Meet The Gotzmans // The Marriage Chronicles // V . O N E

Welcome to volume one of The Marriage Chronicles. At the root of most marriages is a love story of how an amazing girl fell for this extra charming/wild/thoughtful guy. There's a unique and lovely journey that began with a friendship or mere "like" into love and then moved into marriage. There was a time of being pursued, of flirting or nervous sweats and anxious giggles. It's important to remember the beginning, to see growth, to look back at your chronicle of love. I think it's so vital to be able to always put your spouse first, to stay connected in the craziness of life with or without children, activities, social events, jobs and anything else that becomes more important than that first love. I want to create a space and intentional time for couples to remember why they married their spouse, what makes them proud of that other person, how does their other half make them thrive, in what ways has that person changed them for the better? I want married couples to remember before everything else in their lives currently, that it was simply just them. Kelly and I do not currently have kiddos (although we can't wait for that day), but we can add so many things to our plate that end up taking away time from each other. We might invest in wonderful things that are really great, but ultimately we can get caught investing in plenty of other things than each other.Marriage is such a beautifully intimate, life changing, wonderfully challenging, painfully raw, joy-filled relationship that has the potential to mold and shape us for the better. It's not all rainbows and butterflies, but it sure is a beautiful mess. The beauty of walking through hardship with someone; whether you like it or not, ties you even deeper to that human. The trenches and the mountaintops produce something so profoundly beautiful. Tasting difficultly and working through hardships create more clarity and deeper appreciation for those sweet, fun and joy-filled seasons. There's nothing else in the world like marriage and my heart in this is to share different couple's journeys through marriage and share wisdom that they may have. Each story is going to be different, each session unique all for the goal to capture real marriages. Here's to real marriages encouraging one another, letting go of judgement and gaining wisdom from the different ways we do life with our spouses. Meet Kenner and Stephanie Gotzman, precious friends of Kelly and I. They have been married for eleven and a half years and have four darling children. We did this sweet lifestyle session in their home, where they say their days are filled with beautiful chaos, sweet kids, and plenty of joy. “Especially with the kids having their own activities and friends, we have an element of crazy in our house”, says Stephanie, “As parents, we have had many ups and downs, and are still learning a lot. God has gifted us this beautiful, messy tribe, and our heart is to disciple them, first and foremost. Even if that means saying no to other good and fun things. We try to make time for us to get away, and have monthly date night, and we really enjoy spending time together, even if it is simple”. Her husband, Kenner, says his favorite thing about his bride is her spontaneity, joy and enthusiasm for life, and says he is very proud of the way she is raising their children. "Kenner has taught me to be honest with how I am feeling”, adds Stephanie, "When we were newlyweds, I would never tell him how I really felt. I would just sweep it under the rug, then blow up on him. He has shown me that I can express my feelings or concerns in a healthy way. Kenner and I have also learned to compromise on vacations with one another. He loves to take it slow and relax. I love to go on adventures like, hikes, zip lines, beaches, etc. We have learned find joy in things the other spouse enjoys”.I can’t wait to share more couples and stories here on the blog in this series, so please stay tuned to our social pages for the rest of the entries. If you would like me to tell your marriage chronicle contact me today and let's make something beautiful.

“In any relationship, there will be frightening spells in which your feelings of love dry up. And when that happens you must remember that the essence of marriage is that it is a covenant, a commitment, a promise of future love. So what do you do? You do the acts of love, despite your lack of feeling. You may not feel tender, sympathetic, and eager to please, but in your actions you must BE tender, understanding, forgiving and helpful. And, if you do that, as time goes on you will not only get through the dry spells, but they will become less frequent and deep, and you will become more constant in your feelings. This is what can happen if you decide to love.” ― Timothy J. Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God