The U.S. spends approximately $2 Billion a year on road markings, the most prevalent being lane markings. While you can’t really quantify the safety benefits of these markings, it’s generally safe to say that lane markings play a critical role in helping drivers safely operate their vehicle by identifying the boundaries of each lane. ‘Lane' markings can play a critical role in you marriage as well with regards to boundaries you should respect for a great marriage.

#398: Marketing refers to ways companies promote a product or service and there are four main elements to a good marketing strategy known as the 4 P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Every spouse has a need for certain products, so we want to help you learn how to market those products at home.

#397: Setting aside the debate about the cost of her getting her hair and nails done, not noticing that she got them done can be pretty bad. Why is that bad? Because it’s likely that when you were dating you noticed a lot of things about her including when she changed her hair, or had her nails done. If she’s mad that you didn’t notice those things now, it’s usually because she feels you don’t notice anything about her.

#396: For Rocktober we started with classic rock songs that offered ways to have an even greater marriage. Then last week we went a different direction and had some fun identifying songs you wouldn’t want to dedicate to your spouse. For the last Friday of Rocktober, we want to inspire the best part of marriage and bring in a few songs that will rock you all the way to a romantic evening.

#395: The Rock n Roll era produced some great love songs that are often incorporated into weddings and anniversary celebrations. We’ve covered a couple of them already this month. However, we thought it would be a bit more fun to talk about songs you may ‘not’ want to dedicate to your loved one.

#394: Released as a single in 1976, 10cc’s song, ‘The Things We Do For Love’ made it all the way to No. 5 in the US, and became the band's best-selling single. This song is about the ups and downs spouses face in their marriage. With that said, lets look at a couple of the song’s lyrics…

#393: This week’s song is Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. It was originally released in 1988, and is the band's only U.S. #1 single. While the song’s lyrics contain a traditional love message of his feelings for his girlfriend, it’s the ending of the song we want to focus on today where Axl asks the question, “Where do we go from here?”

#392: When the student becomes the teacher the learning goes through the roof. In this segment we are going to create a marriage tip together. Many different resources are available to help with developing marriage tips and in this segment we tend to use all of them such as case studies, polls, and personal experiences. There are also more lighthearted approaches including analogies, and play on words, all of which are wrapped up in a blanket of creativity.

#391: Two great quotes: “A goal without a plan is just a wish” and “Never confuse effort with results” These statements are critical in all aspects of life because without a goal and a clear plan to achieve that goal, our efforts will be inefficient and likely to fail. Your efforts will also have no basis for learning how to do things better next time. Goals and plans are not needed for everything, but when it comes to the bigger things, such as turning around a marriage or making a great...

#390: Carrots are definitely healthier for you but eating cake is more fun. However, a diet of just carrots or just cake will not be healthy or fun in the long-term. The same is true of marriage, an always serious marriage or a marriage of nothing but silliness will not be beneficial to the health of your marriage long-term. Remember: A positive action or habit taken to an extreme becomes a negative.

#389: I this segment we discuss How to Live in the Moment. Looking back and remembering times past is not a bad thing unless you find yourself often wondering what life woulda, coulda, shoulda been like if you had made different choices. That’s referred to as ‘living in the past’ and it will do virtually nothing positive for your marriage. Rather than living in the past, we suggest you live in the moment instead. Why? Because now is all you have control of.

#388: We believe God, who created marriage, should be included in every marriage. With that said, there are the traditional verses about loving and respecting each other, encouraging each other, and speaking kindly to each. But, there are also a few more lighthearted verses as well. Here are just a couple of historical laws and definitions to hopefully bring a little laughter to you today.

#387: “A simpler, less stressful, less complex life is something everyone desperately wants to believe is, one day, going to become a reality. It’s the hope and anticipation of some future event that keeps that dream alive…The problem is, those events come and go and life never seems to get simpler. In fact, life gets more complicated as time passes.” In this segment we discuss: How to Simplify Your Life.

#386: When you experience emotional sadness, it’s because you actually care about the other person and what they think about you. In this segment we discuss situations which ‘can’ cause emotional sadness and how to address them.

#385: How to Grow Through the Breaking Point. Your breaking point is the point at which you decide enough is enough and something has to give. By ‘give’ we mean something has to change, the status quo is no longer acceptable. At the breaking point there’s really only two options. You can choose to fight for your marriage and commit to fixing it, or you can choose to give up and walk away, the choice is yours.

#384: When you’re married, there’s nothing ‘innocent’ about flirting with others. When you do that, you’re seeking the attention of and emotional connection to someone other than your spouse. That’s referred to as having an ‘emotional’ affair. The best way to avoid being drawn into an emotional affair with someone else, is to redirect that desire by flirting with your spouse instead.

#383: Contrary to Hollywood and the mainstream media’s attacks on marriage, most people are genuinely pro marriage. In fact, most of the marriage controversy has nothing to do with the institution of marriage but rather what constitutes a marriage. Nonetheless, people want to be married. That prompts the question, “Why?” Reminding yourself why you wanted to be married will help get you back on tract to a great marriage.

#382: It’s been a long day, the kids are finally in bed, the evening chores are complete, and you and your spouse head to the bedroom for some ‘us’ time. But then the attacks begin, a knock at the door from your child who is scared, the dog that wants to sleep on the bed between you, or the beep of your phone that will drive you nuts until you look at it. These are known as invaders of your 'spouse only' space and without intending it, they will tear at the bonds holding your marriage together.

#381: The institution of marriage was designed by God with the union of Adam and Eve, Genesis chapter 2 verse 24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Marriage in and of itself is fairly simple: love, respect, and honor each other. When we confuse choices with feelings the simplicity becomes complex and that can turn a marriage upside down.

#380: Neuroplasticity is the capacity of neurons and neural networks in the brain to change their connections and behavior in response to new information, sensory stimulation, new developments, or damage to the brain. For us non scientific nerds, Neuroplasticity is the ability to teach an old dog new tricks.

#379: We will all fail our spouse to some degree or another and, unfortunately, we’ll experience that emotion more than a few times during our marriage. And even though we know it will happen, it doesn’t change the fact that failing still stinks, especially when we fail someone we care deeply about. Failure gets even more complicated when we confuse Guilt and Shame.

#378: Nobody likes getting sick and no one likes to be inconvenienced, but unfortunately, everyone gets sick and being sick creates all kinds of inconveniences for those who are sick and those taking care of them. So, how do you deal with being inconvenienced by a loved one who is sick?

#377: Concrete makes a great foundation for all kinds of structures. It’s strong, resistant to wear, and holds up well under stress. 4 Components in a Concrete Foundation applied to a great marriage foundation.

#375: “You're All I Need” is a great cliché and sounds good on a card, but what does it really mean when your spouse says it to you? That question gets even more complicated when you factor in figurative meanings. With that said, we simply want to incite you to think about what you really need and want from your spouse. Needs and Wants to Consider…