Becoming Love

From the start of marriage everything is busy. Busy with work, busy with kids, busy with living life. Amidst all that busy you know making intentional time to invest in your relationship is important...but where and how exactly? You can do a whole bunch of things but if you want high impact try these 6 touch points for better communication. They are essential to maintaining and growing your relationship with your beloved. You want to be sure you are linking arm in arm as you chase heaven! So even if your life is crazy busy, making time for these 6 touch points will create better communication and increase your connection with your spouse! Daily prayer Weekly date night Weekly “what's up” huddle Monthly finance meeting Monthly big conversations Yearly planning and goal setting   Facebook Group Instagram TikToc

I don't  know about you but, “Just go be more virtuous.” has been one of the most frustrating phases I've heard in my life. My question was always...HOW? The most advice I would ever get was to go pretend that you have that virtue and then soon you will have the virtue.  It was just too vague to be helpful. I usually tired for a day or a week but then I was back at square one. In this podcast we look at 5 tips to actually build virtue into your life. And we know that the more virtue we have the more free we are to love those around us...especially our spouse.    Join the Catholic marriage Facebook Group here  Instagram Tiktoc

What is the key to happiness? Well, it's that age old topic of virtue.  I don't like talking about virtue because I think building virtue is hard.  It's hard to look ourselves in the face and say what we need to work on. But it is rooting out vice for virtue that makes us more happy.  True virtue points us to our ultimate end - God Himself!  As we move toward God we are able to love more in our relationships, especially in our intimate relationship of marriage.  So the hard work of virtue allows you to have a happier marriage! 

Today on the Becoming Love podcast there are stories of pain, separation, substance abuse, and infidelity but the REAL story is how the powerful love and mercy of Jesus Christ can help a marriage heal, forgive, and ultimately thrive.   Listen in as Lee and Jennifer Ovalle to share with you their real-life Catholic marriage story.     Want some really neat Freebies like 52 date night questions? Head to my website to snag them! See more marriage content on my Instagram page And even more free content on Tic Tok

“Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” Matthew 19:4-6   Unity Builders No Secrets Willingness to forgive  Boundaries No Name calling Having a mission  Not Holding grudges  Making decisions together Humility    Follow me on Instagram here! Follow me on TikToc here! Join my Facebook group here!

Date night is a wonderful way to make sure you and your spouse are connecting positively and enjoying each other’s company on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be expensive, elaborate or perfect, just intentional. But it’s going to take time, effort and planning.  3  Tips for successful date nights: Schedule them - it’s a non negotiable Don’t make it a meeting Take turns planning Bonus tip: Make more date touch points.      Date night question Freebie!   Find out more about Amber here

Buckle up because you are in for a treat! This episode is filled with the amazing marriage story of Nathan and Monica. From dating to marriage to infertility to adoption to surrender. I know you'll love it!    Find out more about Monica here! Find out more about Nathan here! Find out more about the Becoming Love Marriage Project here!

Putting other things before your marriage can be a marriage killer.  And I know how hard it can be to balance it all. The one thing I have found is that if my relationship with God and my spouse are in order everything else falls more easily into place.    1. Your vocation is to marriage 2. You and your spouse are captains of the ship 3. Your relationship health is directly related to the health of your family and your children 4. Making it practical - Little things all the time    Join the Catholic Marriage community here!

Grab your free New Year's Planning Guide for Couples here!   I love this time of year. Everything is new. It's exciting and it's a time for you and your spouse to get together, dream, and make those dream come true. But first...goals!  5 Steps to get you started Independently brainstorm goals Plan a time to meet and talk over goals Refine goals Display them where you can see them everyday Accountability - Check in with your spouse often     Grab your free New Year's Planning Guide for Couples here!   Join the Facebook group here!

Want to add more intentional prayer into the day to day of your marriage. In this episode I give you 7 different way you can build more prayer into your marriage.  Pray together Pray for each other Work on your personal relationship with the Lord Offer your sufferings  Decorate your domestic church   Ask the Blessed Mother for help  Go on retreats together   Join the Free Pray with your Spouse Challenge + Training    Continue the conversation in the Free Facebook Group

Ugh! These WERE ALL the reasons we were not praying together.  Have you experienced the same? Not having the conversation It's too complicated Giving up too soon Too long Don't want to take a risk Too much pressure on the other Not in your schedule Do you want to start praying together? Join the challenge and I will help you go from not praying to praying together with ease.  Will I see you inside the challenge? Join the Challenge here!   

