I’ll be honest… Its hard to talk about my husband or my marriage without feeling as though I’m either bragging or attempting to write a Nicholas Sparks novel. But today is my anniversary and I have officially been married to my husband for two years, so I think on this occasion I’m entitled to a few paragraphs of shameless boasting.

2 years. 730 days. 24 months. Of long walks in the park talking about the future we are building together. Of date nights at the neighborhood bar when the responsibilities of parenting became temporarily overwhelming. Of traveling to destinations that would house some of our most special memories. Of little tiffs that we would later tease each other about. Of growing into adults that we can be proud of.

In these two years of marriage, I’ve learned that communication is always necessary and is the key to never having an issue escalate to the level of being a fight. I’ve learned that compromise can go a long way and that back rubs can mitigate absolutely any negative energy, always. I’ve learned that typically the best strategy to silencing your husband’s annoying song parodies is to sing along… or better yet, to out annoy him. I’ve learned that the small things can often mean the most and that dreaming together is the most effective way of creating your reality.

Most of all, I’ve learned that marriage is easy if loving each other is your biggest priority. I often find articles popping up on my various forms of social media with headlines like “10 things you could be doing better in your marriage!” or “5 things your spouse really wants you to say!”. But the reality is that there is not a magical list and there are no secrets. If loving each other and treating each other with love and respect is your biggest priority, you will never need a cheesy buzzfeed article to steer you in the right direction.

I know we’ve only been married for two years and haven’t yet earned the title of “Marriage Gurus” but what I can say is that I am pretty darn proud of who we are as a married couple. The man playing so happily with our baby in the bathtub right now is my best friend on the entire planet. He knows exactly how I like my breakfast sandwiches and always lets me steal sips of his water when I forget to bring my own glass up to bed. He can sit by the fire pit with me in our backyard for hours and never run out of things to say. He takes me on date nights regularly and no matter how much he hates Target trips, always lets me drag him there for a quality spending spree. He shares my love for cat/dog videos, interior design, and prohibition era tv series (all two of them…). He believes our home should never go without fresh flowers and he is totally just as partially ocd as I am. He thinks my Italian sass is funny and understands that I take my online shopping hobby very seriously. He is one of the smartest most ambitious people I’ve ever known and he protects his family with the fierceness of a giant pack of well trained german shepherds. He is the prince charming of a man that many believe can only be found in fairy tales.

Today makes two years of marriage, with many more to go. Happy Anniversary to the man that made me believe that love at first sight might really be a thing, that soul mates exist, and a bunch of other cheesy things that Disney movies teach you.

Cheers,

The Whine Connoisseur