Twelve

As of December 31st, Aaron and I have been married for 12 years.

There is a history two people share when you get to this stage...a collection of memories to pull out and remember together.

You also learn a lot about yourself, like how really annoying you are to live with sometimes.

I've thanked God over and over for the things I didn't know about my husband that I have been so grateful for, like knowing how to iron, not being afraid of a level 10 poopy diaper, important things like that.

A friend recently asked me to post the secrets to a happy marriage, but I can't really come up with anything original. Here's my best shot -

1. Play together. It's really simple, but being silly together is pretty important. Maybe not for other couples, but it is for us. It gets us out of a blah mood and helps us keep a light tone in the house when we're stressed or frustrated with the boys.

2. The First Five Minutes Theory. This is the theory that the first 5 minutes upon waking and the first 5 minutes Aaron walks in the door after work are vital to the way the rest of the day or evening will turn out.

3. Read Love and Respect by Emerson E-something...I forget his name now. It was a great book on how men perceive love through the respect we show them as wives.

4. Pray for each other during the day and try to pray together before falling asleep each night.

5. If you have kids, get away from them at least once every other week or so. Let them see your marriage is priority. It's true that the best thing you can do for your kids is to love their Mommy/Daddy.

6. Be kind. It's no fun to watch married people being mean to each other.