too busy to write down, let alone remember, our memories. Marriage also requires more talking than most of us feel comfortable with, let's be realistic. It means admitting when we are a bonehead and it means being extremely open and vulnerable. Talking can also lead to conflict and most of us would rather avoid conflict at all costs, thank you very much. The problem is that when we avoid conflict, we are often times putting our marriage on the back-burner because of the chances of a fight or misunderstanding. Of course, there are more issues in marriage, but these can all be overcome through couples journaling. WHAT CAN COUPLES JOURNALING OFFER YOUR MARRIAGE? 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 7 Couples Journaling helps us put our marriage first. It helps us to be intentional and aware every day about our marriage. Couples Journaling helps us write down and remember our memories as a couple. It helps us reflect on our marriage and analyze our marriage. Couples Journaling helps you to draw closer as a couple. It brings understanding. Couples Journaling helps us plan, dream, and make decisions. It transforms us as a couple and as individuals. Shall we get started? 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 8 Day 2: Part A Part A: How Interesting: Why I’m Writing This Blog Post Series (2012-02- 08 12:55) I just decided, with it almost being Love Day (Valentine's Day) and all, to do a search on Amazon for books on marriage journaling. I do not have books on it in my personal collection, which houses most of the journaling books out there as it is, and wondered if I have missed some anywhere. Well I have not missed anything. There is not ONE book on the subject. I did not find any relationship journals either. So, I did a search of couples journaling. Well, I found a couple of journals, but not books on how to journal about your, and for your, marriage. Hmm. It is February 8th. Valentine's is around the corner I will do some blog posts on Marriage Journaling from now until then. stay tuned. ~ Stacy Duplease Day 2: Part B Date: Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 1:52 PM Subject: 365-Day Couples Journaling Project: Day 1/Part B: An Important Relationship There is no earthly relationship more important than the one you have with your spouse. (Of course your relationship with God come first and foremost.) So, the questions is Are both of you living in that manner? Marriage takes two (plus God). One partner cannot do all the work. So, is your marriage on track? 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 9 How are you showing today that the relationship you have with your spouse is the most important thing in your life? This is what this 365-Day Couples Journaling Project will discuss. Your marriage. What led up to it, where it is today, and where you hope it will be. Note: You might want to journal your answers to any of the questions I just listed. Other Note: You also might consider writing your thoughts about what you just read. Yet Another Note: If you have never journaled before, take a look at Day 1: Part C. Stacy Duplease Part C Date: Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 1:57 PM Subject: 365-Days Couples Journaling Project: Day 1: Part C Have you ever journaled before? If not, Part C is for you. If you have, you still might want to read it and see if there are any new or fresh ideas. WHAT IS JOURNALING? So, what is journaling? It's putting (recording and capturing) your life on the page. It's writing: what's happened in the past (your memories), your experiences today you want to remember tomorrow, and your plans for the future. It's keeping track of your memories, it's sharing your hopes and dreams, it's analyzing things and reflecting on your life, it's learning from mistakes and from the hard times, it's creating a photograph on the page in words. This is what journaling is. SO, WHAT IS COUPLE'S JOURNALING? It's journaling about your relationship as a couple. 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 10 Just one of you can journal. But, both still take part in the process of journaling. How? You talk it through. The one who journals, shares what they have written and asks for input from the one who doesn't journal. Then, they input is put in the journal. Ideally, you will do a journal entry together as the one who journals writes it down. Ideally, however, both will journal individual journal entries and will do corporate entries together. HOW DO YOU JOURNAL? You get words down on a page. I really am not being a smart-mouth or sarcastic. It's really that simple. How you do it is up to you. So, how do you do record your life as a couple onto the page? TWO WAYS TO JOURNAL There are two types of journaling: Paper (and Pen) or Digitally (with a Computer). PAPER JOURNALING ~ A blank book ~ Loose-leaf sheets of paper ~ Scrapbooking ~ Index Cards ~ Spiral notebook ~ Art journaling *** NOTE: Remember with paper journaling, they can be stolen, damaged, and read without permission. Also, ink fades and paper starts to disintegrate over time. Paper journaling is NOT permanent. (If you scan them, take photos of them, or type them and save over each of the things I just listed over the internet, though, your journals would then be permanent.)