10 Things I’ve Learned being with You

When it comes to marriage, I’m in my infancy. Just barely out of the honeymoon stage and with only two years under my belt, I still find myself toddling around on occasionally wobbly feet. Like childhood, these early years offer exponential growth and steep learning curves. While this journey in togetherness has been teaching me oh-so-many things, I have yet to gather a collection of profound wisdom or great advice. But I do have are twenty-four months of stunningly beautiful memories and laughter, struggles, excitement and day to day life.

And so, entering into our third year as husband and wife, here is a quick glimpse (just barely scratching the surface here) into what this wonderful adventure has been teaching me:

1. There’s nothing better than waking up each morning next to the man you love – even if he did knee you in the tailbone three times in the middle of the night.

2. If we didn’t own a car, there would be a lot less fights. (All I’m saying is that one of us needs to learn directions and one of us needs to figure out their left from their right.) The gift of it all is that each of these arguments are actually an opportunity to work through emotions and draw closer together.

3. Just when you think you’ve gotten the whole marriage thing figured out, a baby comes along and now you’ve got to figure out parenting too.

4. A husband requires more sleep than his wife. If a baby is keeping you up all hours of the night, the husband will have absolutely no recollection of what he says or does during the mid night hours.

5. The whole “don’t go to bed angry” advice that everyone and their mother gave you on your wedding day? Yeah – that’s pretty important.

6. Keep dating your spouse! It doesn’t have to be expensive – just set aside time to get out of the house, away from distractions and relax together.

7. The dishes can wait. Our “to do list” is never as important as quality couple time.

8. Lean on each other during the tough days. These are the moments with the most potential to either tear you apart or bind you ever closer together.

9. Figuring out how your spouse shows and receives love is important! While physical touch is not high on my list of love languages, holding my husband’s hand on a walk or snuggling up next to him on the couch is the easiest way for him to know that I care.

10. Life is unexpected. You never know what tomorrow holds, so take advantage of each moment that you have together. Don’t take this time for granted.

Exactly two years ago, we said “I do.” Walking down the aisle in my dream dress and shoes that pinched at my heels, I committed to spending the rest of my life with my best friend. As we stood before God and declared our marriage vows, I never envisioned what these first years would hold. Likewise, I cannot see what’s in store for the next sixty. That is part of the beauty of marriage. While you can never see the road ahead, you choose to face it together, hand in hand through the both the joy and the tears.

And so, to my remarkably talented, ever loving, abundantly caring, spouse: May our days always be “full of hilarium” and never void of silly faces, crazy accents and spontaneous dances. May we continually strive to seek the Lord and walk ever nearer to Him. May we never quit challenging one another to reach higher, dig deeper or go further. We are two years into our journey and the road gleams brightly before us; I love being on this everyday amazing, sometimes crazy, whirlwind adventure with you.

Happy second anniversary, my love!