Marriage

I've been married for over two years now, so obviously I'm incredibly qualified to give marriage advice. So below the picture will be my tips for staying happy and in love.

1. Pray for each other.
Being a Christian myself, it was important that I find a husband who also loves God. I've never been comfortable praying in front of people or aloud, but B and I are both fully aware that if we need someone to lean on spiritually, we can lean on one another. If I need help, I ask him to pray for me and vice versa. Of course I always pray for him anyways and I know he does the same for me. Keeping God in our lives is important. We're thinking of starting up some devotions together soon as well (we were given 3 couples devo books for our wedding).

2. Have fun!
B and I are almost always having a good time. Whether we're singing a dumb song in each others faces or playing a video game together or dancing around the living room or just pestering each other we are making sure to have fun. I can talk to him so easily and the jokes are always flying and I just think it's great. It's so important to be best friends with your spouse so that you CAN have a good time with them quite effortlessly.

3. Make plans.
While B and I do spend a lot of time together, especially right now while he's on parental leave, we still make sure to plan times where we specifically do something just the two of us. Whether it's going to a movie, playing a video game or watching a movie at home, we make those plans. B likes to play video games online with his friends and sometimes I just want to watch TV so there are a lot of times when we're not hanging with one another though we're in the same room. Just because you see someone all the time doesn't mean you're actually spending time with the person. B and I are good at making time for one another, and that's just as it should be.

4. Talk to each other, darnit.
We ALWAYS talk about EVERYTHING. With the exception of things that other people have told me in strict confidence, I have literally told B EVERY SINGLE THING about me. I have no secrets from him regarding myself and my life. He knows every detail. And he always will because we are constantly talking to one another. One of the greatest pieces of advice out there is to never go to bed angry and I agree with that whole heartedly. I went to bed angry at B once and I hardly slept at all, it was so tense. I will never do that again. The next day I told him exactly why I was upset and we talked it through and sorted things out. Anytime I am upset with him or with something else, I tell him. He is not psychic. If I'm experiencing a mood swing I tell him. If I wake up grumpy I tell him. It's not fair to the other person to be snapped at for something that isn't their fault. And B does the same; when he's upset he tells me. We talk everything through and we help one another feel better. Because of this policy we have, we never fight or argue over important things. Tiny silly arguments may occur, but we have never raised voices or stormed off in anger.

5. Be thoughtful.
B is seriously the most thoughtful man on the planet. He always buys me the most insanely thoughtful gifts, he likes to surprise me with treats, he is always mindful of my social limitations and is there for me when I need him to help me. I was incredibly selfish before we got together and since being with B, my life has changed. I WANT to thoughtful for him. I WANT to make his life easier and more special. And that's how it should be in a marriage.

6. Don't lose yourselves when you have a kid.
Our lives revolve around G now, but we have been careful not to lose who we are amid the baby stuff. G is so important to us, but we also are important to each other. We make the time when she's asleep to do something together that we used to do before she was born. We'll watch a movie or play a game or just talk or do...mommy and daddy activites (if ya know what I mean). I think a lot of times marriages get lost a bit when the baby comes. It's vital that you keep sight of each other and not just the baby.

I think that's it for now. I'll probably think of more later. In the meantime I'd just like to say that I love my husband's face off.

The below picture was taken the day after we became engaged.