Eight great years!

Today marks eight years that hubby and I have been married. I thank God for our marriage every day, but today I want to take a moment to publicly brag on him.

He is such a blessing. He has truly been a spiritual leader in our relationship. From the first day that we were married, we committed to pray together. Each night before we fall asleep, we do so. There are only a handful of times that we have not done this and those have been because distance and access to phone lines prohibited it. While I don’t think you can put a formula on what makes a relationship strong, I do believe that this has definitely helped our marriage.

He has also lead spiritually by being an example. We each try to spend time in Bible reading and prayer every morning. While neither of us do this perfectly, his example is always an encouragement to me to make it a priority and to truly miss it when it doesn’t happen. Even after eight years, my husband is still a romantic gentleman.

When hubby and I first started dating, a friend commented that she was afraid there were some differences between us that might be too major. “He’s so athletic and physically fit. He runs ultra-marathons! You get totally winded if you try to run across campus and work out like once or twice a semester.” While it is still true that my husband is way more physically fit than I am, he has encouraged me without pushing to keep myself healthy. We have found lots of outdoor activities like hiking and backpacking that we both enjoy, and they have given me the motivation to get in shape. Together we’ve reached one of my dreams – to backpack to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back out. While I have never run one, I have assisted him in several marathons including a 100 mile one that he was youngest person ever to complete! Even when my fitness level is obviously not on par with his, he gently encourages me to stay in shape while making it clear that he finds me beautiful and attractive no matter what.

One of the ways he shows me his love is by regularly opening my car door. People said that when we were no longer newlyweds, this would wear off and he’d be saying, “Get your own darn door.” Instead when I get out without waiting for him, he gently says, “Oh, honey, I would have gotten your door.”

He continues to make having fun together a priority. For the first seven years of our marriage, we tried to make every Friday night a date night. Whether it was going out for dinner, hiking, or hanging out at a bookstore, we both looked forward to this time. Since our son has arrived, it has been much more difficult to set aside this time. But we still try to at least snuggle on the sofa and watch a movie or do an early evening family date. He has also made sure that parenthood and the transition to staying at home full-time did not mean my life would get boring. I love to travel and he has made sure that all three of us could still do so together. Again, I don’t think there is a magic formula for a good marriage, but these ways of keeping things fun have certainly made a big difference in keeping our relationship fresh.

My husband is a very hard worker. His career goals require a long road to get there. He has faithfully continued to pursue them, while ensuring that we are provided for financially, even when that means working harder or taking an even longer road to his dreams. In addition to becoming parents this past year, we also bought our first house. Although we intentionally did NOT buy a fixer-upper, the house has still required a good bit of work. Hubby has faithfully worked and works to make it how we want it to be.

Finally, my husband is an excellent father. Even before I first saw my husband with our son in the hospital, I knew that he would be an excellent dad. I love to watch him play with our son, read to him, and take care of him. He even changes his diapers – dirty and all! When he comes home from work, I love the way our son’s eyes light up, knowing his daddy is back.

While the past eight years have presented a number of challenges, our marriage has met them all and remained strong. With that in mind, I close with a few words for my precious other half:

I love you, sweetheart! I can’t imagine going through this crazy adventure we call life with anyone else. Thank you for all that you are and do to keep our marriage strong. I look forward to the next eight years with you. May they be just as wonderful!