5 things learned in 5 years of marriage

Celebrating 5 years of marriage is a big deal! Ok not that big of a deal when I consider my parents have been married for 35 and my grandparents were all married for more than 50. We’ve got a long way to go, but we have learned a lot these past few years. Sam and I have been together for nearly a decade – we met in high school and started dating in college. I’ve grown so much since we got married. I thought it would be nice to share a few things I’ve learned. Read on if you would like!

1. Try and do one kind thing every day. This sounds simple and it really, really is. Trying to be a perfect wife is overwhelming and frankly impossible, so I try to do this instead. It’s as easy as it sounds, I pick something each day that I think would make Sam happy and I do it. These are ridiculous things like making the bed, making a Costco run, or making evening plans I know he will enjoy. He is WAY better at this than I am and has taught me what it really means to be thoughtful.
2. Celebrate the small stuff. I notice we get little happy bursts when we celebrate small accomplishments or events. Whether someone got a raise or a really great golf score, we try to celebrate.
3. You can’t say I love you too much. I never tire of hearing it. I think it’s so important to let Sam know I love him every single day and he does the same for me.
4. Marry the guy that will do all of the jobs you don’t want to. This sounds terrible, but it’s true. Sam is much more responsible than I am. He keeps our finances in check because I hate dealing with numbers (hello journalism degree!), he keeps our yard looking nice and always does the dishes and takes out the garbage because he knows I hate those chores. He never complains about doing any of these things and I think we balance each other out quite nicely, even if my only addition is the fact that I’m kind of good at baking 🙂
5. Enjoy every stage. Our relationship now is much different than it was five years ago. We are a bit more grounded, but also much more deeply in love. We’ve gone through lots of stages – The Honeymoon Stage – The College Graduation/Searching for Real Life Jobs Stage – The New Homeowner Stage – and now, the Pre-baby Stage! All of them have been so fun to experience together. It’s crazy to think I’m now having a baby with the boy I’ve loved since I was 19. I feel so lucky to experience life with Sam and I think this next stage of parenthood will quite possibly be the best one yet!