Dan and Amelia McGuire

Dan and Amelia are such neat people. I am certain they have blessed everyone's life that has ever known them. Dan champions Amelia in the best way possible. I'm pretty sure he wakes up everyday knowing he is the luckiest man alive. Likewise, Amelia knows her worth, and so she confidently shares all of her strengths and goodness to better their relationship and truly has her best friend in her husband. They are awesome!

The dates and details!

What are your names? 

Dan and Amelia McGuire

When did you meet?

11/13/2011

In 8 words or less, describe where or how you met. 

BYU FOOTBALL GAME!!! GO COUGS!!

What was your first date? 

Tucanos mmm!!!!

When were you married? 

6/13/2012

Where were you married? 

Bountiful Ut Temple

How many children do you share? 

2

Getting to Know You!

When and/or how did you know you wanted to marry each other?

Dan- After dating for about 2 months I realized that I would never break up with Amelia..... that didn't mean she wouldn't break up with me, but from that point on I was all in!!
Amelia- I came home one night from hanging out and was just so happy, and I couldn't imagine being happier or having as much fun with someone else as I did with Dan. I remember turning to one of my roommates and asking them how I would know if I was in love ... But I already was.

What is something that your spouse does (something they may not even realize!) that makes your heart skip a beat and brings you joy.

Dan- I love it when Amelia laughs.... like a full on belly laugh. She stays up a lot later than me at night, often sewing while watching tv shows and every once in a while she'll let out a big laugh and it always gets me!!
Amelia - I love when Dan plays with our kids. He will hold them in our rocking chair and sing to them. It is the sweetest thing. He is also the best at getting our kids to laugh and giggle. There is nothing cuter than a full grown man goo-ing and gaa-ing at a little baby to get them to laugh.

What did you love about your spouse in the beginning that you still love about them now?

Dan- I loved that more than anything she just wanted to spend time together. It rarely matters what we are doing, she just wants to do it together!!
Amelia - I loved his hard work ethic. He isn't afraid to dig in and get a job done. He works hard for our family and in all other aspects of his life.

Other than your children, what is an accomplishment you are your spouse are proud of?

Dan- We each successfully graduated from BYU and have been able to purchase a house... those are two pretty awesome things in my book!!
Amelia - Purchasing our home in our 20s is probably our most recent accomplishment that we are proud of. We love having our own place and making it our own.

What is one of your favorite dates you've been on as a couple?

Dan- One time, for Valentine's Day, Amelia prepared this big scavenger/treasure hunt that took us to like 15 different places and we had to do a new challenge at each place!! It was way fun!
Amelia - When we lived in Dan's Aunt's basement we would have hot tub dates every night after kids were in bed. We'd get sodalicious, turn on funny youtube videos, and sit in the hot tub and talk. It was so relaxing and so fun!

What's the best gift you've received from your spouse?

Dan- Besides my kids.... Probably my fly tying vise!!!
Amelia - When I was huge and pregnant with Benjamin he got me a hotel room for my birthday just so I could soak in the jetted tub. I was uncomfortable all the time and it was the most amazing thing ever.

Why Marriage Rocks

What's one thing you love to talk about when you have nothing pressing to talk about?

Dan- We really like to talk about future plans for our kids and our house and just life in general.
Amelia - Future goals and plans. I always have something specific I'm dreaming about that I like to talk about. A lot of times it has to do with dreams for our house and yard.

Tell us about a trial you have faced together and how you feel you were successful in overcoming it, or what you have learned during it.

Dan- It may sound kinda cliche and maybe even a little "bad" but when we had our first child it was a really big trial for both of us. I was going to school full time (16 credit hours 3 classes of which had 3 hour labs each week), working 3 different part time jobs (internship, weekends at the county, and a TA position, and trying to do research for one of my professors. Amelia had been working at the bank and was basically left to fend for herself since I was gone from 5 am till 10 pm each day. On top of all of that Benjamin had a breast milk intolerance and wouldn't sleep or eat..... needless to say it was really rough, but we muscled through and when we popped out on the other side we learned a lot about how tough each other is, and also that life is way way way better than it ever would be apart... Plus, now we have Benj!!!
Amelia - Our very first pregnancy ended in miscarriage and it was heartbreaking for both of us. We were both in school and it was a really hard time. Dan was my rock while I overcame my depression and sorrow. After the miscarriage it took us a long time to get pregnant, and I was worried about not ever being able to have kids. The whole experience taught me that together Dan and I can get through anything, that laughter is the best medicine, and that being best friends with your spouse is the most important thing of all.

What makes your marriage unique?

