Author Archives: Tracey Goss

About Tracey Goss

Tracey Goss is Ringmaster of the 3 Bros Flying Circus. Her weekly blog celebrates the fact that her home life will never be quiet, tame or very organized; but it will always be filled with love and laughter. She is mom to three hilarious boys and wife to her handsome hubby. This mom with a Mac is on a mission to embrace life's imperfect moments with grace and a smile.

3 Tips for Playing On His Turf During Super Bowl Sunday!

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It’s that time again. Super Bowl Sunday is upon us and husbands everywhere are preparing for the big day!

I am very proud to say that this Happy Wife is preparing for the big game as well. No, I’m not planning the menu nor shopping list for a big Super Bowl party.

I have taken an online crash course in football and am planning to seduce my husband with my newly acquired football prowess.

My husband will be one of the 100 million plus viewers tuned in to watch the grid iron gladiators go at it. This year as he sits down to enjoy the game, he will be in for a huge surprise!

Instead of focusing on the commercials, food or falling asleep as I usually do while watching football, this year he’s going to be knocked off his recliner when he discovers my attempt to learn more about something he enjoys. The course for women from Sports Basix was far worth the investment as I’m sure it will pay off great dividends in our relationship.

3 Tips on Learning More About His Interests

Broaden Your Horizons, Deepen Your Appreciation

Must I share all of my husbands interests? Absolutely not. Does it help to learn more about my husband’s interests. Absolutely! It gives me a deeper appreciation of who he is and gives us new things to talk about and explore together. When I discover why my husband enjoys an activity, I discover new things about my husband.

Show Your Spouse You Can Take One for the Team

My husband is not interested in fashion at all, but he researched fashion guru, Tim Gunn and even went so far as to try and setup a lunch with him for me. I was floored that he would take the time to learn more about someone just because I enjoyed them.

I was not a hiker before we married. Handsome hubby let me know that hiking was one of his loves. I strapped on my hiking boots on our honeymoon and now look forward to family hikes. Take the time to show your man you want to enjoy his favorite things with him too.

Give Him Space and Show Respect

If you just can’t get into what he’s into – that’s okay. Even though my handsome hubby went through great lengths to try to contact Tim Gunn, he has not watched more than one episode of Project Runway with me. You know what, that’s okay too.

He does respect my weekly Project Runway time and he gives me the space to enjoy it. Every once in a while he asks, how was your show?

I may not be by his side for every game but at least I was willing to become a student of the game in order to be a better student of my husband. I may not become an avid fan of the NFL or college football or any sport for that matter, but my handsome hubby knows that I am his number one fan and I am willing to play on his turf.

Question: What have you learned to do to play on your hubby’s turf?

The World Outside Our Window- Vegas Penthouse Style!

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The view is breathtaking and surreal. From where I sit peering through a modern picture window fitted with electronic graphic shades, I see the Eiffel Tower, a French Chateau, and a Pallazo (Italian-styled palace).

There are also Villas lining an emerald green lake featuring dancing fountains, lush and manicured pool gardens, and an enormous Ferris wheel.

That’s right! We’re in Vegas, baby!

Handsome hubby and I love to vacation. When not vacationing with our boys, we treat ourselves to little “getaways” to recharge our batteries and kindle our love.

Every married couple should take time to get away (or even have a stay-cation) to reboot and let loose like you did when you first met. Don’t neglect that time. It’s important.

My husband has the unique knack of combining frugality and luxury, a gift set that I love, and enjoy the benefits of throughout the year.

So, on this extended date night we spent two nights and one day in a fabulous suite at the Vdara hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Vdara is an all-suite, non-gaming, non-smoking “boutique” hotel specializing in service to the corporate conference crowd. I’m not sure if the term “boutique” applies here because our suite is located on the 54th floor. Nevertheless, the staff have a very friendly, smaller hotel manner that helped us feel right at home.

The 100 (or so) yard driveway leading up to the Vdara sets a tone which communicates, “you are heading towards a special experience.” As we walked through the doors, I noticed the beautiful scent wafting throughout the lobby. My first thought was, “I need to make a trip to the gift store to see if they sell that scent.” My second thought was “how much did we pay for this?”

The stylish lobby was completely contemporary yet comfortable. The art, furniture and floral arrangements were understated, and did not scream “Vegas”. We checked in and headed up to our Penthouse suite which amplified my question, “how much did we pay for this?” The one bedroom, two bathroom, suite featured a beautiful living room, dining area and kitchenette with modern amenities of which we planned on taking full advantage.

How does a Pastor of a small church, with a wife who works 32 hours per week at a University afford such luxury?

We stopped at Trader Joe’s on our way in and purchased groceries which covered all of our meals for the trip. Meals which included, great cuts of steak, chicken marsala, pan roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus in our private dining room overlooking the city!

My hubby really appreciated my home cooked meal (along with the basketball game, and wifi).

On-site amenities include a lovely spa for your pampering pleasure, a salon, a gourmet market (which offers delicious take out or eat in meals and tantalizing deserts), a small pool area with private cabanas, beautiful restaurants (which looked good from the outside ) and a fitness center.

