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What Happy Couples Do

About Me

Layout made by nothing_plus_this at CreateBlog.com .Have you ever wondered how happy couples come to have such joy? What their secret is? Where they ever found each other and such bliss? What Happy Couples Do is about the little loving rituals of romance. Using a fresh and creative researched-based approach to long-term marital happiness, Dr. Carol Bruess and Anna Kudak, M.A, two warm, funny, and well-respected marriage researchers and educators, share the delightfully simple lessons and little-known secrets about what to DO to make your marriage happier and more intimate.Comprised of the sometimes quirky yet always endearing stories of happy couples interviewed over the past 15 years, What Happy Couples Do will urge you and your spouse to be intentional and creative about your marriage. It will encourage you to consider the powerful way that even the smallest daily rituals of connection can improve your marriage in profound and long-lasting ways. It will teach you that what happy couples DO is often delightfully simple and simply playful. Because what you DO about your marriage is up to you.

My Interests

Carol: Sewing with vintage fabrics; writing; shopping with friends; biking, running, and swimming (and, on a really good day, putting them all together in triathlons); watching Law and Order; and drinking hot cocoa – lots of marshmallows, please – with her kids.Anna: Biking; trying new recipes; reading; consuming chocolate in any form; meeting new people; spending time at friends' cabins; and enjoying many rituals with friends and family

I'd like to meet:

People interested in happy relationships, authors, new and old friends

Music:

Carol: Pink Floyd, U2, and Dave Matthews BandAnna: The Weepies, Joshua Radin, Schuyler Fisk, Cary Brothers, Elliot Smith, Josh Rouse, and Patty Griffin, among many more.

Television:

Carol: Law and Order, The Office, and My name is EarlAnna: Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs, and How I Met Your Mother

Books:

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert (John Gottman); Take Back Your Marriage: Sticking Together in a World that Pulls us Apart (William Doherty); Good Things (Mia King)

My Blog

We "Heart" NYC

Whew. It's wednesday and we (Anna and I) returned from New York City Monday night. Did you miss us? Some of you must have (thank goodness) because you've been asking us why we haven't blogged. That's ...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:18:00 PST

A Lovely Long Weekend

Ah, the weekend. Ahhhhhhhh, long weekends! My husband and I (Anna) just spent our long weekend at a gorgeous cabin in Grand Marais, Minnesota (way north) with some of our favorite friends (i.e., three...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:42:00 PST

Yep, Oprah Called!!!

... well, not Oprah herself. But someone from Oprah & Friends Radio (XM) to schedule an interview on valentine's day on the Jean Chatsky show!!! WHAT?!?!?! Yes, we're going to be on. 12-12:45 Eastern ...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:11:00 PST

Marriage is up to You!

I (Carol) received the following e-mail today from my college roommate, Sal. It made me smile. It also reveals precisely why Anna and I love what we do.Hi Carol -How are you??? My goodness you have be...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:11:00 PST

How do you "say" I love you?

Many of the ritual stories we receive reveal adorable expressions of couples, kids, parents, grandparents, sisters, uncles, and best friends who find creative, private, and/or unique ways of saying "I...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 02:59:00 PST

Bad Dreams, Najla, and Carmel Corn

Anna and I just returned from a few days in Chicago (yes, we drove by Oprah's studio ... still waiting for her to call!) attending the national communication association conference. Besides taking in ...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:00:00 PST

Will You Marry Me?

So many happy couples have told us, in interviews and surveys over the past 15 years, how the way they were engaged inspired one (or more) of their marriage rituals down the road! If the proposal happ...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Fri, 09 Nov 2007 05:32:00 PST

Fun with Nicknames...

What a hoot! Students in my (Carol's) Family Communication course the other day went around and shared their nicknames (those loving terms of endearment bestowed by or on family members, friends, and ...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:59:00 PST

Happy Marriage is in the Little Things

Even though we study rituals, almost every day we recognize a ritual that we hadn't noticed before in our own marriages, families, or friendships.This past weekend, I (Anna) was out to dinner with my ...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:53:00 PST

Family Matters

For a little peek into Carol's home and family life (the inspiration for her life's work) check out the fall catalogue/magazine of Minneapolis design company Room and Board (visit www.roomandboard.com...
Posted by What Happy Couples Do on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:12:00 PST