The Here and Now

Lesson 7: Selecting a Life Partner
Studies have shown more satisfaction comes from within marriage then from cohabiting with a significant other. Divorce rates are higher for those who cohabited before marriage then for those who did not.
I see this to be true just from my own significant observation. I know a few people who have decided to cohabit in a sense. One seems to just kind of come and go as he/she pleases. But there is no commitment or desire to commit... yet. Cohabiting before marriage has shown us that those who do, have a much higher chance of divorce than those who are did not cohabit before marriage. When a couple decides to cohabit they aren't fully committing themselves to each other. It is just a trial run. I have seen it within my own family. I have a sibling that has lived with a guy and they are currently engaged but still cannot decide on a date or whether they are really ready to fully commit to each other. Neither are very satisfied with where their relationship is at this point in time. I think that there are those few that have cohabited before marriage that won't get divorced, but there is a significantly higher amount of people that have cohabited before marriage that will.
Here is a quote from Marriage and Family: The Quest For Intimacy that studies have shown- "Whatever the reasons, however, the consequences are clear. Cohabiting before marriage makes a poorer-quality and less stable marriage more likely."
Lesson 8: Getting Married
With marriage comes a lot of adjustments for both. Families are being combined, traditions, cultures, habits, likes, dislikes... and the list goes on and on. With marriage comes the responsibility to set boundaries for each other, setting boundaries between parents and spouse (over-bearing mother-in-law).  There are some significant changes for the couple just in the first year.
Marriage is not an easy breezy thing. With my own marriage, I have definitely learned that marriage is harder than I thought it would be. There are things that I have learned about myself as well as my spouse that I would never have thought I would, and this can be said for my husband as well. They aren't bad things, but they are things that we have had to make personal adjustments to. With marriage comes compromise and sacrifice from each of us.
Marriage requires a lot of work from both. It is something that requires effort, and love. Love is so important! Love, and the willingness to sacrifice for each other. I know that my husband would do anything that he possibly could for me to make sure I am happy and comfortable and safe, and I would do the same. But it is also something that requires a lot of patience and willingness to work through whatever problems may arise. But something that is most important to have within a marriage is personal relationships with out Father in Heaven. Without Him in our lives, I believe we would have a lot more struggles and that our first year of marriage would not have been as easy as it was. Marriage in the temple is essential to the plan of happiness. It is not something that is always easy, but it is always going to be something that I would never change. It is always going to be something that we will never regret, even when we are going through a rough patch and want to punch each other in the face. We know that we love each other and that the Savior loves us and that we made the right decision when we decided to get sealed in the temple.