Dan- I feel like we do a really good job splitting our duties as parents. I work full time and Amelia stays home with the kids, but we split cooking and dishes and diapers and just about everything as evenly as we can!! Amelia even runs a quite successful Etsy business from our basement and contributes significantly to our finances.
Amelia - We are really snarky with each other. Anyone who didn't know us would probably think we fight a lot, but I have a really sarcastic sense of humor ... Dan has learned a lot from me in the past 7 years. We live on sarcasm, sass, and a whole lot of Mountain Dew.

What are advantages of marriage?

Dan- 2 people united and striving towards a common goal will always be infinitely stronger than just 1. Plus I get to spend forever with my best friend in the whole world!!! Who doesn't want that!?!?!
Amelia - Always having someone on your side. Always having someone to share the ups and downs with. Someone to laugh with, to make fun of, and to kiss any time you want.

What blessings have come into your life because of marriage?

Dan- I could go on forever listing these...... probably the biggest is knowing that no matter where, no matter when, no matter what I will always have Amelia right next to me.... We are going to screw up a bunch and we may even occasionally do something awesome, but regardless we are going to do it together!!
Amelia - Our two beautiful kids are the greatest blessings that are a direct result of our marriage. We fought so hard to get them here, and it made us stronger. Also for me personally, marriage has taught me to be a lot more forgiving and patient. And it has also shown me what selfless love looks like. No matter what I do, Dan loves me.

What miracles have you experienced together?

Dan-SO MANY...... from finances working out when they never ever should have, to being led to live in such an amazing place with such awesome people, to our two beautiful children, to having seemingly random series of events lead to absolutely amazing blessings and opportunities that we never could have dreamed of!!!
Amelia - One specific miracle I can think of is the events leading up to us moving to central Utah and Dan getting his job with Jones and Demille Engineering. There were a ton of small things that had to fall into place just perfectly for us to end up down here, and I think it is a miracle that they all did. We love living down here and feel like this is where we are supposed to be.

Advice

What's a practice or routine you've established that keeps your marriage healthy?

Dan- We aren't perfect at a weekly date night, but we do our best and I know that helps... more than anything we never forget to tell each other that we love each other. Every day, as often as possible!!
Amelia - Dan has almost always woken up and left the house earlier than I do. When we were very first married he left without kissing me goodbye because he didn't want to wake me up. I made it clear that he always needed to kiss me goodbye, and we haven't missed a single morning since. I think always kissing goodbye has helped us have a healthy marriage.

What's one principle you think is important in a healthy marriage?

Dan- Trust.... if you can't trust each other.... nothing else is going to work
Amelia - Respect. Putting two different people together is always going to have it's ups and downs, but if you respect each other and are willing to listen to the other persons point of view, even if it's different than yours, it makes compromise a lot easier.

What is a positive influence on your marriage when things get hard?

Dan- By far the Gospel of Jesus Christ.... We always have that to turn to when things get tough!
Amelia - We both come from really amazing families. I think the examples of both of our parents, as well as our siblings, really have a positive influence on our marriage. We are surrounded by examples of strong couples and families.

If you had time to talk to newlyweds, what would your greatest piece of advice be?

Dan- Don't be too discouraged if the first year is rough... it takes a lot of work to merge two separate lives into one. Don't forget that you're on the same team working towards the same goal!!
Amelia - Laughter cures everything. It's impossible to be mad at someone if you are too busy laughing with them.

If you need a little marriage recharge, what's your trick?

Dan- Ice cream and a good snuggle fest while watching a good comedy... its impossible not to feel the love while snuggling and laughing!!
Amelia - Go on Groupon and find an inexpensive getaway. Park City in Utah has less expensive hotels during the off season, and multiple times we have bought one and had a little overnight getaway to recharge and reconnect.

As you look into the future, what do you see that will help keep your marriage strong?

Dan- Always standing up for one another and doing what we know is right in our individual lives.
 Amelia - I think our devotion to each other and to our children will keep our marriage strong.

What's the secret of a happy marriage?

Dan- Time........ this is your forever companionship.... absolutely nothing is more important.
Amelia - Happy marriages don't take large acts of love. It takes small acts every single day all year long. So, take out the garbage, wash the dishes, do your part. Don't wait for your spouse to jump in and do something, jump in first. Always say I love you and kiss goodbye

What is a simple marital practice you would share with a friend who may say they are facing challenges in their marriage?

Dan- Over communication..... talk it out, talk till you're blue in the face, talk about anything and everything... but just talk.
Amelia - Dan is definitely the talker between the two of us, so his response makes perfect sense! I tend to be quieter, not always wanting to talk things out. As for someone facing challenges, I'd suggest they don't read too much into what their partner says or does. Everything your spouse does is not a direct criticism of you. Be open and trust them. Love them completely, even if you don't like them at the moment.

"Every marriage experiences trials and challenges, but as couples keep the commandments and seek the Spirit of the Lord to guide them, they are able to build strong unions that withstand life’s storms" ("Building Successful Marriages", Ensign March 1998).