It's A Secret!

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

- Mignon McLaughlin

"You guys are so cute!"

We hear it all the time. I mean, literally, all the time. It's more than the foot-plus height difference or goofy grin I get when you mention my husband. It's the genuine joy we get from each other. Marriage is work, and we work to make it work.

Pure and simple, it's love. I love him more every day. I loved him when I said those words the first time, I loved him when I promised to love him forever, I loved him this morning when I sleepily kissed him as he left for work, and I love him now. We say this a hundred times a day with words and also with actions, with notes in a packed lunch or scrawled into the fog of the bathroom mirror, with extra-long hugs after a crappy day and random Tuesday date nights just because. Not one minute goes by with someone feeling anything other than loved, cherished and adored. 

It's respect. We honor each other with words and actions, whether we're together or apart. We brag about each other. Everyone knows I completely adore my husband, and everyone knows my husband is absolutely enthralled by me. We do not speak badly about each other to family or friends.

It's caring. Being angry isn't an excuse to hurt one another, it's an opportunity to learn and grow. We fight, of course. Then we get over it, move on. It irks me when he leaves his dirty dishes in the sink right next to the dishwasher, and it makes him crazy when I leave my hairbrush on the vanity right next to the...hair accessory thingy.  

It's commitment. It happened really fast for us; in less than a year we made the ultimate commitment to each other. It's something we take seriously. I've never felt like we rushed into something or that we weren't/aren't ready. 

We're the lucky ones. I wake up every day with my absolute favorite person in the world. He makes me laugh and he holds me when I cry. He supports me, encourages me, guides me. We are best friends, partners in crime, teammates: Husband And Wife.

Our secret is there is no secret. There's no tricks to being happily married. Marry the right person, and it will come naturally.