You hear about praying with your spouse and you maybe think you should be praying with your spouse but you don't know where to start.  In this episode I go over 5 reason why you should consider praying with your spouse.  1. Increase communication 2. Get everything out into the light 3. Increase your connection 4. Help each other be saints  5. Invites God into your marriage   Join the Pray with your Spouse Challenge! Join the conversation here! 

Hindsight is 20/20! If we were to start over there are 3 things we would do RIGHT AWAY.    1. Figure out our mission  2. Pray together 3. Schedule BIG conversations   We hope you enjoy this talk we gave at The Restore Culture Conference.    I want to connect with you! Join the Facebook group! Download one of my freebies here!

Have you ever thought about what your marriage will look like in 50 years? Will it be a great marriage? Maybe you are thinking, "Amber, I can't even think past this week!"  Oh trust me, I know the feeling. But you know what has really helped? A mission statement. With a mission statement I can look up from the busyness and craziness of my day and say, "Yes! That's where I am going! Yes! I have a plan and I know I'll get there!"  So go grab that second cup of coffee and get ready to dive into the power of mission statements.      Join the Becoming Love Facebook Group   Want Amber to come Speak? Fill out the speaker form here.   

In this first installment of Real-life Catholic Marriage, I chat with California natives and Alabama transplants, Zeke and Oliva. Here is a peek at what they share: How they wrote love letters to one another while dating long distance How the arrival of babies changed everything Painfully growing apart and how they put in the hard work to build a stronger marriage. How they support one another in what each needs to thrive within their marriage ... and so much more.   Join the Becoming Love Facebook Group and continue the conversation!  Interested in having Amber come to your event? Check this page out.

> Speaking "}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":897,"3":{"1":0},"10":0,"11":4,"12":0}"> It’s hard to believe it, but we've been married for 7 years now! And along the way, we've succeeded, we’ve failed, and we've definitely tripped a time or two. In this episode, we share 6 things we wish we knew before getting married in hopes that you can learn from us, get some ideas for your marriage, and be prepared for what's ahead! Everything from disagreements, to personal transformation, to sacrifice, All these made the list. And I hope you find some of our shoulda, coulda, wouldas helpful. Here’s a look at the main points in this episode… #1 Marriage transforms you #2 Disagreements do not mean you have a bad marriage #3 Marriage is not a Hollywood movie… It’s even better! #4 Your marriage is your own top performing company #5 Your spouse is worth more than your co-worker #6 Great things take time… even in marriage; but you have to work at it Join the podcast community Facebook Group to meet with other couples working on their Catholic marriage. Becoming Love Facebook Group   > Speaking "}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":897,"3":{"1":0},"10":0,"11":4,"12":0}"> Want Amber to come speak to your community? Send the details here 

I'll never forget when a priest friend of mine told me that marriages that consist of two people with similar personalities have better marriages than those who have different personalities, I thought my world was ending. You see, my husband Cel and I are opposites. We have opposite personalities. Did this priest's words mean my marriage would be a life-time of fighting? Thankfully, nope; not at all. Every marriage, no matter how similar the couple may be, has differences. In this week's podcast I chat about how your spouse's personality might rub you the wrong way sometimes; but if you work together and embrace your differences, you will create a synergy that is unmatched and a very happy home. Here is a sneak peek at what you'll learn from this episode: #1. The Glory of God is man fully alive! We are made to be saints. #2. Every person in a marriage needs to be rooted in prayer and the pursuit of virtue #3. Personality tests can give you and your spouse a language to talk about differences and how to apply them to your marriage.   Join the podcast community Facebook Group to meet with other couples working on their Catholic marriage. Becoming Love Facebook Group Want Amber to come speak to your community? Send the details here >> Speaking

Learning together as a couple is something you'll never stop doing! I know when I first got married I would have loved for someone to send me a list of all the books to read. I didn't know what I was doing and wanted all the help I could get.  To help you out, I’m sharing 5 ways learning together can charge up your marriage. Whether you've been learning together for a long time or you're wanting to get started, you'll find these tips doable and effective. #1: I share the way that learning together can help you dream bigger than you ever thought was possible. #2: Learning together helps you create a family mission and stay on the same mission. #3: When we learn, we understand new things about ourselves. #4: Learning opens our mind to new ideas. Those ideas can be great topics for conversation with our spouse. #5: Learning renews our minds. When we learn true and good things it helps us to know more about God.  Grab your Catholic Marriage Basic Book List freebie here. Join the Becoming Love podcast community on Facebook to meet with other couples working on their Catholic marriage. Becoming Love Facebook Group Want Amber to come speak to your community? Send the details here >> Speaking

An introduction to Amber and the Becoming Love Podcast