A Craft that Helped My Marriage

Every marriage has a movie-watching rhythm. Maybe you like mystery and he likes comedies. Or, he hates chick flicks and you can't stand thrillers. Or maybe you both love the same kind of movie. If so, you should get down on your praying knees right now and say thank you because you're not normal.

Personally, I love a good chick flick but don't like any movie whose plot involves someone dying. (What? Too much to ask?) That narrows down our movie-watching options to basically nothing my husband wants to see. But I married a very patient man (who can begrudgingly now quote My Big Fat Greek Wedding), and he puts up with a lot.

So in an effort to say thank you to my precious husband for all of the ridiculous and predictable chick flicks he's watched over the years because of his love for me, I made a peace offering.
You may not recognize this sign, but the males in your life probably would. It's an iconic piece from the movie Lonesome Dove. Lonesome Dove is a very manly movie filled with very manly men (Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall, Danny Glover) doing very manly things (cattle drives to Montana, shootouts with outlaws) and rescuing beautiful damsels in distress (Diane Lane, Anjelica Huston). It's my husband's favorite movie and he and his best friend have loved this movie since they were teenagers. It holds a special place in their manly hearts.

The Latin at the bottom (and there's a long explanation of why the actual translation is not what the author meant, but I digress) basically means "we are changed by the lives around us."

When you marry a man, you inherit the traits, habits and history he chose and created throughout his childhood and adolescent journey. I know that the man my husband is today is in part due to the friendships he chose so many years ago. Those Latin words still ring true.

So to commemorate their friendship, and to have one more excuse under my belt as to why I never have to watch this movie again, I made matching signs for my hubs and his best friend. A very girly thing to do for two very manly men. To say they were thrilled, is an understatement. It was a big hit.

Does your husband/boyfriend have a best friend he can confide in? If not, you should encourage him to find one. (Bonus: He'll have someone to watch action flicks with!)

**I made this sign using discarded wooden fence panels. I've come up with other uses for old fence posts and you can see them here:

Raised Bed Vegetable/Herb Garden
(more projects to come)**