Tips to a happier (and maybe even healthier) marriage Part #1

I've seen lots of different posts in Christian blogs with authors tips to a happy healthy marriage. So, seeing as my husband and I have experienced just about every challenge a marriage can face, I figured I would share 5 tips on how to make your marriage happier and maybe even healthier. So, here they are in no particular order of importance.

1. Romantic comedy's and love stories, are just that. Comical and stories. Life isn't really like that. You're husband/wife can't read your mind and just know how to make you happy or please you. Life will never be perfect and a happy ending really just means you live a full and complete life together, but it will still be a roller coaster ride, and the downs will always be there from time to time.
2. Your husband/wife has flaws. He or she always will, and you just need to accept that. Guess what else, you have flaws too and you always will. We are human beings and we are not perfect. All we can do is pray for strength and growth, enrich ourselves with things around us, and journey towards becoming better people. But it will always be a journey and we will never finish until death.
3. This probably goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyways. Never EVER under any circumstance invite someone else into your marriage. I'm not talking about a counselor or a priest (or The Holy Trinity), that's different.  I'm talking about friends, family, other partners (ie threesomes/open relationships etc.), and other busy bodies who will try to tell you how to run your relationship and what's best for your relationship or try to get between you two (like the other sexual or romantic partners). Don't post your business on facebook, write it in your blog, tweet it, or anything else. It's one thing to share a happy moment by telling a story or to vent to a friend, but be picky about what you share and more importantly, who you share it with. 
4. Stay friends. Not everything you and your partner do needs to be a romantic one. Yes, romance is important, i'll talk about that later, but friendship is equally as important. Do things together as friends too. Just to have fun. Often we get so caught up as seeing each other as husband and wife, mommy and daddy, provider and housewife, head of the family and heart of the family, that we forget to see each other as Jane and John. When that happens, we forget why we love the other person, why we fell for them and what it is about the other person that made us fall for them in the first place. We stop trying to "woo" each other and how to to be gentlemanly or lady-like for them. Even though you are married, to a point, we all still want to feel like we're being chased a little or like we're dating. Put on a cute outfit sometimes just for him, fart in the other room, maintain your appearance, close the door when you use the restroom. 
5. Romance. I suggest date night. My husband and I want to do this, but yes, it can be a challenge. Between school, work, the kids, and money troubles, date night can be daunting. But when we do manage to get away, just the two of us, it's like a refreshing gulp of a re-hydrating drink. We both feel more relaxed, at peace, rejuvenated, reconnected, and just generally uplifted together. Couple time is just as important as family time and alone time.

-God Bless