Five Years (and counting!)

This month, Ryan and I are celebrating our five year wedding anniversary, and we're pretty proud of it!

As many of you know, you experience a lot during your first few years of marriage. We probably experienced a lot more than "normal" couples because our whole dating experience was long distance. It's easy to get along when you only have to see each other a few days each month.

Needless to say, our real challenge started the moment we said "I do".

A family photo, just before our anniversary date!Now, five years later, we've finally figured each other out. As I reflect back, I'm reminded of some of the biggest lessons marriage has taught me. Here's my top five...

Love is a choice, not a feeling
For most people, the butterfly feelings you have toward your spouse eventually wear off. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because it's replaced with a more powerful emotion: Love.
Love happens when you choose to care for someone despite their flaws.

Good deeds are contagious
The best way to create a loving environment is for you to get the ball rolling. If you do something nice for your spouse, they will usually do something nice for you. If you keep it up, both you and your spouse will continue to feel fulfilled. This, of course, is assuming you and your spouse love one another and want to be together.

Opposites attract, but only to create balance
You and your spouse should share the same core values. It's important to be able to bond together to support one another in these areas. On the smaller issues, it's smart to diversify because it actually helps create balance and reduce potential conflicts.

Relationships are never 50/50
If you're commiting only 50% to your marriage, then you're well on your way to divorce. Both people need to commit 100% or more to the relationship in order to feel completely satisfied and happy. You will have days when cannot commit 100%, and those days your spouse makes up the difference.

You're stronger than you think
Regardless of the problems life throws at you, you're stronger than you think. There's nothing you can't do in your marriage, when you put your mind to it (and pray a lot!). You know that saying "God never gives you more than you can handle." Well, it's true.