On Our 9 Years Wedding Anniversary

My goodness has it been nine years already? It seems like it’s been both longer and shorter. In a really good way, though.

So I thought Thursday 13 would be a good place to share 13 reasons I think our relationship has survived for so long.

And will continue to thrive in the future.

1. We are friends.
Best friends, in fact. It was almost nine months before we first kissed. ~We had months to get to know each other without all the chest~beating of dating.

2. We talked about values before we got married.
And we feel the same way about most things. We also lived together for 18mths and had time to discover a lot about each other before we tied the knot.

3. We take the time to listen to each other.
Even when I want to rant and shake him, it’s worth hearing what WonderHubby has to say first. ~And then shake him.

4. We compromise on little things as well as the biggies.
It’s not always one person ‘giving way’.

5. We are moving in the same direction.
And support each other in our goals. Even when we don’t exactly understand why.

6. We can imagine life without the other.
And we don’t like it.

7. We have both put a H.U.G.E. amount of energy into our relationship and each other.
To put it bluntly, why would we possibly want to go and start again with someone else? How likely is it that we would ever meet anyone else who shares even half of our values?

8. We share the work.
Both in our relationship, around the home and parenting.

9. We accept each other’s weaknesses.
WonderHubby can be annoyingly indecisive, and I’m sure I must have some faults… False modesty isn’t one of them though.

10. We are honest with each other, but respectfully.
We share with each other about most things. Storing little annoyances up for later does not work, and choosing the time and place for discussions is vital.

11. We have been through times I thought we would not survive.
Financial troubles, communication issues, family/in~law problems. Having worked through them successfully together, we find that we feel even closer to each other after each challenge.

12. We have two beautiful children.
Regardless of the old saw, “staying together for the children”, it’s true that they are a very strong glue for us.

13. We are still in love.
Because of points 1~ 12.

There have been times when we have not been 100% head~over~heels in love, but our commitment to each other, our children and ourselves has so far been strong enough to see us through everything we’ve faced in eleven years together and nine years of marriage.

Here’s to many more loving years ahead.