It was September, 29 years ago, that I proposed to Carrie between 7 and 8 pm in the evening!

To help us celebrate, we are offering our e-zine readers a limited time offer: a free download of our e-Book, Intimacy 101. (The regular price of this e-book is $5.)

This is how it will work: if you want a copy of our e-Book, Intimacy 101...

1. Send us an email... just click this link! (The email address is: contact@the-intimate-couple.com.)
2. Be sure the words "Free E-book" are on the subject line of your email
3. Here's the catch! Be sure you send us the email request before midnight (EST) on September 30

After we've received your email, we will reply to you by email with a link that gives you access to download your free copy of Intimacy 101!

Remember, send an email before midnight EST on Thursday, September 30th…and we will send you a link for the free e-book!

Wedded Bliss!
Last weekend I performed a marriage, and this weekend I have the honor of officiating another! On these wonderful occasions, friends and relatives come to share the joy of the Wedding Day and witness the couple’s vows.

Recently, I read a quote from Benjamin Franklin that I thought captured a concept that can help keep a marriage strong over many years.

Well said, Ben!

Communication with Your Kids!

For parents out there with teen-aged or young adult children, we’d like to say it’s never too late to improve communication! However, if you want to be able to connect with your older children in the areas of life that mean the most, you have to start talking with them as young children in the areas that mean the least!

Last week, our third son, Nathan, announced his engagement to a lovely, young lady named Sarah. We have had many meaningful conversations (relationship-oriented) with our son and his fiancée, and are already anticipating doing a marriage-preparation course with them in the near future in anticipation of an April 2011 wedding.

Reflecting back, how did we get to this place of openness and mutual respect? Obviously, there are many steps—but one big one comes to my mind: asking forgiveness when needed. I have learned the importance of approaching my son and asking his forgiveness if we’ve had an argument or emotional upheaval between us, if I spoke out of turn, was angry, or disrespectful toward him somehow. Expressing humility to our children if we’ve wronged them is an amazing way to develop a strong relationship with our teenagers!

Asking forgiveness--is it fun? No. It is necessary and vital? Absolutely! It is a small price to pay for future communication!

A Romantic Tip

We found a great idea from the site Get Romantic, and we thought our readers would appreciate the creativity.

Create Your Own Holiday

Why does Hallmark get to decide when you can send flowers, give sappy cards, and feed your lover candy? Go them one better when you take out a sheet or two of scratch paper and create your very own holiday. But where to start? Look to your lover for inspiration, of course.

Perhaps your four-month anniversary is in the offing. Maybe tomorrow is exactly one hundred days until his birthday. Or it could be that she just came back from the dentist with a clean bill of dental health? Who cares about the occasion, it’s the celebration that matters!

Making or Breaking a Marriage with Money!

CNN.com recently carried an article, Check Your Partner’s Money Management, from Oprah’s website that includes a little quiz. Although the quiz isn’t very relevant to most people, there is a kernel of truth here we can expand upon: money management can make or break a marriage! Most studies indicate that the two leading causes of divorce are sex and money problems!

To address the money issue, we highly recommend the money management course: Financial Peace University (FPU for short). FPU is a 13 week video-based course designed to lay out the “baby steps” of financial success! This course teaches couples how they can work together in making and sticking to a budget (among other things!) We must not underestimate the importance of having our finances on track when we consider the ingredients of a happy marriage—and practical help is available!

For those couples not yet married—here is a resource that will be invaluable: Questions to Ask Before Marriage! This article includes questions on many vital topics—including money.