Well, my husband and I recently celebrated our fifteen-year wedding anniversary. I can’t believe it’s been that long, but then it’s also been such a jam-packed journey, too, that at times it feels like it’s been much longer. Time flies but stands still sometimes too. Which is a good thing.
I think the last time I wrote about it was after our ten-year anniversary, so figured every five years I’ll bring it up again. But without tips or advice or anything, just thoughts. You know, quick ones in no particular order. Some might be repeats from year ten because…some things don’t change, they just got better.
So without any more long-winded unnecessary blabbering that my high school English teacher would cross out with a red pen and say was unnecessary and I need to get to the point… here you go.
15 thoughts after 15 years of marriage
• I’m all about saying goodbye for the day with a big smooch that must be accompanied by a butt slap or grab.
• My husband keeps on getting better looking with age, but I think women get to be much more interesting and funny. It’s a good combo, really. In fact, I think at 42 he is more handsome than ever, and I am pulling out one-liners lately like it’s my job. It all kind of makes sense.
• In fact, I love to make my husband laugh. Not that it’s a personal goal or anything, but if I make him laugh once a day it’s like, BAM, big accomplishment, and I feel fantastic. He has a great loud laugh, and I don’t think he even knows how to do a fake one. I just like watching him laugh, too. We’re also just getting good at laughing at ourselves. Yay laughter.
• You can love someone and want to spend your life with them, but also not want to spend every minute with them.
• The greatest purchase we ever made, (other than my engagement/wedding ring) was this Dyson cordless vacuum. When I got it someone in the reviews said, “This thing saved my marriage” – with the amount of dog hair we have in our home, I don’t want to know what life would be like without this thing. I bought a refurbished one and pray it lasts another few years.
• I still melt when he holds my hand and for some reason always have to lean my head on his chest whenever we take a pic, even if at times it means my head is almost perpendicular to his shoulder and it looks odd.
• Yeah, his work’s taken us away from our dream location and way of life (twice), and Washington’s officially the longest we’ve lived anywhere since we’ve been married. But we’ve adapted, and have grown a TON, (especially closer) because of it. When I take a step back it feels super fulfilling to be there for him, and stay supportive and by his side through it all.
• We are so much alike in some important ways, and sooooooo polar opposite in so many others. It never fails to amaze me, or want to stare laser beams through my eyes into his mind to figure out what the heck is going on.
• Our dog is the only thing that gets between us. And she does it regularly whenever we try to cuddle.
• For some odd reason, I still leave the room to fart, or try to hide them, or blame them on our dog. They tend to be even louder than if I’d let it rip, and he can hear them from the next room and always yells, “NICE ONE.” But then, I also regularly burp as much of the ABCs as I can get through on one belch, or whatever song is stuck in my head. Marriage and gas. It’s fun.
• We went away for a few days, just the two of us, and it felt like we went back in time about ten years. It was needed. Oh so needed. Maybe we shouldn’t wait another five years to do that again.
• It’s amazing to watch our son keep on growing and being his own self, but also such a rad combo of us. Plus, our different strengths and characteristics complement each other in raising him, too. Big time. (I mean, had to get a kiddo thought in here. He’s been a massive part of the last seven years.)
• Some nights we do go to bed mad, because we’re just really tired, and can talk things through much more coherently the next day.
• I still look back on our wedding day each year and think, “damn I looked good, he looked great, we had kick-ass pictures, it was such a fun time, how cool is it that our pastor’s turned into a lifelong friend, and I love my dress.” Maybe I’ll try it on this week, just because…fifteen years. Might even put a flower in my hair again too and dance to our first dance song..or maybe we want a new song now? Either way, good idea.
and finally…
• Marriage rocks. I love you, Grant. Cheers to fifteen years, keeping the good sentimental stuff to cards and face-to-face conversations, never putting Ikea furniture together or going in a two-person high-performance kayak, and many more goodbye smooches with butt smacks.
(insert fifteen heart emojis here…followed by two palm trees.)