8 Years

Today Brian and I celebrated our 8th anniversary!
At Mark's in Houston (The restaurant is in a beautiful old church building with lots of character. On a hot tip from some friends, Brian requested that we be seated in the balcony, which has a great view.)

Mom kept the kids so we could have an overnight trip to Houston. At first I wondered if I'd even be able to enjoy my dinner without having to wipe noses and hand out animal crackers. :) Turns out I did remember how to enjoy a romantic dinner with my sweet husband; music in the background and all. Loved, loved, LOVED visiting with Brian. :)


Now begins the rambling part about marriage-Fair warning!

Around our anniversary each year (and for most of the rest of the year, really), I spend a lot of time thinking about marriage in general; what God meant for it to be, successful marriages and unsuccessful ones and what makes them that way, why some people settle, why some people put so much work into their marriage while others work so hard to destroy theirs, etc. Much of this is still a mystery to me, but I know what I want-a strong, Godly, successful marriage that is fun-a lot of fun. :)

Why doesn't everyone want this, too? This question is one I have actually contemplated since I was very young when divorce first affected me directly. (Sorry to use this word in an anniversary post, but it's relevant to my rambling.)

During our earlier married years I kept thinking that I couldn't understand why marriages fail until I'd been married for many years ('many' meaning 5+; I know! I just laughed out loud, too.), which probably is somewhat accurate. Now, with 8 whole years under our belt (Brian deserves more credit here!), I have some ideas. Luckily I've learned not to spout off ideas or opinions until I'm pretty sure they're correct. So, check back around May 25, 2060. :)

I remember at youth camp one summer (I was in middle school.) that the pastor talked about how he was more attracted to and loved his wife even more now, after 20+ years, than he did when they first married. Well, I thought, that just doesn't really make sense. To me they were old, being in their 40s and all (Ha ha ha!), and it just seemed that the first few years of marriage should be at least some of the best; when both of them were young and attractive and fun...you know, before they became responsible and old and parents.

We're only 8 years in, but I am now experiencing just what he described. When I think back to the first couple of years of our marriage, there is no doubt that I love Brian more now. I appreciate him more and respect him more, too, than I did back then. So now I'm thinking (and hoping and planning) this is an area of continual growth we will experience for the rest of our marriage. What a blessing that God has guided us in our marriage and that we enjoy each other so much.

Plug for Continuing Education (We do it for our careers, why not for our marriage?)
There has never been a time when more resources for saving/improving marriages have been available. Thanks to Brian, we take advantage of this and are still studying Marriage 101...and Happy Marriage 101...and God-Centered Marriage 101...and many, many more. Talk about career students-ha! It is quite possible that Brian and I need more education than most other couples. We don't plan to graduate any time soon, but that's okay with us. :)

I realize now that I sound like I think we've got it all together. Ha ha ha! (Glad God lets me laugh at myself so often!) Like everyone, it's not all happiness and mushy moments (Just ask Brian.). That might be too boring anyway. :)

We've had some major trials, just like everyone else, and I cannot imagine going through any of them with anyone but Brian. We're a team and I want to stay on Brian's team; just the two of us. I am so thankful to have a spouse who wants to make it work. Of course, we must never forget that our marriage is compliments of God, with whom I know our happy marriage would not be possible.

Mushy Alert
To my sweet, wonderful Brian, I love you so much; more and more each day. Thank you for the first 8 years. You are my soul mate, my friend, and, well, you know. ;) I love you, Hots.