We Still Do - 5 Years Later!

Today we have been married a total of 1,826 days. We have spent the past eighteen hundred days learning constantly from each other. We have been through many trials in our 5 years together, but we have made it through everything together.

I never thought marriage would be hard. I don't know why, but I thought it would be just like dating. HA! Dating is easy in some ways and hard in other ways. Same with marriage. One thing I haven't worried about in the past 1800 days is Art's committment. He has proved over and over how committed he is to our marriage.

One of the few things that hasn't changed in our lives is our vehicles. I still have my mustang and Art still has his truck. I feel like almost everything else has changed in some way. We bought a house, painted all but 2 rooms, we have done many DIY items on the house. Then we decided it was time to add to my family, so we rescued a little dog. Little Sammy has been one of the best things for us. Our little furry baby! If only he could learn to talk it would make things easier. lol

We have tried to start a family, but for some reason that just hasn't worked out yet. Numerous miscarriages later we find out I have medullary thyroid cancer. I honestly believe that this is why I haven't been able to carry a baby to full term. I am hoping after everything is balanced out we will be able to have the family we want.

Amber graduated high school, then college, moved out on her own, had a baby and now is planning her wedding. Watching her grown up into an adult has been amazing over the past 5 years. She was 15 when I met her for the first time in rainy San Francisco. I was scared to death she wasn't going to like me and report back to the future inlaws Art needed to run. lol

I have changed jobs twice and Art has moved to a new location with his job. I spent 3 months unemployed during the start of the possibly the worst financial crisis.  

Our lives around us have been a constant change, but one things hasn't changed and that is our committment to our marriage. There have been times we both have felt we wouldn't make it, but we just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I have thought for a few weeks what would I kind of advice can I give Amber and Lacey as they are about to get married. The only things that come to mind is marriage is hard, it is trying at times, but there is nothing that compares to being committed to that one person. Until you are married you don't understand the bond the 2 of you will have. I remember Cindy telling me about the bond before I got married. She couldn't explain it and I didn't understand what she was talking about until I was married. I called her one day and I said I understand it now because it is just there.

A marriage should come first before EVERYTHING else work, kids, school, house...everything. If you two don't work nothing else will work successfully in your marriage. Put your marriage first and everything else will fall into place.

I think putting my marriage first was a struggled for awhile. I was use to being single and doing what I wanted. I fit Art in when one or two nights a week and then on the weekends. Then I got married and there was this constant person there all the time. He thought I going to cook, clean, laundry and wait on him. I thought he was going to handle all car issues, bills, pamper me and bring me flowers. Well reality set in and it became a compromise that we each have to do things we didn't think we would.

When we got married we said we would be lucky to spend 40 years together. Art would be 80 and I would be 67. We set a goal of 40 years together - 5 down 35 to go!