TPW 05.0 | Kirsten Grove, The Fun Wife

Kirsten Grove and Jessie Pepper chat about everything from adoption to arguing over new furniture. In this episode you’ll hear about:   Renovating a home together. Making jokes makes it WAY more fun, and singing through the process keeps the late nights light-hearted. Tune in to Kirsten’s snapchat to see her hilarious segment called, “Late Nights With Shane.” First-date romance. Proof that this can be embraced whether it’s been 16 years or 16 days into the relationship. (Interestingly, this is yet another example of one of the wives I’ve chatted with who happens to be shy about eating in front of their partner on the first date. Is this a phenomenon?) Finding “The One.” Kirsten moves to a new city on a whimsical crush, and little did she know that dreaming big would be one of the things that made Shane her main man. They’ve settled in Boise to raise their family, and her own experience proves that you can embrace nearly any town as your home, if you’re willing to put your heart into it.   Growing your family through adoption. The Groves have been so blessed by the beautiful children that have come into their world, and Kirsten trusts that God made this a reality by placing it onto her heart for a reason. Finding a partner who agreed with the decision right off the bat made it very easy to answer his proposal with an enthusiastic YES. Venting vs. complaining. Try leading with the positive to prevent a gripe-fest from happening. Jessie opts to skip the “highs and lows” exercise, and Kirsten suggests the “sandwich method.” Either way, it can help your partner feel less piled-on if you’re in a better mood when they walk through the door. Perpetual partnership. Acknowledging the priorities and emotions of your spouse will help solidify the commitment and prove that “you’re in it together.” The agreement here can be incredibly impactful on both your offspring and your extended family. Facing conflict head-on. When two partners have differing conflict management styles, Kirsten recommends approaching the situation with as much patience as you can muster. We both agree that healthy communication styles can be learned as you go along, but offering each other a lot of grace is the best way to go. Laughing like a lady. If you can make your partner giggle like a girl (whether they happen to be one, or not) it's one of the best forms of amusement that we can think of. Keeping this front of mind will be sure to make your marriage (and your whole life) a LOT more fun. Kirsten says: “Great Love is when he knows how to hit all of my love languages in under ten minutes. In those moments, I have to ask -- God, how did I get so lucky?!” Find out more about Kirsten and her work by visiting her online at SimplyGrove.com!