I believe that we all have the answers in ourselves to resolve the issues and fears we have in our relationships.
Love Your Relationship
Weekend Retreat with Dr. Markman
The Oxford Hotel, Denver, CO
How Can I Get Through to You? Reconnecting Men and Women By Terrence Real
AUDIOBOOK: The demand for intimacy in marriage must be met with new skills... $17.50
Family 360 By Perry Christensen, Ben Porter
BOOK: A Proven Approach to Getting Your Family to Talk, Solve Problems, and Improve Relationships.
CELEBRITY INTERVIEW with MELINA KANAKAREDES by Coaching Circles Staff Writer
Comments (0)
Melina Kanakaredes, the star of the NBC's top-rated drama Providence, married her college sweetheart Peter Constantinides in 1992.
CC: How do you define a soul mate?
Melina: It's that thing that you can't actually put your finger on, but you are family and friends and lovers all at the same time. A soul mate is someone you don't have to explain anything to, it's Somebody who understands who you are. It's someone who automatically feels like family.
CC: Was there anything unique about your wedding ceremony?
Melina: I got married in Ohio in the same Greek Orthodox church where my parents were married and where my sisters and I were baptized.
Because I was marrying a Greek guy, it was a huge wedding. We invited 500 of our closest friends!
There's a unique tradition in the Greek Orthodox church where crowns are exchanged. The bride and the groom each have a crown that is connected by a ribbon. The Koumbaros, which is the guy who sponsors your wedding, crosses the crowns three times, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, to make the two of us one.
Then we walk around the petufrin, which is the altar, three times, again to symbolize the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Koumbaros, who is holding the crowns, walks with us, as does the priest who is holding the bible, and someone to hold the train of my dress. We hold candles and we're taking our first walk as husband and wife.
Then everyone throws rose petals, which is a tradition from southern Greece, where my husband's family is from. It's very symbolic --everything means something. The silver tray that holds the crowns has koufeta all over it, which are like candy-covered Jordan almonds. The shape of the almond symbolizes never-ending love.
CC: Melina's advice for a happy marriage:
Melina: Fight passionately. You need to love passionately and fight passionately. When there is a lack of communication that's when the start happening. I want to get into a knock-down drag-out fight, because then it's fun to make up.
CC: Melina's Reality Check:
Melina: I always ask my friends who are going to get married... what do you hate about him? They think that's a pessimistic question, but it's not. There's got to be something that drives you nuts, and you have to figure out what it is because it's not going to get any better after you marry them. No one is gong to be ideally perfect all the time -- and if they were, how boring!
Ochs Says Bisexuals `Invisible' By Leondra R. Kruger via The Harvard Crimson Bisexuals are invisible in the media except when they are portrayed in conflict with other groups, Romance Languages and Literatures administrator Robyn T. Ochs told 30 students gathered at last night's meeting of the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Student Association….
Moving Forward-Back Into Reality by University of North Carolina Comments (0) Although the number of interracial couples has grown by the thousands in the last thirty years, the acceptance of such has not progressed in the same manner. Granted, social acceptance of these relationships has come a long way, but certain conditions plaguing our society have made it impossible for these couples to feel completely free of stereotypes and prejudice.
Over the years, people have become more aware of interracial dating and marriages through different mediums of the mass media. One very influential way has been through film. For example, two directors, from two very different times in American history, attacked the issue of interracial relationships in their own feature films. The first film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, was made in 1967, and was directed by Stanley Kramer. The other film, Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, was made almost thirty years later in 1991.
Both portrayals of interracial couples and the social ramifications of being involved in such a relationship are rooted in similar ground, yet it is obvious that both depictions were manipulated by the time period in which the films were made. Ironically, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner seems to present a much more hopeful view of life for interracial couples than Jungle Fever, which was made during a time when society presumably should have been more comfortable with such an idea. However, with deeper observation, it appears than Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is more of a safe, Hollywood depiction of how love conquers all rather than an example of racial consciousness, whereas Jungle Fever engages in the true realities and complexities of interracial dating and of race relations in general.
“WHY IS STEPMOTHERING MORE DIFFICULT THAN STEPFATHERING?” Rose Marie Hoffman, via Stepfamilies Quarterly
...some have argued that stepmother-stepchild relationships have the potential to be particularly problematic for both stepmothers and stepchildren. free
“Marital Distress” by AAMFT
How Do You Know When to Seek Help or Suggest Doing So to a Friend? free
“Postpartum Depression” by the APA
About one in 10 new mothers experience some degree of postpartum depression. free
“Let’s Talk Facts About Common Childhood Disorders” by the APA
A great brochure in .pdf form of facts for parents. The APA says the key to handling mental disorders of children is to recognize the problem and seek appropriate treatment. free, .pdf
The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories
BOOK: *The New York Times BESTSELLER*
Quit "dieting" for good. Feel full on fewer calories. Lose weight and keep it off while eating satisfying portions of delicious, nutritious foods.
Alcoholics Anonymous
SOCIAL SERVICE: The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
Al-Anon
On average, each alcoholic affects the lives of at least four other people.
CELEBRITY INTERVIEW 
Ochs Says Bisexuals `Invisible' By Leondra R. Kruger 
Moving Forward-Back Into Reality by University of North Carolina 
