I have been blogging here for a while now and feel that I have poured my heart out to you and have become your close friend.

So please allow me to introduce you to my better half, Adam. It was such a pleasure to give him a voice and to hear the answers to his questions.

What is your favorite thing about your spouse?

Adam: I absolutely love her personality! She has such an amazing ability to show up in the appropriate fashion for any situation whether it’s teaching the kids during school, nurturing the newborn, playing around with the older kids, or shutting down all the noise and spending quiet time with our Lord.

Leah: This is a really hard question… but at the very top of my list would have to be his selflessness. Adam would quite literally lay down his life for me or for any one of our kids. This has played out on a daily basis by putting my needs before his, but it has also been evident in very big ways throughout the years. The most poignant example would be very early on in our marriage. We were barely making ends meet and ended up on a government food program. We had an incident checking out while using our allotted coupons where our cashier yelled out to the entire store that we had the wrong tuna and asked a different staff member halfway across the store to grab the right one. This greatly shamed us as this was the local grocery store in our small town! Adam stormed out of the store and said never again. He found a new job shortly after and has worked tirelessly since to keep our large family well-fed and provided for.

What is your primary role within the marriage?

Adam: My true primary role is to get Leah and our children to heaven. I believe if this is the focus, everything else will fall into place. I am also called to be the spiritual head, provider, and the one who goes out in the middle of the night during a snowstorm if Leah hears a noise outside.

Leah: I have the privilege of taking care of our 7, soon-to-be 8 kids and the home. This also includes the kids’ education, as we as a couple have discerned that homeschooling is the best option for our family. Between keeping the house clean, teaching the kids, running to sports practices or appointments, and getting supper on the table, I am actually more of a manager and have become very good at delegation, as I now have kids old enough to babysit, cook, and clean.

Share some of the blessings you have received within your marriage.

Adam: It goes without saying that our 8 children are wonderful blessings and fruits of our marriage. I can also honestly say that marriage has absolutely transformed me into a completely different person. When I look back on who I was before marriage and who I am now, there is no doubt that my beautiful spouse and our relationship was the catalyst for that change.

Leah: I have said this before, but marriage has been one of the greatest joys of my lifetime. We got married at 19 and 20, so basically grew up together. There were many growing pains, as we moved out of our family homes and into our first house together. But growing together in age, maturity, spirituality, and so many other ways, has created a solid foundation of love, respect, and trust. Adam calls me to a higher standard and encourages and inspires me to reach my full potential.

What are some of the things that you do to keep your marriage going?

Adam: It might sound cheesy, but understanding, and taking action, on each other’s love language is huge. Leah needs quality time together to connect and feel loved so steeping a cup of tea and chatting after putting the kids to bed is important. I am more of a physical touch type, so a nice hug after coming home from work goes a long way. Another thing we try to do is really embrace and enjoy our state in life. Yes, life gets absolutely crazy around here, but we try to be intentional about enjoying all the stages in our marriage and lives.

Leah: We prioritize it. We make a conscious effort to never take it for granted, by thanking the other person for the smallest gestures, praising the other for even minor things, and seeking out time to just be together. Monthly date nights and regular (although dreaded) budget meetings are the top two practical things that we do that help us stay connected and on the same page, despite the chaos of large family life.

What unique role has your faith and God played within your marriage?

Adam: Well, for starters, God must’ve done something to Leah 15 years ago to get her to marry me. I often think how much easier it would’ve been for Leah to go find another Catholic boy who grew up in the faith and understood what that all meant. Instead, God gave her the courage and desire to choose me to be her spouse and for that, I am forever grateful to God and Leah for the love and support over the years. Faith in our marriage and knowing that things will get better has been huge in our

marriage. Fairly early on I went back to school to get a 5-year public accounting degree all while working over 60 hours per week and taking up to 24 credits per semester. It was an extremely difficult time, and I wasn’t there much to help around the house, but we had faith that it would get better, and it did. We have a beautiful life now and there’s no doubt that it’s due to the fact that we had the faith and perseverance as a married couple to weather the storms.

Leah: Our faith is the cornerstone of our marriage. It is found in every aspect of our lives. Whether it is trusting God’s providence in bringing a new child into this world, creating a Benedictine mentality of hospitality in our home, or giving glory to the Kingdom in using our God-given talents at work. We know that our end goal is heaven, so try to live our lives accordingly.

What is your ideal date night?

Adam: Going to confession, walking or biking, and then going out for a nice supper. See, I’ve learned over the years that the magic in marriage happens when both love languages are done to perfection. Spending a lot of time together fills up Leah’s quality time cup and gets the crock pot going to have a wonderful night together…. which is where my love language comes into play. Leah said I have to keep it PG, so I’ll just stop there.

Leah: Because I lack creativity, I have to say, our yearly Fisher’s Club Date is my ideal. One of our summer dates each year is to head to Fisher’s and get a table outside. It is right on the lake, so we have been able to see the local ski club practicing stunts, listen to some awesome live music, or

just enjoy the sun setting over the water as we enjoy our meal. We typically end with a long walk on the famous Wobegon Trail.

So, there you have it folks. A quick peek into the lives of the Brixes! We take life as it comes at us and always look for the silver lining. I am so grateful for the blessing that Adam is. His humor, generosity, and unconditional love make our vocation of married life an absolute joy.

Please pray for our marriage, and we will pray for your chosen vocation as well.

Dear Lord, I thank you for the sacrament of marriage. I thank you that you chose me and my husband to this vocation, to spend our lives sanctifying each other through this sacrament. I ask you to guard and protect our marriage from the attacks that are sure to come against it. Help us to stand strong and protect the bond that we have created. Help us to raise our children in the faith, that they may hold fast to it throughout their lives. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Until next time, your sister in Christ,

Leah

By the way, Abby posted the exact same interview with her husband, Dylan last week! If you didn't get the chance to read it, you can check it out here. Interview with Abby's Husband (catholiccountrychronicles.com)