This may not be entirely normal, but Rob and I have an extra category on our bucket list. We have a small list of couples that we would really like to share a double date with. The couples are people that we admire for distinct reasons but above all, each couple is married and demonstrates a deep and lasting love. Their stories and partnerships are all one of a kind, and speak to us in particular ways. As newlyweds, Rob and I learn so much about marriage from the examples set by others. We dream of having an opportunity to enjoy the conversation that would flow with each of these couples over dinner and our after-dinner drinks. So who’s on our list? Here is our top 3 double date bucket list couples!
Dave and Sharon Ramsey
If you visit the blog regularly, the fact that the Ramseys are on our list probably isn’t much of a surprise. I will gladly look for any excuse to meet Dave Ramsey and give him a big hug shake his hand and Rob shares my admiration. It goes much deeper than his celebrity status in our eyes. Dave and his wife, Sharon, have been married for over 30 years and their marriage has endured many changes along the way.
In addition to all of the usual personal changes and stresses that come from adding children to a family, moving or starting a new job, family finances have played a particularly unique role in their marriage. As a young newlywed, Dave Ramsey became a millionaire in his mid-twenties, then lost it all within a few years time and had to file for bankruptcy. Dave and Sharon Ramsey stayed together through their darkest financial days and (of course) also through the better financial times.
Although we’ve only been married for six months, Rob and I have already begun to learn the impact that personal finances can have on a marriage. Sharon plays a subtle role in Dave Ramsey’s business (she tended to the home, but Dave often speaks of her influence in hiring decisions when his growing team was still small). Although Sharon’s work was focused primarily on the home, she was equally committed to their plan for success and undoubtably bore many burdens at home while Dave’s attention was focused on developing his companies.
Despite the strain that bankruptcy can cause for a couple, financial success does not guarantee happiness either. Money can easily become a complicated third person in a marriage. Dave Ramsey is truly a source of wisdom about how to live life and gain financial rewards according to God’s plan; and although she doesn’t seem to enjoy her time in the limelight, Sharon Ramsey sets a great example of spousal support and partnership. It is very apparent that the two are equals in marriage and we have so much to learn from their spirit of teamwork and desire to live their marriage fully and according to God’s plan.
Amy and Jordan Demos
I first discovered Amy and Jordan last year while I was planning for our wedding. Somehow, I stumbled upon their Instagram accounts, saw something I liked, and chose to follow both of them. Amy and Jordan live in Arizona and specialize in luxury wedding photography. Rob and I did not have a luxury wedding and we definitely don’t live in Arizona, so it’s a little surprising that they maintained my attention for a significant amount of time.
But Amy and Jordan are much, much more than just a photography duo. They are high school sweethearts, Gilmore Girls fanatics, bloggers, and business partners. They are also so very much in love. It is obvious in every single word and image that they share online.
Amy and Jordan also happen to be former classroom teachers. They taught in neighboring classrooms in the same school. They eventually stepped out of the classroom and dove head-first into pursuing their dream of photography, but Amy and Jordan still believe wholeheartedly in the value of educating others. So while I probably would have stopped following Amy and Jordan after the wedding under normal circumstances, I kept on following them because I devour any nugget of insight that they share about photography or business ownership. Even though the business of blogging and being a TpT seller is very different than the luxury wedding photography business, they know what they are doing and I read every single word of advice that they post. I’m pretty sure their perspective would make for a very thought-provoking dinner date with a lot of laughter thrown in! And I’d love to be in the middle of a #demossandwich.
Allison and Eric from Life as Us
If Dave and Sharon Ramsey are the shining examples of how we want our marriage to look in 30 years, and Amy and Jordan are raising the bar for our perceptions of how to stay happily married while working together as a blogging team, then Eric and Allison are our best Instagram friends that we have never met in real life. In fact, I didn’t even know their last name until I just did a little digging around on the internet (thank you Buzzfeed!). But none of that matters.
To the Instagram world, they are @lifeasallison and @_lifeaseric. To us, they are Allison and Eric. We comment on each other’s Instagram accounts on a regular basis. Allison is equally addicted to Stitch Fix and much like Rob, Eric is also an Instagram Husband. They are a husband and wife blogging team with five children, a family mortuary business and the daily challenges associated with Eric’s diagnosis of Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease. Their life sounds so different from our own, but mostly they are just Allison and Eric. There are very few husband and wife teams in our social circles that juggle a blog in addition to their primary employment. It’s always refreshing to know that there’s another couple on the other side of the country that shares in the cultural oddities of life as a blogger.
To Dave, and Sharon, Amy and Jordan, Allison and Eric: Rob and I are dressed, ready, and waiting for your call.
