We met on Craigslist…

Katrina and Isaac have been together for four years and celebrated their anniversary this past October.  They live in San Diego California.  

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How did you first meet?

We actually met through Craigslist… I know crazy! He posted an ad and I responded to it. We emailed a few times and met about a week later.

What was your first date and what encouraged you to keep dating?

We went to go see Avatar, but met early so we could talk. I think we decided to keep dating because we could easily talk to one another for hours. Seriously, during the first few weeks of dating we had a 10 hour phone conversation, and the best part is that it did not even feel like 10 hours. Another thing is that we really enjoyed spending time with one another. At the end of the day we just wanted to hang out with each other.

What was your best date ever and what made it so outstanding?

Honestly, it would be our first date considering that was probably our only actual “date.” We necessarily do not plan big, elaborate dates out. We just decide, hey let’s go do this together or ask what do you feel like doing today? So in this case, everyday that we  do something together it’s like a date for us. I would say our first date was so outstanding to us because even though it was a first date, we were able to just be ourselves.

What’s one of the biggest challenges you have faced as a couple and how has that challenge affected your marriage? How would you encourage other couples that may be facing this challenge?

One of the biggest challenges we have faced is communication. Isaac is amazing at communicating how he feels and his thoughts to me thoroughly. On the other hand, I’m not so great at this. Isaac has taught me how to communicate my feelings and thoughts about certain things, especially when it involves our marriage. He knows that he has to probe and ask me what I am thinking in order for me to open up. He also knows depending on the topic tears will most likely ensue for me, but he has learned to handle them. We believe that communication is one of the most important things in any relationship. If you are having trouble with communication as a couple, I would say take some time to learn how one another communicates. Learn exactly how your spouse communicates and pay attention when they are communicating. Also, in this case patience is key because for the 4 years that Isaac and I have been together, we are still continually working on communication.

What is something you are most proud to have created together?

Simply put our marriage. So far this our greatest achievement together.

What are some marriage resources that have helped you in your efforts to build a better marriage?

Once again our key tool is communication. On top of that we are always learning new things about one another and finding what works for us the best. We have found that as long as we are communicating our needs, wants, annoyances, or anything to each other, we work!

Tell us about an “Aha!” moment that you have had in your marriage and how that has helped you become a better spouse.

Isaac: Learning empathy has really helped me become a better spouse. It allows me to put my self in Katrina’s shoes and see how she is feeling.

Katrina: Learning Isaac’s love language has really helped me a lot. I learned that Isaac and I love in different ways thus I needed to change how I showed him love. Once I changed this, he felt like I loved him even more!

When you think about your future together, what are you most excited about?

We are most excited about growing old together and being able to look back on our lives together. Honestly, just spending the rest of our lives together.

What is your idea of the ideal date?

Our ideal date is doing any thing as long as we are together. We really just enjoy spending time with one another, either discovering new things, or just doing the usual stuff.