11 Years and Still Going Strong

After 11 years of marriage, I feel as though I am finally qualified to share some of the things I have learned over the years...

1 - God must be at the center of your marriage. (where else would we find the patience to deal with our significant other)

2 - Marriage takes work, which includes sacrifice and compromise from both partners.

3 - When you find the right person you WILL know. There won't been any doubts (even after 11 years)

4 - Communication is key!

5 - Laughter is a must. (even in the most stressful times, it is important to laugh together)

6 - It is important to be united (or at least pretend to be) on everything when it comes to your kids.

7 - Spending time ALONE together is a must. This one is sometimes hard when you have kids, but it is vital to a relationship.

I love my husband more today than I did when we met almost 13 years ago. We are celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary this Saturday and I am so grateful to have him in my life. He truly does complete me. He brings out the best in me and he sometimes knows just what I need before I even know myself. We have laughed together and cried together. Fortunately we rarely fight. I stood by him when he was moving us all over to start his career as a youth minister, he stood by me when I we were finally settled and I went back to school to become a nurse, and we stood by each other when they thought our son might have cancer and even though he didn't we supported each other every time he had to have a major surgery. I wish I could tell Chad more often just how much I love and appreciate the person he is and all that he does for me. I AM SO GLAD THAT WE ARE STILL GOING STRONG!