>Love and Marriage
>My husband and I are approaching seven years of marriage and, while we’ve had our ups and downs, we are closer now than we’ve ever been before.
I think that over the years, a married couple slowly grows closer together or farther apart. There’s a natural ebb and flow in the relationship at all times, but there’s also an overarching path that’s either narrowing or widening the gap.
I have felt the pull in both directions. I’m glad I chose the path that led toward my husband.
What most unites us is our enjoyment for the same things. We’re both absolutely devoted to our family. We both enjoy reading and listening to music. We both love to travel and eat out and exercise and hike and try new things.
It also helps that I used to work at his TV station, so I know most of the people he’s dealing with there, and I know what he’s going through during the day. Conversely, he reads everything I write and is involved in most of the work decisions I make, so we’re connected on that level as well.
And we both have been willing over the years to take on new activities for the sake of the other person. I watch soccer games and NBA playoffs and USC games with Hubs now, although I never had much of an interest in sports before I met him. Hubs goes with me now to antique markets and used book stores and shopping at the mall.
Obviously, we spend pretty much all of our free time together. We go on date nights once a week. And even when we stay in, we put the kids to bed at night and watch a DVD together. We actually had to schedule one night a week to not spend time together, so that we could get a little work done!
We talk sometimes about the impact our close relationship is having on our lives. Raising teens is extraordinarily difficult, but it’s so much easier when Hubs and I are united. Raising small children is physically exhausting and often by the end of the day, I’m ready to pull my hair out. Sometimes, the knowledge that I have a “date night in” with Hubs to look forward to is the only thing that gets me through the day. Work can be difficult, freelance jobs come and go, children act up, cars break down, and all of it seems totally manageable if all is well between Hubs and me.
Hubs was talking the other day about the kids, and how much he loves them. I joked about coming last in his line up.
“Are you kidding?” Hubs laughed. “I love the kids, but you’re what gets me out of bed every morning.”
And that’s when I realized how lucky I am. What more could any woman want?
This post originally appeared on Parents.com.
