The Hubby and I love road trips, mostly because we get a lot of time to talk!

We enjoy taking the time in the car to make plans and set goals for our family and our future. A road trip for us would not be complete without a notebook and pen and lots of lists!

I believe these road trip “planning sessions” are one of the things that has brought The Hubby and I closest together and made the strongest foundation for our family.

In May 2011, we drove to the Black Hills for a family trip with my parents and sister and her husband. That is a LONG drive, but we loved every minute because we used the time to talk about our schedule, family goals, personal dreams, and prayers for each of our children. I get a little misty-eyed thinking about all that was shared and planned on that trip – it was a gift from God.

It was on that trip the The Hubby told me said something that inspired me to actually start writing – really writing {even if it took me a year to actually get moving}.

It was on that trip we made a plan for getting through the last year of medical school.

It was on that trip we realized God had laid it on both of our hearts to have another child. {Double J was born ten months later!}

Our planning and dreaming time is so precious to me. And it is always preceded by and followed up with prayer.

Those lists and plans are not put on a shelf after these trips. The Hubby is so good about checking back in a month, six months, a year down the road to make sure we’re still on track. We reevaluate regularly to see how we’re doing and where we need to make adjustments in our lives personally and as a family.

I know couples who take family planning & prayer retreats once a year, with time devoted to their marriage, each child, and the family as a whole – doesn’t that sound wonderful?!

As I was finishing up this post, I picked up my advance copy of Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson, which will be releasing this January {go pre-order it now – seriously – SO good}, and I read this from Sally…

If you do not have a plan or a philosophy, then you will try to fit your life into other people’s plans. God has made each couple with the freedom to create their own family culture. ~Sally Clarkson

This statement grabbed hold of me and sums up so well why planning as a couple is so important.

Take the time to plan together to build up a strong sense of purpose and unity that is unique to your family! And revisit those plans often to stay on track!

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Family Tie #12: Set aside some time with your spouse, maybe even a little bit this weekend, to do some planning and praying for your family. Planning & prayer topics could include schedules, activities, family goals, and much more. Your planning time will not look like that of any other couple or family, but there are lots of ideas on the web to help guide your time if you need help!

If you already do something along these lines, please share what works for your family in the comments! I love learning from you!

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