Fawn Weaver is the founder of the Happy Wives Club, “an upbeat blog dedicated to positively changing the tone about marriage around the world,” and she’s “on a mission to find 1 million women, like me, who are living their happily ever after.”

Her blog has long been a place for happily married women — and those who desire and celebrate happy marriages — to congregate and share encouragement and wisdom. She now takes that mission on the road, with the recent release of her first book: Happy Wives Club: One Woman’s Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage.

This is not a self-help book, with a “10 steps to happy marriage” approach. Instead, it reads like Fawn’s travel journal as she navigates countries across the globe and discovers the beauty of these locales and the happy marriages within them.

She speaks with couples from California, South Africa, England, Croatia, Australia, and more and brings the reader along to hear their insights.

There are some differences among the couples indeed. They vary in ways beyond the different cultures they represent. Some marriages grew from whirlwind romances, some arose from slow-building friendships, and one couple’s marriage was even arranged by their families. Some seem to have skipped through their blissful years of marriage, while others experienced hardship yet found their happy groove.

Still, all of these couples seem to share certain characteristics, the qualities that Fawn recognizes as the “secrets to a great marriage.” Thankfully, Fawn herself has known deep happiness in her marriage and believes that happy marriages are more than possible — they exist everywhere.

As her trip unfolds, the reader can see the secrets coming together like threads woven into a beautiful fabric — each marriage unique, yet sharing certain colors. Although these secrets can be listed (and yes, you’ll find them in the book), they emerge instead as stories of Fawn’s journey and the happy couples she meets.

There are a few aspects Fawn didn’t highlight as much, but which struck me as interesting. Each of these long-married, happy-ever-after couples seem to be happy people. That is, I got the sense that they had individually learned happiness as well, a goal I suggest we wives aim for in our lives. Also, these wives have a strong sense of themselves, through meaningful work and relationships. And several of them mention good role models in their family, which encourages me all the more to attend to my own marriage and provide a healthy example for my children.

One aspect Fawn did highlight, which I love, is the importance of laughter in a marriage. Not laughter at your spouse’s expense. Rather, the perspective that life shouldn’t always be taken so seriously and that belly laughs are good for the marriage and good for the soul.

Fawn starts her journey as a happy wife and ends it with greater wisdom, great encouragement from other happy couples, and important secrets to a great marriage that she shares in the pages of Happy Wives Club.

Personally, I relate to those wives who have struggled, who had to work on their marriage, who had much to learn to find the happiness that God desires us to experience in marriage. My own journey has had its challenges, but I am now definitely, definitely a happy wife. Count me among the million.

What do you think it takes to be happy in marriage? What’s the one secret to a happy marriage you would share with others?

Happy Wives Club is Fawn’s journey across the world to meet new friends and discover what makes their marriages great. You can find her book about the best marriage secrets the world has to offer by clicking here.

The post What Does It Take to Be Happy in Marriage? appeared first on Hot, Holy & Humorous.

Since I write about married sexuality, I wondered how I should approach this. I could say, “Well, there’s this thing my hubby does with his hands that . . .” Yeah, not so much. Not sharing that one. (Even if, at that very moment, I love, adore, and revel in my husband. I mean, wow.)

I racked my brain a bit longer, but here are 11 Reasons I Love My Sexy Husband:

1. He’s never cheated, and I trust that he won’t. Admittedly, the guy gets lots of sex from me — which provides some temptation protection. However, he has an incredibly ethical core and long before me committed to being monogamous.
2. He’s always been satisfied with my breasts (Proverbs 5:19). I’ve mentioned on this blog that I had augmentation a few years back, and he has approached my breasts with delight before and after.
3. He thinks porn is stupid. That’s the upshot of it. His basic take is “Why look at something you can’t touch?” And he can touch me.
4. He is adventurous in the bedroom, without being kinky. I agonized over how to say that. My husband is open to trying new things, but he has never suggested or pressured me to participate in any fringe sexual activities. For me, that strikes a good balance of feeling both free and secure.
5. He seeks my pleasure. My husband is genuinely interested in making sure that I experience deep pleasure and orgasms. He is turned on by turning me on . . . which turns me on . . . which turns him on . . . You get the point.
6. He never reminds me of my tainted sexual past. His attitude is that was then, this is now. He doesn’t get jealous over past lovers or make me feel like damaged goods in any way because of my premarital history. Like God, he wiped the slate clean.
7. He is committed to teaching our kids about godly sex. He has sat with me in conversation with our kids explaining the birds and bees . . . and how humans do it. He’s much better than I at the anatomy questions too.
8. When I asked him to get rid of the “whitey-tighties,” he did. Yes, wives have opinions about their spouses’ undies too. I couldn’t get him to wear the Superman Underoos (which he would totally rock), but he did let me have some say in his undergarments.
9. He jokes with me. As you might surmise by the blog’s title, being able to laugh is important to me. My hubby and I flirt with word play and crack each other up all the time — even in bed. Knowing that we can laugh off whatever awkwardness might happen frees me up to be physically and emotionally naked with him.
10. He flirts with me in front of our children. He’s maybe gone a little far now and then, to the point that even this marriage and sex blogger blushes and looks away. But our kids know that their parents love one another and express intimacy in a committed marriage. They see it in how we touch, kiss, and flirt.
11. He supports my blog. He encourages me to continue writing here and offers his feedback on posts from time to time. He has given me carte blanche to share from our intimate life anything that might help other couples (knowing, of course, that I have boundaries for how detailed I get).

Now that I read all of that, my husband’s is looking really good. I might have to ask him to do that things with his hands . . .

However, if you’ve read my story, you know that I wasn’t always a happy wife. At different points in my marriage, I’ve been a:

We made it. We hung in there. We worked things out. Having God in our corner and good sexual intimacy helped us pull through. Our marriage continues to grow.

So even if you’re not a happy wife right now, I’d encourage you to look for the good in your husband, pray for wisdom and patience, and seek out happy wives who demonstrate that marriage can be a genuine blessing.

The 11 items above are my husband’s strengths. Your husband’s strengths are likely different. Perhaps your husband doesn’t think porn is stupid and has struggled with that temptation. Or maybe he doesn’t help you address questions about sex with the kids. Yet your husband may be very romantic (mine isn’t) or loves buying you pretty lingerie (mine doesn’t). My hubby looks wonderful to me, but please don’t read this list and decry that your husband has an issue where mine doesn’t. Consider your own marriage and how your husband blesses you. Make your own list.

In the comments, share something you love about your sexy husband. What about your husband gets your motor running?

Thanks, Fawn of Happy Wives Club, for a great topic!

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