Ryan and I have had some really great conversations recently with friends that have us dreaming of a world where everywhere you look there is an AMAZING example of love. It is not often that we find ourselves in a place where we can stop everything that we are doing and look around and see nothing but AMAZING smiles, lots of laughter, and hearts that are overflowing with joy. We are beyond grateful to say that we found ourselves in one of those environments on Saturday at the Kent Manor Inn!

In a tent decorated with super fun, BIG and bright lanterns, Darcy’s dad welcomed the family and friends who gathered to celebrate the marriage of Darcy and Patrick. He mentioned the table of photos that greeted everyone at the entrance to the reception. The table was full of generations of love and marriages that has shaped Darcy and Patrick’s lives. That love that was so visible in all of the photos was reflected on every single face that was there to celebrate Darcy and Patrick! Darcy’s dad mentioned that through all of the differences in those black and white images and the lives that they represent… the common denominator and one consistency throughout… is LOVE.

Darcy and Patrick… the love that surrounds you and is present among you is something special! It truly was awe-inspiring for us to look around on Saturday (and Friday too! ;) ) and see nothing but AMAZING smiles, lots of laughter, and hearts that are overflowing with joy! Your AMAZING wedding celebration surrounded by your family and friends has touched our hearts in a special way! Thank you for opening your arms to us with a warm welcome and leaving a lasting impact that we will always treasure! You are AMAZING! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs.! We could not be more excited for you!!!

Huge thanks to everyone who helped make Darcy and Patrick’s day so AMAZING!

Wedding Planner: Plan it Perfect; Rachel Hoffberger Shaw | Stationery & All things paper!: Carolina Paper Co. | Hair & Makeup Stylist: Behind the Veil LLC | Florist: Little House of Flowers | Ceremony Venue: Our Shepherd Lutheran Church | Officiant: Pastor Earl Jannsen | Ceremony Music: Aubrey Alexander, Harp, & Laura Hein, Pianist | Reception: Historic Kent Manor Inn | Bakery: Bay Country Bakery | DJ/Band: Crow Entertainment, CJ Curtis | Videographer: East West Productions | Bride’s Attire: James Clifford | Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Jos A. Bank | Bridesmaid’s Attire: Bella Bridesmaid, Lula Kate | Other: www.shopsweetlulu.com (straws)

It’s late in the evening.  We are sitting on the couch together, phones in hand, laptop on the ottoman, iPad nearby, and the television is on.  I check the latest score of the Orioles game while Liz pins away on Pinterest.  The phone buzzes and the urge to see who might have emailed us this late in the evening is too strong to resist.  I just “have” to know who needs my attention at this exact second.  Unfortunately, the person who really needs my attention at this exact second is sitting right beside me.  We sit together on the couch, but are we really together?

Is checking that email, facebook update, or instagram really more important then checking in with each other?

How did we let all of these distractions interrupt our lives?

How many people reading this can share a similar story?

How many people reading this are doing so on their phone in front of the TV while your spouse sits oh so close, but yet so far away?

I remember our honeymoon quite vividly.  Ok, Ok, I won’t get into all those details here :), but the one thing I will share is that it was truly an escape with each other without distractions.  No phones, no computers, no television.  It was truly a place and time to connect with each other without distractions.

Earlier this week, Liz and I cuddled close for a date night together on the couch.  It has been one of our traditions to watch The Bachelor/Bachelorette together since the very beginning of our relationship back in highschool…. going all the way back to season 1!

… For a moment we were definitely worried Des might end up alone.  Maybe it was all the distractions of giant cameras and a twenty-person television crew that kept Brooks from truly falling in love with her.  But that’s a conversation for another post…

We roasted s’mores, made fancy drinks, and sat close.  Besides the TV and after a quick instagram, (because clearly everyone needs to know at that exact moment that we are roasting marshmallows inside our house, just in case we accidently set it on fire), we made sure to turn off the computers, put away the iPad, and put our phones on silent.

And for the first moment in over a week, we could truly reconnect with each other.

Too often we get caught up in the fast paced life of a technology driven world that we forget to reconnect without distractions.

Our friend Lara Casey has declared this month as Intentional August, a month to focus intentionally on what’s most important.

This week we challenge everyone who reads our blog to intentionally shut off the distractions and focus on reconnecting with the one you love.

Sit close, share the one thing you love most about each other, play truth or dare, watch the sunset, or better yet, watch the sunrise.  Have a romantic date night in the middle of the week.  Make breakfast in bed.  Have sex before work (yes I said it! :)).  Talk about your big dreams, how many children (or dogs) you want to have, and what life will be like when you are old and wrinkly.

