June 28, 2017, will be my 9th wedding anniversary! If I could tell my 20 year old engaged self anything, it would be you are making one of the best decisions of your life! What you’re in for is even better than anything you could imagine.
I love my husband more today than I ever thought I would back in 2008 when we got married. I’m believing that will only continue into the future. Our road has not always been easy or without obstacles but I am a better person as Jason’s wife.
Time has passed by SO fast! Especially between June 2016 and today. It might as well have been taking performance enhancing drugs. Within that time, we’ve welcomed a sweet baby girl, my husband got a new job and we bought a house that “we” – he – is busy updating.
Last April, I blogged about the importance of date night. Check that out here, if you haven’t already. With all of the changes between then and now, I feel like I need to revisit the subject.
Date nights in my opinion are essential, ESPECIALLY if you have a child; practically required if you have more than one child and are crazy busy. There are a bunch of reasons not to do it; I’m aware. Finding childcare, the cost of childcare, being crazy busy, having a million other things that are “more productive” to do, planning said “date night” etc. For me, nothing is more important than the investment in my marriage.
Within the last several years, a few different sets of married friends of ours have gotten divorced. Some of them were married around the same time my husband and I were. I have nothing to say about their situations except this. I don’t want that to be myself and my husband. I love him too much. I love us too much and our marriage is too precious a thing of value to put by the wayside.
A decision to do date night for us, is a step in the opposite direction of divorce. We owe it to ourselves. We were here first! Our kids are here because we decided to start dating and get married. We love those little nuggets but it’s not always about them. Date nights for us are intentional. Yes they require effort, but the benefits of reconnecting out in the world like we did before kids, without kids, is priceless.
I look forward to going on a date with my husband on our anniversary while “dating” for many years to come in the future. I don’t just love him. I still LIKE him. He’s my lover. He’s my best friend. I get excited when he calls me or texts me and when he comes home from work. I want to keep building on those warm fuzzy feelings, one date at a time.
Song of Solomon 6:3a, NLT – I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine;