New Website for Single Catholics /New Couple Assessment Tools / Made of Honor - 4/30/08

Wed Apr 30 16:17:39 EDT 2008

- ROOMMATES/VOLUNTEERS
- GREAT NEW IDEA/WEBSITE FOR SINGLE CATHOLICS IN JACKSONVILLE
- TWO NEW STREAMLINED ASSESSMENT TOOLS: TEST DRIVE THEM IN SAN FRANCISCO
- MORE ON INVENTORIES
- WATCHING OPRAH INTERNATIONALLY
- MADE OF HONOR: A NEW MARRIAGE MOVIE

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- ROOMMATES/VOLUNTEERS

We could use more folks on the roommate list.  If you'd like to find a
roommate and split costs, see:
http://www.smartmarriages.com/roommates.html

And, I can still use more Student Volunteers to attend San Francisco on a
work-exchange: 
http://www.smartmarriages.com/volunteers.html

Answer to the most Frequently Asked Questions about volunteering.
1) Yes, you see ALL the keynotes.
2) Yes, you attend a workshop in each time frame - these are not desk jobs.
3) Yes, you can attend the pre and post conference training Institutes and
are trained/certified/qualified as instructors just like "regular"
attendees. 

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- GREAT NEW IDEA/WEBSITE FOR SINGLE CATHOLICS IN JACKSONVILLE

> It's Just Fun is a fresh approach to meeting and having fun with other
> Jacksonville-area Catholic singles age 35+...but all Catholics are welcome.
> Whether you are single or single again, our goal is to make it easy to meet
> and socialize with people who share a Catholic faith foundation‹thereby
> creating an extended family network of friends. Learn more here:
http://www.itsjustfun.org/

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- TWO NEW STREAMLINED ASSESSMENT TOOLS: TEST DRIVE THEM IN SAN FRANCISCO

Though both of these innovative new streamlined assessment tools were
introduced at the 2007 Smart Marriages Conference, they're each much further
along in development in 2008.  The two, THRIVE from Sherod Miller/COUPLE
COMMUNICATION and The Couple CheckUp from David Olson/PREPARE/ENRICH, will
each be presented in workshops at the San Francisco Conference.  You can
also get more info at their booths and websites. Each is designed to work
with ANY Marriage Education program - being Couples Communication or
Prepare/Enrich instructors is not a requirement to using Thrive or The
Couples CheckUp.   

------------------------
THRIVE: The Collaborative Marriage Sphere (taken by premarital or marital
couples on-line).

With THRIVE, educators and couples are able to see a comprehensive picture
of their relationship, as interconnected parts, on one page. The rich
information enables you to get to work faster and accomplish more in the
time available. Couples gain new understanding of their relationship and are
able to quickly prioritize areas for growth. THRIVE is also very sensitive
to changes in relationship which leads to a big plus: a couple can take
THRIVE three different times within one year, at no additional charge, for
one low price ($25). These snapshots across time can be taken before, after,
and as follow-up to a marriage education course or counseling which makes it
a great evaluation tool.

THRIVE Facilitator Training is being conducted by webinar (using your
telephone and computer over the Internet). THRIVE facilitators will be
listed at no cost on a national referral website.

NOTE: Couple Communication Instructors qualify for 30% or 50% training
discounts 

OR, if you attend the 2-day instructor training institute at Smart Marriages
on the revised CC Program the THRIVE webinar is included at no extra fee.

For more explanation of THRIVE and the web-based training for it, go to
http://www.THRIVEsphere.com

> 203 - Thurs, July 3, San Francisco Smart Marriages conference
> THRIVE 
> Sherod Miller, PhD, Daniel Lord, PhD, MDiv
> This new cost-effective, web-based assessment tool provides a quick,
> comprehensive picture to increase self/partner-relationship awareness and
> conversation. Use pre, post, and follow-up for highly affordable evaluation.