*** DIGITAL JOURNALING [...]... future? 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 32 Day 13 Date: Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 8:36 AM Subject: 365-Day Couples Journaling Project: Day 13 * What does your marriage mean to you today? * What has your marriage meant to you in the past? * What do you want your marriage to mean in the future? 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 33 Day 14 Date: Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 8:39 AM Subject: 365-Day. .. to mind ~ Wait 5 days and add more that come to mind ~ Wait 2 weeks ~ Wait one month 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 26 ~ ~ ~ ~ Wait three months 6 months 9 months 1 year 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 27 Day 8 Date: Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 1:23 PM Subject: 365-Day Couples Journaling Project: Day 8: Questions Please grab your journal and answer the following: Do you like... Good luck! Stacy Duplease 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 14 Day 3 Date: Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 2:24 PM Subject: 365-Day Couples Journaling Project: Day 2 (Revised): How are you living? Welcome to a blog post series on journaling for the memories and lessons learned as a couple This series is aimed at both members of the couple or just one of you The point of journaling for you as a couple... and 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 21 honeymoon? If so, how? If not, why not? Explain your answers ~ How are you living intentionally regarding your marriage today? What are your plans for tomorrow? ~ How do you need to work harder with your marriage? Make a plan *~* Stacy Duplease 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 22 Day 6 Date: Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 12:53 PM Subject: 365-Day. .. relationship you have in your life Write it on your planner Make goals Evaluate your progress weekly 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 16 Day 4 Date: Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 3:18 PM Subject: 365-Day Couples Journaling Project: Day 3 (Revised): Getting Real with Happiness and Contentment MORE JOURNALING INSTRUCTIONS Whenever you journal, do not just give yes and no answers Give thorough answers... marriage, what would that look like? What can you do to bring this to pass? * List more memories as a couple 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 31 Day 12 Date: Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 8:33 AM Subject: 365-Day Couples Journaling Project: Day 12 We are getting to the point now in this 365-Day adventure where there will be days of fewer questions and days of more questions The days of fewer questions... ~ How about in your marriage? 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 20 Day 5 Date: Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 3:16 PM Subject: 365-Day Couples Journaling Project: Day 5: Are You Putting in the Work? On Day 1 of this blog post series, and in the introduction, I shared the premise of this series and book: A MARRIAGE IS WORK The Premise: If only we, as a society and as couples, put as much work (if... change/adjust in your life, and then your marriage will thrive Taking care of yourself is critical so you can take care of your marriage 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 25 Day 7 Date: Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 1:12 PM Subject: 365-Day Couples Journaling Project: Day 7: Decade Memories List as many memories as you can for each of the following decades in your marriage when you were between... most grateful for in your relationship with one another? 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 29 Day 10 * List 25 of your most memorable experiences as a couple and describe what made them memorable * What are you doing today to keep your marriage fresh? * List 10 things you love most about your marriage 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 30 Day 11 * Are you happy today as a... shows do you watch? * Do you read anything as a couple? * What games do you play? * What do you cook together? 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 34 Day 15 Date: Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 8:54 AM Subject: 365-Day Couples Journaling: Day 15: Communication Today is one of those days of journaling you might want to divide into two or three days Why? The more thorough you can be, and the more time . 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 1 365-Day Couples Journaling Project Stacy Duplease Smashwords Edition, Copyright 2012 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE. DUPLEASE * 3 Dedication 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 4 Acknowledgments 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 5 Day 1 An Introduction to Couples Journaling Date: Tue,. these can all be overcome through couples journaling. WHAT CAN COUPLES JOURNALING OFFER YOUR MARRIAGE? 365-DAY COUPLES JOURNALING PROJECT * DUPLEASE * 7 Couples Journaling helps us put our marriage