22 Things I Love About Being Married

In honor of my 22nd anniversary this month here are a few of the practical, mushy, and deep things I love about being married, in no particular order.

1. Events. Knowing who my wedding/work event/party date is. (Bonus: we get to go home together, every single time!)

2. All the feels. Having someone who sees me and all my big, crazy feelings…and stays.

3. T.V. time. We both like t.v. and movies and, for the most part, we watch together. There are a few shows he hates (Grey’s) or I lose interest in (Turn), but overall we enjoy the stories together.

4. Funerals. Never having to go to a funeral alone. We always go together because who really wants to do that alone?

5. Sharing the crap. I know this sounds weird. But sometimes there’s just crap we go through in life. Not going it alone helps.

6. Eating out. I’m terrible at ordering out. Andrew is great at it. He always knows what I’ll love, but don’t order because I’m trying to make a healthy choice. Plus, it’s nice to have someone who will let me have some of his fries when I’m trying to make a healthier choice but can’t resist the salty goodness.

7. Arguing. I don’t want to argue with my husband, but it’s going to happen. And knowing that he’s a safe person to argue with and not have to worry about whether he’ll leave or still love me means a lot.

8. Foot warmer. On cold nights I get in bed and reach my cold feet for his warm legs. So much better than wearing socks to bed.

9. Someone to be quiet with. Most of the relationships out in the world require us to be “on” and interact. I can be quiet and still enjoy being with my honey. (And quiet doesn’t come easily for me!)

10. Dreaming. Having kids is great, and I have big, beautiful dreams for them. But the reality is their dreams will take them away from me in many ways. In marriage you get to dream together, and it’s forever.In marriage you get to dream together, and it’s forever.CLICK TO TWEET

11. Plumbing. There are kids in this house and things happen. I usually get to avoid any plumbing mishaps and pass them along. Ditto with general handyman work. And landscaping. And shoveling. And…well, you get it.

12. Rides. Having someone to ride the ferris wheel with makes me happy.

13. Discovering. New places are more fun when we can share them. Sunday drives or new restaurants or a favorite beach are fun when we’re together.

14. Kid Stuff. Sometimes parenting is hard. Other times it’s fun. Having a person to laugh with is great. Going gray together helps, too.

15. Decisions. I’m terrible at making decisions. A sounding board who really knows me helps. A lot.

16. Celebrating. It’s more fun to celebrate with someone who understands. Someone who has walked through all the stuff to get to the moment worth celebrating.

17. Grieving. All that’s true about celebrating is also true about grieving. Sitting in the hard places together is much better.

18. Dancing. He hates dancing. But he’ll always dance a slow song with me. It makes me remember our first homecoming dance. Lady in Red may have been on the playlist.

19. Getting Older. Getting older together makes the wrinkles a little easier to handle.

20. Laughing. There’s a lot of laughter in our relationship. It makes the hard times easier and the fun times even more fun.

21. Lock Outs. You know those times when someone accidentally locks the keys in the car? Having a partner to grab the spare key comes in pretty handy. (Ask me how I know.)

22. Being known. Sometimes it’s just nice to have someone who knows you.

***I know not everyone is married, for a variety of reasons, and some people have different experiences with marriage. I think it is important to recognize the good, beautiful things about marriage when we have the opportunity. If the subject of marriage is hard for you, please know that your heart is safe here and you are loved. 

What’s something you think is great about marriage (and you don’t need to be married to answer!)