We have some fun inspiration to help you reconnect without distractions.  Earlier this year we created the Liz and Ryan Date Night Guide. And today, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to share it with you all for FREE! Just click here or on the image below to download the guide.  And then print it out so you can turn off your computer and reconnect with your spouse.  :)

Finally, if you’ve enjoyed this post and our date night guide download, and you are looking for a fun couples getaway, we’ve created our AMAZING Life Escape as the ultimate way to reconnect with each other without distractions.  Learn more by clicking here and be sure to use discount code AMZESCAPE when registering to save $351 on our last two remaining spots.

Who knew that those psychology classes that I took in college and that summer of psychology research would come in so handy? As we were talking about the details of The AMAZING Life Escape and trying to put into words what we imagined it to be, I blurted out… “It’s like that pyramid.” Lol. Ryan looked at me like I was crazy- as he often does when I blurt out random things! ;) Then I remembered the pyramid I was referring to was Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

The Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid has a base full of very basic needs: Food, Water, Air. Maslow’s theory basically says that you have to meet your needs from the bottom of the pyramid in order to reach the top, which is Self-Actualization. The steps in between are: Safety, Love, and Self-Esteem.

It has been a dream of ours to help people get closer to their self-actualization together as a couple! In fact, helping people see their true potential is a daily goal of ours. For our AMAZING Life Escape, we have an opportunity to really help people accelerate to the top of the pyramid as a couple!

At the Escape, it is our goal to take care of everything so each couple can have a true getaway! We do not want you to have to think about the daily details that normally pop into our brains every second of the day… like, what are we having for dinner and when are we going to go to the grocery store! ;) Our plan is to take care of as many basic needs as we possibly can so that by the end of the Escape you are in a magical place. We want you to be able to see clearly to the AMAZINGNESS in your life without being masked by basic worries and daily to-dos.

It is so easy to get caught up in just maintaining and just doing what we have to do to complete that routine list of to-dos that fill our lives! But ahhh! That is not what this AMAZING life is all about! Ok- on some days it is just the reality, we get that. But we truly believe that there is so much more to this life than just maintaining! The AMAZING Life Escape is an opportunity to “escape” and get back to the goodness of what makes your life AMAZING! We can’t wait to reach for the top of that pyramid along with the other couples who join us!!

Here is a video clip from the More Time for Love Webinar that we did earlier this year where we talked a little bit more about this idea:

There are currently 2 more openings for couples for the AMAZING Life Escape! Previously the escape had been sold out but we have had two couples who are no longer able to join us due to big life things going on for them! ;) (Exciting life things like a new job and pregnancy!!! WAHOOOO!!)! We are super excited for them and I know they would love it if we would to fill their spots with two couples who are looking forward to an Escape!! Hope you can join us! Sign up before the end of the week, and save $351 (random amount, we know ;)), by using discount code AMZESCAPE.

And Learn More Here: The AMAZING Life Escape

How much fun is this to think about…

What if we had a ski lodge all to ourselves? What if we brought together some AMAZING people to just take a break? Take a break from all of the craziness that fills our to do lists and just have fun. What if we gathered a group of friends together and took a vacation to a magical place that had everything that we could dream of doing and the comfort of doing nothing at all!

These are just a few of our “what ifs” that went through our brains when dreaming of the AMAZING Life Escape! We dreamed of a getaway where we could gather with new and old friends and just be. We craved an opportunity to escape to an AMAZINGly beautiful location and just soak each other in. We wanted the location to have a little bit of everything without making us feel guilty if we wanted to do a little bit of nothing!

The Glen House isn’t actually a ski lodge- but it pretty much is exactly that! ;) It is located at the base of a ski slope right alongside a golf course. The estate has a 20 seat state of the art movie theatre, 2 hot tubs, 8 spa-inspired bathrooms (all with multiple shower heads and body sprays), 3 kitchens, 4 bars, a pool table, multiple fire places (indoor and outdoor) and so much more… which is already more than we can even imagine!

The reality is, it is not likely that we could afford to take a vacation like this by ourselves, but by including friends (new and old) we all can have a dream getaway together! The thought of having the Glen House all to ourselves to do as much or as little as we want just makes our hearts smile! We are dreaming of what we will do when we arrive in November and this place is our little escape. What would you do if you had a ski lodge all to yourself?

Over the next few days, we will be sharing a little more about our plans for the AMAZING Life Escape! We have two spots open for two additional couples to join us for the Escape! If you share in our dreams for a little getaway- you should definitely join us! We would love to have you. Plus, if you sign up this week you can save $351 by using code AMZESCAPE. We can’t wait for you to Escape with us!!!