Twenty-four years & one week

Twenty-four years ago, Greg and I said, “I do.” Thankfully, we both keep saying, “I do.” These days we say it more with our actions, like him helping me unload the dishwasher or clean out the pool skimmers. But we also keep doing this life together, even when it’s filled with speed bumps, jump-scare obstacles, and new adventures.

Our anniversary was actually a week ago, but I haven’t gotten this post from my brain & Notes app on my phone to my website. Such is life right now. And I went back to our Alaska vacation earlier this summer to find a picture. We took one together the other night when we went to dinner and Tractor Supply, you know, as date nights are, but Rachel was also in it because we didn’t actually have a date night but rather a teenager-less night.

After two dozen years of marriage, I thought I’d share 24 things I’ve learned from my marriage to Greg. I recognize marriages are different, but this is a glimpse into us and what God, in all his goodness and faithfulness, has taught us.

1. The wedding is only the beginning. 
2. I like my marriage more now than I did before. I’d say it gets better each year. 
3. I understand why marriages fall apart when kids are teenagers, but I’m grateful ours has become more rooted.
4. He’s always going to be the fun parent, and that’s okay! 
5. Teamwork really does make the dream work. 
6. Having wide-open spaces in the country has helped us both as people, but I wouldn’t have chosen our property without him. 
7. Take the trip — with the kids & without the kids. 
8. Make traditions that work for your family. 
9. And be willing to change them. 
10. It’s okay to sleep under two separate blankets. 
11. Say yes to his hobbies. 
12. Have your own hobbies. 
13. Have hobbies together. 
14. Use a shared Google Calendar.
15. Communicate about more than logistics. 
16. Go to church. 
17. Invest in people.
18. Know how that looks changes with whatever season of life you’re in. 
19. Host the kids’ friends. 
20. Have family friends. 
21. It’s okay to say you don’t know — to yourself, to each other, to your kids — because you’re a team and your spouse holds some of the mental info. 
22. Separating laundry by color is overrated. 
23. Eat dinner together most every night. 
24. Put your phones to sleep before bedtime. 

*****

Look back with us: Five years. Six years. Seven years. Nine years. Ten years. Eleven years. Twelve years. Thirteen years. Fourteen years. Fifteen years. Sixteen years. Seventeen years. Twenty years.

God authors the stories on our porches – in every season, wherever we are. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to  #PorchStories emails to receive them about every other week.