7 secrets I've learned about marriage over the last 7 years
Itโs July 7th, which means weโre celebrating 7 years of married life! โจ
In honor of our ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ anniversaryโฆ
Hereโs the full-length wedding video from our special day, 7/7/12:
And, here are my 7 secrets to a happy and healthy marriage:
1. Put ๐๐๐ฟ first, your partner second. God is our foundationโeverything else radiates out. Itโs important to fill yourself up first spiritually, so you can fill your partner up and pour onto others.
2. Surround yourselves with a ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐ that will cheer you on when youโre up, and pick you up when youโre down. Through our best seasons and our worst seasons, our family and community have been rocks and always there to get us through!
3. It takes a ๐๐๐ผ๐. Give and take, meet in the middle, divvy up tasks and responsibilities, so all of the burdens donโt fall on one personโs shoulders. Compromise with grace and work to understand the other personโs perspective. Al has taught me so much about this. Iโm better because of him and weโre an even better team together.
4. Learn each otherโs ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐ผ๐๐๐, Enneagram, or MyersโBriggs Type. Knowing these will give you the tools to better understand how the other person gains energy, the motivation behind why they (and we) do what we do, and how to fill up each otherโs love tank before itโs empty.
5. Work hard, but ๐๐๐ผ๐ harder. As we reflect on years of investing in our careers and building upon work milestones, donโt take yourself or job so seriously that you miss out on investing in each other. Be present, enjoy โnormal timesโ together, and continue to spark childlike awe and wonder.
6. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ individual passions as well as activities you can do together, and support one another while doing it. Al has his creative outlets and I have mine. He has preferences and hobbies that give him life, and I have mine. Itโs been fun seeing each other develop our own crafts, and weโve loved exploring and dabbling in new ones together.
7. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ each other and carve out time for just the two of you. Plan and protect date nights, take weekend getaways, and plan adventures to new places. These are the memories and experiences we look back on most and cherish more than anything.
Photo: @monicaalberty
xo,
C