Tuesday Talk: Anniversary Edition!
Hi!! Happy Tuesday!
How was your Easter?? We had a wonderful Easter weekend! The weather ended up being absolutely gorgeous for us on Sunday and we had a great day celebrating! I plan to share a few pictures from our weekend later on this week!
But today- it's all about how 8 years ago, in San Diego, California, Aaron and I said, "I Do!"
Today is our 8 year anniversary!!
What an incredible journey we have been on the last 8 years!
For those of you who didn't know this already- here is a condensed version of our love story:
We met on Match.com! We got engaged 8 months later! We got married 10 months later! We found out we were pregnant with our first baby 6 weeks after we got married- HELLO! (HA!) We bought and sold our first home all within a year's time span....Aaron got accepted to medical school...we had our first baby almost 6 weeks early....and we moved from Austin, TX to Cleveland, OH! Aaron was in school for 4 more years and we added two more babies to our family. He graduated from school, we moved again, had another baby and he started his residency. And now here we are- PHEW! HA! Married for 8 years...1 1/2 years left in Aaron's residency, expecting our 5th baby in less than a month and feeling so incredibly blessed this crazy story is our's!
Let me tell you- we have ALWAYS loved each other immensely- but we had a couple years in the beginning of our marriage where we really struggled. It took a lot of commitment, A LOT of prayers and faith in each other to work out our "issues" and come out on the other side of things! We have grown SO much and because we have been through A LOT- we have an IMMENSE appreciation for our marriage and for each other! We look at every day, despite most of them being very mundane- as a GIFT. We truly feel SO blessed to get to journey through this life together!
So- enough RaMbLiNg- HA!
In honor of the 8 years we have been married- I wanted to share 8 things that Aaron and I feel have really helped us to have a successful and strong marriage. I asked him to share 4 reasons we have a great marriage and then I added 4 more to the list :) Here they are- in no particular order :)
//1// We communicate openly and honestly- about EVERYTHING. Even the hard stuff. There is literally nothing neither one of us doesn't know about the other person. And we always share about our days- even if they were totally boring and there isn't much to say- we talk about everything!
//2// We never have and never will fight about money. It has just never been an issue for us!
I think a big reason for that is because a year into our relationship (we had been engaged for 2 months at the time) Aaron went back to school and took a much lower paying job. We HAD to completely change our spending habits- and since we have been in school/residency for the last 7 years- we have operated on a very "trim" budget- HA!
We have the same financial goals, we both have big plans for our family and our financial "health" in the future and we know if we stay focused- we will get to where we want to be.
//3// We laugh during the good times AND the times where we want to pull our hair out (e.g. kids melting down, sleepless nights up with multiple kids/babies, etc) We have never lived by family since being married- and that has forced us to really become a super strong team- especially in regard to raising our children. We don't have a set of grandparents to call up when we are feeling burnt out or like we need a "break." We have each other and we have really learned to just lean into the crazy that comes with raising (many) young children- instead of resisting it :) We laugh ALL the time- and I can definitely say it has saved us from losing our S*&%T on many occasions! HA!
//4// We have learned the fine art of "GETTING OVER IT." I would definitely say this was a big struggle for me in the beginning of our marriage. I could hold a really mean grudge- and sometimes about the stupidest thing!! Luckily, it was something I "got over" and I think it has been a huge, positive thing for us. We both realize that NOTHING is that big of a deal (And obviously- there are things that are a huge deal- but I am not talking about those :) Yes- we bicker and get mad about silly stuff- but not very often and we never let a fight drag out for days (guilty of doing this in our early years of marriage)!!
//5// We both feel like we really hit the jackpot with each other. Just being totally honest here- Aaron truly thinks I am the BEST thing that has ever happened to him and I feel the exact same way about him! We acknowledge these feelings on daily basis- not because we feel like we should- but because the novelty of US and how much we love each other and enjoy being around each has never worn off!
We are seriously SO grateful for each other!
//6// We are BEST friends and truly enjoy spending time together. Aaron and I have some great friends- but if we are ever given a choice on who we want to hang out with- it is ALWAYS each other. We have SO much fun together, we love being active as well as just hanging out- and there is no one we would rather spend our time with!
//7// If one of us (or both of us) messes up- we say "sorry" and MOVE ON. Aaron and I are both very strong willed and have what you might call, "big" personalities, so owning our mistakes and asking forgiveness for them was not something that came naturally to us. We have been completely humbled has we have grown in our relationship and now, it is honestly very easy to say "sorry" or "of course I forgive you" or "it's totally okay." We both are very aware of what a gift our life is and we are not interested in wasting even a minute of it- being mad at each other- for something that doesn't even matter.
//8// He thinks I am the most beautiful woman in the whole entire universe and I have no idea how I snagged the hottest man alive. HA! Just being real here! Seriously though- we are constantly affirming one another- and we only have "eyes" for each other. We 100% trust one another and have NEVER second guessed our commitment or faithfulness to each other!
Sooo.... thanks for reading this novel and I hope you don't want to throw up from all the this "mushy" talk about me and my hubby. HA!
He truly is my everything and I just couldn't let our special day go by without sharing a little bit about us and our story :)
And now I am off to get our kids up and ready for school- and to put on a "real" outfit (read: NOT a pair of maternity leggings and sweatshirt- HA!!) Aaron and I are going out for a breakfast date and I am SO excited!! :)
Hope you have the BEST day!!
Linking up with these FABULOUS ladies today:
I love all of these wedding pictures! Happiest of anniversaries!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun and uplifting post. We're working on 26 years and still madly in love! Blessings to you and your husband!
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary! We have a similar story...boom boom, one thing after the other. I too was married in September, found out I was pregnant in October and 9 months later our first daughter was born. House, jobs, more girls, more pets, and life was on a whirl. But, 30 years later, we are still together, still figuring this marriage thing out and like you shared 8 things, I could share 30! Thanks for taking us on your journey today on Tuesday Talk.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anni lovers :) Hope you have the best day celebrating.
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary! It sounds like you all have a wonderful relationship. I especially like #4 on your list. Sometimes it takes one or both spouses to just "get over it" for things to go smoothly! Hope you had a special breakfast date!
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary!! You make a beautiful couple inside and out!! It is an honor to watch your relationship!!!
ReplyDeleteI hope I could find this one day....just went through a devastating breakup where I thought I had found the one and honestly this made me tear up because I miss my ex but also hopeful for the future and I have faith MY person is out there....You have a beautiful love story.-Valencia
ReplyDeleteHappy Happy Anniversary Justine and Aaron!! You guys are such a cute couple, and you have such a beautiful family =)
ReplyDeleteSuch good advice! Happy anniversary!!
ReplyDelete