Madison522web

How did you meet and how long have you been married?
Elizabeth Todd was contacted by my family and our church to
renovate my parents’ home. My dad sustained an unexpected
accident and their house needed to be ADA compliant. At the
time, I was working for my dad and had to run by their house to
do something on his Quickbooks while Todd’s crew was working.
So, our very first encounter was when I walked up to Todd and he
says “Hey! I’m Todd!” to which I replied, “Hey, I’m Elizabeth.
Did y’all cut off the internet?” Thankfully, he didn’t hold it
against me and actually asked for my number! We developed a
deep and genuine friendship, then I woke up one day and realized
I couldn’t imagine life without him. Falling in love with him was
easy, making up for my first impression was not!
Who is the financial manager in your home?
Todd I would say that it’s equally shared. I am the more longterm,
disciplined thinker and planner. Elizabeth has to do more
of the day-to-day managing of finances with groceries, activities,
etc. Neither of us had a big jumpstart in life, so we feel the weight
of managing finances while still being generous in our giving.
Elizabeth Agreed, and while I handle the day-to-day finances,
I do defer to Todd on anything financial outside of our “norm.”
He’s so much better than I am at managing that!
Todd- At that point, I had met the rest of Elizabeth’s family. And
even though she wasn’t too happy about the inability to get her
work done without internet…I thought she was the most beautiful
girl in the world. Over time, while I was working at her parents’,
she came by a few more times and we struck up a friendship and I
got her number. Over the next few months, we became close
friends and ultimately fell in love. So, I guess you could say she
had me at “did you cut off our internet?”
Do you allow time with your spouse for a date night?
We truly do our best to get date nights in, but like most parents,
it’s really hard when you have children involved in so many
activities! We travel with Selah for volleyball and with Kain for
baseball, so weekends are almost always out of the question. Lately
we’ve made it point to do more lunch dates and coffee time in the
morning!
What brings you the greatest joy as a parent?
Todd My greatest joy as a parent is also my greatest stress, that is,
molding and shaping the children to be productive, hardworking,
God-fearing adults one day. Watching those things come to
fruition in their daily activities makes my day brighter.
Elizabeth My greatest joy is seeing our children become whoever
God created them to be. That sounds really cheesy, but they are
at the age now where we talk to them about being prayerful and
seeking the Lord about His plan for their life. They have all begun
to flourish in ways I couldn’t have possibly dreamed for them.
What’s a quick go to meal that isn’t fast food?
And who does the cooking?
Elizabeth Omelets! If we have omelets for dinner, they know
I’m being lazy that day. I cook almost every night, although
Todd grills a lot in the warmer months. Healthy eating and living
is a huge priority in our family, so cooking at home is a way I can
support that priority in our house.
When your children were younger, what was your
discipline philosophy?
Todd In my opinion, the main reason for undisciplined and
defiant teenagers is parents’ inability to be consistent and they
become lazy. Therefore, it’s not the child’s problem it’s the
parents’.
Elizabeth My philosophy is essentially the same no matter the age
of our children. Set clear expectations and consequences up front
and then discipline immediately and let it match the issue at hand.
One caveat would be that I try to have the wisdom to know the
difference in defiance and a mistake. Our kids think we’re strict
and I’m totally ok with that!
12 • MAY 2022