Here’s the kicker, the Vdara is part of the City Center Complex, a collection of luxury hotels and residences, astonishing dining and outrageous designer shopping. If you like to window shop and see what the designers are up to, view great art while strolling arm-in-arm with your sweetie, this temperature-controlled window shoppers’ paradise was created for you!

Look what I found…Handbag Heaven!!!!

If designer goods and fabulous handbags are not your bag, there are many other free experiences in Vegas. There is a wonderful conservatory and botanical garden at the Bellagio, a stroll to the iconic Welcome to Vegas sign, the wacky kitschy Freemont District, the Downtown Art District’s First Fridays’ (lots of art, vendors, and people watching). Not to mention the fun you and your husband can have in your room. We turned on the in room music and danced and laughed and…

Bellagio Botanical Garden & Conservatory

By now you are asking, “how much did you pay for this?”

Drum roll please:

Penthouse Suite: $250.77 per night (for two nights)

Groceries: $89.87

Jean Philippe Patisserie: $6.22 (two scoops of gourmet ice cream and two spoons!)

Tips: $35

Transportation: $90 (we drove from Santa Barbara in our Honda Accord)

Victoria Secret: $49 and some change

Total: $771.63

Time with my handsome hubby: PRICELESS!!!

We have done similar trips for less. We’ve stayed in rooms or suites in the Wynn, Bellagio and Trump hotels for similar prices. This weekend happened to be a three day holiday so the rates were a bit higher.

Of course you don’t have to go for a suite and your total bill will be even lower. We save our pennies, live modestly throughout the year and splurge a bit as an investment in our marriage.

But the best aspect of this particular little getaway is, what happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas. The romantic fires keep burning long after we return home!

Question: What’s Your Favorite Weekend Get Away?

4 Ways to Find the Sweet Spot in Your Marriage!

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Love, love, love Tracey Goss! She’s incredibly funny. A brilliant writer. A husband-adoring wife. And a proud momma.

She’s also the sister of our health & fitness editor, Olympian and fitness expert, Annett Davis. And you know we love us some Annett Davis around here!

Pull up a seat. Grab your cup of coffee. And enjoy the beauty and wisdom of this post.

Oh! And the “Turn off, Turn in, Tune in, Turn on,” is common sense at its best.

Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

____________

Have you found the sweet spot in your marriage?

Maybe I should have titled this post The Ultimate Guide To Finding The Sweet Spot In Your Marriage because what I am sharing with you today is exactly what propelled my marriage from mediocre -declining as fast as my debit card right before payday- to one of the greatest joys of my life!

1. Rose-Colored Glasses. Sure I know the idiom “she’s looking at him through rose-colored glasses” is used as a condescending dig. I remember the moment I reached for the pair of rose-colored glasses which had been tucked away a few years after I said “I do.”

Looking through those magical lenses helps me to see all of the positives that drew me to my husband in the first place as well as some additional bonuses that have developed over the years. That grey hair he has acquired around his temples drives me wild!

2. My Momma Taught Me to Take My Seat! The artist formerly known as Prince had it right when he penned these words, “I don’t care where we go and I don’t care what we do. Just take me with you!” As you might have gathered by the title of tip number two, my mother was responsible for Prince’s platinum single. Well, not really, but her marital advice has proven to be worth more than platinum. She advised me to say “yes” whenever my husband invites me to join him – wherever he goes. Time together no matter where it is spent is precious.

3. If You Can’t Say Something Nice, Say Something Funny! That’s our new mantra! One of the best ways to avoid being entrenched in a heated conversation is not to worry about making a point nor having your way. Forget your pride and don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself.

Recently, my handsome hubby spontaneously asked me to prepare and take our kids to school on a day which was originally deemed “dad’s day” to drive. (You know the drill, pack the lunches, make sure the uniforms are ready to go, and oh yeah – get yourself dressed and ready for work as well.)

At this point, I had three options:

Sanctimoniously give him a speech about the importance of making said request the night before at the latest (the old respect my time whine).
Give him the silent treatment, which I am not particularly good at nor fond of.
Don’t take myself or the situation so seriously.

I decided to join him in the kitchen (where he was loading the dishwasher, to lighten the load he had just dumped on me) and tell him how hot he looked sharing the housework with me in his boxer briefs. We both had a great laugh and enjoyed each others company for the rest of the morning. We began our day with a wink and a smile instead of a snark and the stink eye.

4. Turn Off, Turn in, Tune in, Turn On. This is probably one of the most universally ignored bits of common sense with which woman-kind has been blessed. Turn off the computer, washer, television, telephone, reading lamp, Kindle or whatever is usurping your last bit of energy. Turn in to bed with your hubby, so you can tune in to one another. Leave some gas in your tank for him so that you can turn on your “love engine” and I guarantee you, you’ll enjoy the drive!

Your Turn: We all have our own directions to finding that sweet spot in marriage. I’d love to hear how you stay the course and manage the bumps in the road on the way to marital bliss! Let us know below in the comments.

Your fellow Happy Wife, Tracey Goss, the “Ringmaster” @3BrosFlyingCircus.com

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