RED CARPET ROMANCE CELEBRATION WEEKEND
                  September 17 – 19, 2010
                   WORKSHOPS
Friday, September 17
 

Debut to Marriage Enrichment       11 AM–5 PM
 (An Introduction to the Better Marriages Enrichment Process)
In this session, couples will be introduced to the "basics" of marriage enrichment – more effective communication, better conflict resolution and life-long commitment.     **This is a mandatory course for the couples in the Mentoring Training Program who have not previously taken a Better Marriages introduction course or retreat, and is recommended for those new to marriage enrichment.

Leader couple, Charlie & Debbie Parsons have been married for 33 years (23 of
those Involved with Better Marriages) and are a trained Advanced Specialist Leader
couple. They are certified in Prepare/Enrich, an assessment/counseling program
designed for pre-marital couples, and are also a certified Marriage Mentor Couple.
 
Group Session        7 PM–8 PM

Host couple, Doug & Mindy Johnson have been involved with Better Marriages since 2008.  They are a trained Better Marriages Leader Couple and members of both the National Better Marriages Board and the  Florida Better Marriages Board.  As active members of Better Marriages in Tampa, they continue to enjoy building relationships with other couples seeking marriage enrichment.  Mindy is a professional Life Coach and facilitates Christian-based recovery workshops in the New Tampa area.  Doug runs Product Management for a Global Software company.  They enjoy spending time outdoors  and taking long walks on the beach.
 

Saturday, September 18

A total of six workshops are being offered on Saturday for couples not attending the Mentoring Training Program.
You will be choosing as a couple to attend a total of three workshops – one opportunity in the morning (Workshop
 A or B) and two in the afternoon (Workshop C or D) and (Workshop E or F).    

MORNING SESSION at 10:15 AM:  (choose one)
 
Workshop A:  Managing A Crisis Together      
At some time in their married life most couples will be confronted with "Stormy
Weather", such as home foreclosure, loss of job, health issues, death of a family
member, infidelity, loss/damage of home by hurricane, fire, etc.  Preparing for a
crisis helps enable couples to successfully cope with them.  We will explore ways
to strengthen your relationship to facilitate survival and enrichment of your
marriage during difficult times.
Leader Couple: Ben & B.J. Mather have been married 47 years. They are an Better Marriages trained leader couple.  They are leaders of a Marriage Enrichment Group (MEG) in Gainesville, FL where they have lived for 31 years.  They are the current Newsletter Couple for the Florida Chapter of Better Marriages.
 

Workshop B:  How Your Beliefs Influence your Relationship
Have you ever considered where your beliefs come from? Beliefs are not the same as truth. Beliefs develop from what our teachers, preachers, parents, and peers tell us as well as from the experiences we have. Beliefs affect the career you choose, the foods you eat, the number of children you have (or don’t have), the religion you keep, the person you marry, the amount of money and possessions you have in your life, etc. Beliefs affect everything about our marriage relationship.
     In this workshop, you will explore some of those beliefs that influence your relationship. When there is altercation; consider the possibility that you are both being driven by opposing beliefs. If that’s the case, because beliefs are not the truth, then you can address the beliefs and see if compromises can be made or genuine understanding bring you back together.

Leader Couple: Roberta  & Terry Heinlein, Marietta, GA, have been married for 38 years and members of Better Marriages for 21 years. Roberta is a technical writer for The Home Depot and Terry is retired from working for state government. They are a certified leader couple and enjoy currently serving on the National and Georgia Better Marriages Boards. This will be their fourth Florida conference.    
 
 

AFTERNOON SESSION at 1:00 PM:  (choose one)

Workshop C:  Don’t be Afraid of the Money Talk
 The Barkley's will dialogue on there experiences with the "M Word". They will share what they bring to there marriage from there childhood, how they do finances today as "Yours, Mine, and Ours" and what they have put together for an Exit Plan. Couples would get a handout and three opportunities to dialogue. They will bring humor to these heavy topics and demonstrate why the Barkley's were once voted "Most fun to be with on the Titanic."

 Leader Couple: Kip & Kristine Barkley have been together 30 years and found Better Marriages in the first 6 months of their relationship. They are a Leader Couple and have been in a MEG in Fort Lauderdale for years. Better Marriages keeps them talking and talking keeps them together.

 



 

Workshop D:  Love Me through the Years
 Take time to dialog the celebrations and strains of the stages and ages of 
 our marriages.  What have we weathered?      What was great fun?
Where are we going?.........together!

Leader Couple: Eddie & Sylvia Robertson have been married 41 years. They met in college and were invited into marriage enrichment in Calgary, Alberta in 1975. They are professors at Reinhardt College in Georgia, have two adult children and three grandchildren, serve on the Georgia Better Marriages team, and are a Leader Trainer Couple for Better Marriages. Growing together is a resounding theme in their marriage.
 

AFTERNOON SESSION at 2:30 PM: (choose one)

Workshop E:  Decision Making as a Couple
 This workshop will give couples an opportunity to dialogue about their process of decision making. How is decision making currently being handled in your relationship.  Is it a small or large decision? Are there some decisions such as Job Change that are individual, but impact the couple and family and require dialogue?  Is there any expense involved?  The workshop will provide information about the process of decision making and give couples opportunity to begin work on a decision. 

Leader Couple: Carl & Nancy Terry have been married for 36 years.  They have been members of “Better Marriages” for 36 years and an Better Marriages trained leader couple for 34 years. They are a past President Couple for the National Board of Directors, and currently are the chair couple for the Training and Certification Committee, and are an Ambassador Couple for” Better Marriages”. They are also Prepare/Enrich Seminar Directors, and Couples Communication Leaders. Carl has M.S. in Applied Psychology. Nancy has an M.S. in Social work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Employed Assistance Professional. Raleigh, North Carolina, is their home where they are active in leading marriage enrichment events for local churches, they are members of two MEG groups, and are active in Marriage Mentoring of engaged and newlywed couples, and conducting Prepare/Enrich Certification Workshops. 

 

 


Workshop F:  Turn Individual Strengths into a Couple Strength
Marriages are often about two people getting together, because they are initially attracted by their differences and uniqueness.  Soon after the honeymoon, these differences become impediments to the relationship and to true intimacy.  We are at the opposite end of the spectrum on almost every measurement.  In order to draw closer together, we have had to better understand our differences and learn to focus on the strengths of our mate, and understand their weaknesses. This can only be accomplished by staying Committed to the marriage, learning good Communications skills, and practicing Conflict resolution.  This session will be a balance of teaching and lots of couple dialogue.

 Leader Couple: Bob & Sally Harris are the current National President Couple for Better Marriages.  They previously were the Florida State Presidents.  Bob is a previous Global IBM Executive, and currently is CEO of Global Transformation Leadership. Sally is the CEO and President of Circle C Ranch Academy inc. a large pre-school, after school and summer camp program with horses.  Together they are the parents of 10 children, 9 grandchildren and have fostered over 25 children.  They are strong marriage advocates and have been members of Better Marriages for 20 years, and feel that the techniques they have learned have had a huge impact of their lives and their marriage.
 
   
Sunday, September 19
MEG Experience

Witness a Marriage Enrichment Group (MEG) in action.  We will discuss what a MEG is and why be in one.  The couples in the group are experienced in dialogue and will model active dialogue for the attendees.

 

Facilitator Couple: Debbie & Will Rodgers have been married for 19 years, are certified Better Marriages leaders and have served on both the national Better Marriages board and the Florida Better Marriages state board.
 

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