Eleven years strong...and Growing!

Has it really been ONLY eleven years? Seems like we've been married WAY longer than that…but I guess when you start dating at the age of 15 and 17, the years all start to blur together. But what has remained abundantly clear over the years is that our marriage, it seems, can persevere through many things.

Now don’t get me wrong, our marriage isn’t perfect, but it’s real and it’s ours. In 11 years of marriage, we’ve lived in three different homes, and worked in multiple jobs, had three kids, traveled across the country and upon the ocean, ran in half marathons, attended concerts, sporting events, ballets, musicals…the list goes on.

We’ve cried tears of sadness and cried out in pain. We’ve felt the sorrow of death and know what it feels like to give Heaven a tiny angel. We’ve felt the stress of trying to be perfect parents and husband and wife to one another.

But by God’s grace and mercy, we’ve also known tremendous amounts of happiness and cried tears of joy and relief! We’ve experienced the exuberance of new life in the birth of our three healthy babies.  We’ve felt pride in buying our first and second homes, the excitement of new jobs, advanced degrees and good parent/teacher conferences LOL

From our highest highs to our lowest lows, we’ve been there for one another. We keep God in our lives and try to show His love to one another, our kids and family. Eleven years of marriage and almost 18 years as a couple will teach you a lot about life and one another.

Here are just a few of the MANY highlights:

-          When you have a husband who is awesome about putting the toilet seat down, don’t take it for granted. Make sure you say thank you – a lot! Sometimes it’s the little things that can make our day.

-          When your husband or wife asks you to call them to let you know you made it safely to your destination, do it! There’s nothing worse that the initial anger that turns to worry when you don’t hear from them in a timely manner!

-          In the midst of the chaos when everyone is getting home from work and school and getting ready for dinner or whatever extracurricular activity is going on that night, take a moment and pause. Walk up to one another, say “hi” and kiss or hug. Let them know you’re happy to be back in their presence and ready to tackle the rest of the evening together.

-          Really try and notice when the other person gets a haircut, even if you can’t really tell. I can’t really explain this one, but trust me, it’s appreciated LOL

-          And one more. Take a complement at face value. If your spouse says you look good, something you cooked tastes good, etc. just say “thank you.” Two people who really love each other are genuine and mean what they say. They aren’t just saying nice things to get something in return. Mostly 

; )

So go tell your spouse or significant other how much you love them and appreciate them. We get but one life on this Earth, and if we’re lucky and blessed enough to spend it with our best friend, we need to try and enjoy every moment. Embrace the good times and learn from the bad times, keeping one another close and God closer.            Alicia