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The Couple Checkup from the PREPARE/ENRICH folks is a new streamlined (200
questions), web-based, assessment tool - available in English or Spanish 
that "Primes Couples for Marriage Education Classes."  Couples receive their
own 20-page report that makes it easy for them to quickly understand their
own strengths, growth areas, and personality characteristics. They can also
access a 20-page Discussion Guide to help them unpack their results.
Organizations can add the assessment component directly to their own website
so couples can go their to complete the Couple Checkup.  See
http://www.camarriage.com as an example.

For information about adding the Couple Checkup to your program or to your
website see: http://www.couplecheckup.com/

> P-6 Fri, July 4, 12:45pm
> The Couple Checkup
> David Olson, PhD
> People get a dental checkup annually and get the oil changed on their
> car every 3,000 miles, but almost never get a checkup on their marriage.
> The Couple Checkup helps couples identify their strengths and growth
> areas and primes them to attend marriage education programs.

> 703 - Sat, July 5, San Francisco Smart Marriages Conference
> The Couple Checkup
> David Olson, PhD, Ron Deal, MMFT, Peter Larson, PhD
> Using research from 100,000+ couples, understand the unique differences
> between first and subsequent marriages and how to use the online Couple
> Checkup to empower premarital, married, and remarried couples.

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- MORE ON INVENTORIES

If you're trying to sort out the inventories/assessments, attend this
workshop that compares the Big Three:

> 306 - Thurs, July 3
> Premarital Inventories: A User¹s Guide
> Lynda Madison, PhD, Peter Larson, PhD, Jeff Larson, PhD
> Three of the best  FOCCUS, PREPARE and RELATE  are described, with
> guidelines for use in premarital education and marriage enrichment.

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- WATCHING OPRAH INTERNATIONALLY

> When I appeared on the Oprah show I wanted my family in Copenhagen to be able
> to watch, so I asked the producers and was told that foreign countries
> purchase Oprah programs after they have aired in the US. The programs, thus,
> generally air much later than they do in the US & Canada, and Oprah staff have
> nothing to do with those airing times and don't know when certain shows are
> sold or will air. People have to contact their local station, which airs Oprah
> to find out. My family tried this to no avail. I ended up paying to have the
> tape converted to the different format necessary so it could be viewed in
> Denmark, and sending it to my family. I guess they didn't want to watch Oprah
> every day for the next year, in hopes they would catch me. I still have no
> idea if our show ever aired in Denmark, or if it did, when. Sorry, I couldn't
> provide more helpful information, but I thought my experience would help
> others understand the process.
> Anne Bercht
> Beyond Affairs Network
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- MADE OF HONOR: A NEW MARRIAGE MOVIE

> Dear Diane,
> I just saw an advance screening of Made of Honor with Patrick Dempsey 
> actually a good movie on marriage!  Oh, it has too much gratuitous crassness,
> but the pro-marrige message is clear. Patrick is single and QUITE the
> womanizer. Perhaps because his parents divorced and his father is on marriage
> #6. (There is a scene where the father tells his son that his biggest mistake
> was divorcing his mother  the only woman he really loved and to go after
> love).  When Patrick¹s best friend  a girl  gets engaged, the aspect of
> losing her makes him realize how hollow his ³bedding² life has been and that
> he has feelings for this friend. He realizes that although he has always been
> truthful to the girls he beds (is upfront that they can expect no future with
> him, etc.) he realizes he has been lying to himself. I don't think I'm giving
> anything away to say that he wins back the girl and concludes with the
> message that marriage is the prize and more meaningful than bedding a new girl
> every night  a wonderful counter to the a message promoted by the media that
> singles have the best and most sex.
> Abbie Vianes

I look forward to hearing from others on this one....
Diane 

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12th Annual Smart Marriages® Conference, Hilton San Francisco Hotel,
June 30-July 6, 2008  (General Conference July 2-5)
Pre-Conference Training Institutes June 30-July 2
Post-Conference Training Institutes July 6
DOWNLOAD a conference brochure and register at:
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