What I’m Loving Lately—March 2024 Edition

Hi friends! To adjust the lyrics from the old Rodgers & Hammerstein song, spring is bustin’ out all over –at least where I’m living in the South! Since the last What I’m Loving Lately was August of 2023, I’m in the mood to play hooky from the blog for a week and do something fun.  

Here are five things I’m loving lately, from #5 to #1. (And #1 is a doozy!!) 

#5: I think it is actually spring! 

Here in Atlanta, spring has been teasing us for weeks. Beautiful, sunny 75-degree days, followed by a freeze that kills all the daffodils. But finally I think spring has sprung. This bush is right beside our house, and I have no idea what these flowers are, but it has suddenly, gloriously bloomed.  

#4: Hooray for self-awareness 

A good marriage involves a willingness to focus on what each of us needs to work on, rather than focusing on what we want the other person to do. This meme made me laugh out loud – but it is also kind of profound. I have had to grapple with this same realization at times! 

#3: A husband cheering on his wife

You guys are going to think I’m nuts, but this video made me cry. This short 2021 clip captures former Detroit Lions quarterback David Blough watching his wife Melissa Gonzalez race in an Olympic preliminary qualifier. It also viscerally captures the pride and exhilaration that so many men feel inside as they watch their wives “run the race” as an amazing mom, entrepreneur, small group leader, or skilled executive.

Ladies, David Blough may be more pumped-up than your quiet husband. But this is probably how your man feels about your “wins” in life!

I’d love to do a blog on this topic. SO, HERE’S A QUESTION FOR ALL THE MEN READING THIS. (And ladies, please show your man that video, and ask if he’d be willing to take two minutes to answer the question below.)

What is it that your wife does that makes you feel a sense of pride? Or where do you find yourself cheering her on? It may not be extravagant, or related to a competition. But where do you feel a sense of pride and appreciation when you watch your wife? Please share a few anonymous words here.

#2: Recording the next season of our podcast!!

My friend and colleague Brian Goins and I co-host the Married With Benefits podcast for Family Life, and I was just down in Orlando recording most of Season 4! Each of the seasons so far focuses on one of my research projects and books: Season 1: Questions Every Wife is Asking, Season 2: Questions Every Husband is Asking and Season 3: Questions Everyone’s Asking (About Sex).

And now … drum roll please … Season 4 will be about the secrets of the happiest marriages, based on our research for The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages. Brian and I recorded for three days straight, and we’ll finish up next month. The episodes will start dropping in June, so make sure you get notified when the new season starts!

#1: Being (kinda) roasted by my young adult daughter in front of … oh, I don’t know … 5 million people

Picture me relaxing with my morning coffee one Sunday in October (October 8, 2023, to be precise) and getting this in a team group text from my former staff director. “Shaunti – This was in today’s Morning Brew. Ummmm, please tell me this wasn’t you…”

I clicked the link and nearly spit out my coffee. I could not stop laughing.

Here’s what I read, in the ultra-popular Morning Brew news email seen by millions daily. (See red marks.)

Yes, unfortunately … that was me.

The kids LOVE telling their friends about the time that I, their utterly clueless mom, got an email from some nice lady named Denise Jonas. She said she loved For Women Only and then offered something like this: “My sons have a band and are touring in Atlanta. Would love to give you some tickets and backstage passes to meet them if you’d like.” I thought to myself, “That is so kind of her! Shoot, I wish I wasn’t so behind on my book deadline. I should probably be good and stay home.”

I didn’t mention it to the kids because at the time, I had no idea who the Jonas Brothers were. (In my defense, I think it was a bit earlier than 2008, and thus the kids hadn’t yet watched Camp Rock or been aware of their appearances on Disney.)

I knew I was in trouble, not long after that, when I saw a news story with throngs of screaming kids and teens celebrating these rising superstars.

At some point a few years later, when my daughter and her cousins were in middle school, they were going on about how much they LOVED the Jonas Brothers, and I had to come clean. Instant angst! And a family legend was born.

So here I am, back in the modern era, with a 23-year-old daughter who decides to submit an answer to a Morning Brew question – and apparently the Morning Brew people loved it as much as she did. She didn’t use my name, so only people who knew the unique way we spelled her first name would recognize who she was talking about. But it was so clever and hilarious I had to share it. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how our text thread went when I discovered what she had done.

As my former staff director put it, “Bwaaaahhh!!! Busted! And now only, I dunno, 4-5 million other people know!😂😂😂”

See? I told you. I am a lot.

See you back here next time. We’re bringing an exciting announcement to you that is just perfect to share right before Easter. (Yes, Easter is already fast approaching!) You won’t want to miss next week’s blog!

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If you are interested in having Shaunti bring research-based strategies, practical wisdom and biblical principles to your next event, please contact Nicole Owens at [email protected].

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