Happy five year anniversary!
We met in September of 2007 through our friends Hayley and Wes in Salt Lake City. Christopher worked with Hayley, and Wes and I dated briefly before becoming friends. By the end of the evening, Christopher and I were hooked. We went out the very next night, and were married the next June.
Over the last five years, Christopher and I have shared so much.
2.5 degrees earned (a MA for Christopher, an BS & 1/2 of a MA for Amanda)
7 apartments in 2 states
8 Cell phones
3 Subaru's driven until they begged for mercy
Countless jobs
9 operations (6 were for Christopher!)
and many, many, chocolate bars...
I can honestly say we have been in love every day of it. Almost nothing in our life together has remained constant, except that love.
We have learned so much together. Most of all, we have learned that our
love is worth everything. It is worth every dollar, every fight, every
sacrifice, and every ounce of pride you have.
The five biggest things I have learned from our marriage so far are:
1. Fighting is good and healthy.
When we were first married, fighting was very scary. By now, we can laugh and joke during a big fight, or even pause to sleep or host guests. We can fight without ever calling names, swearing, or raising our voices. We fight at least monthly, and sometimes daily. Neither of us love fighting, but it isn't scary anymore.
2. You can never have to many nicknames.
Christopher gives me a new nickname nearly every day. Some catch on, like aPanda; while others I never want to hear again, like Pandy-boo-boo. Most are super silly, and some get oddly competitive. While to others this may look like a nauseating little game, to us it is just another way of saying "I love you" and "you are mine."
3. Intimacy is so much more then they make it out to be on TV.
On TV, intimacy is sex. They are essentially interchangeable. In reality, many of our most intimate moments happen before, after, or without sex. Holding hands while waiting for the anesthesiologist to put you to sleep before they remove your appendix, comforting your partner after hearing that their dad is in the hospital, or holding your love tightly in the morning because that is exactly where you want to be, are some of the most intimate moments I have ever been a part of. Sex is fun, romantic, intimate, and sexy; but intimacy can exist completely without sex.
4. Being married to your equal is hard, but so worth it.
Christopher and I often say that we have the same brain. That is awesome when we have the same taste in movies and restaurants, but frustrating when we out-stubborn each other in an argument. We can drive one another crazy, but we haven't killed anybody yet. At the end of the day, he is the man I want to come home to, and he is the one I want to share the good and the bad with. I'd rather fight with him than anyone else!
5. It's us against the world.
Many people, from relatives to random sales people have tried to pit us against each other for lots of stupid reasons. In a loving marriage, spouses stick together. When people say negative junk about me, Christopher shuts it down. Likewise, I won't stand for that crap. I always know he has my back, and I have his.
I love my Christopher, and can't wait to share the rest of my life (and then some) with my best friend.
Bejos,
Amanda
