Love and Marriage

So, today is our 8 year anniversary--one year past the seven year itch--so I thought I would write a blog about what I've learned.   NOTHING.....just kidding.  So, sticking with a theme, 8 important lessons in 8 years of marriage:

1.  Don't marry too young.  When we are young, we aren't that great at choosing because we are enamored by cars, sweet talk and many other things that don't matter.
2.  A sense of humor is VERY important.  Darrell makes me laugh several times every day and that's one of the reasons I fell in love with him.
3.  Age is just a state of mind.  I am 91/2 years older than Darrell and there are lots of times when he is more mature than me--I'm not afraid to say it.  I may not be young but I act and look it and that's what matters.  (As long as both people are at least 18 years old--don't get any ideas.)
4.  Remember that when you marry a person, you also marry their family and their baggage.  Luckily, I love Darrell's family and he loves and tolerates mine.  Both families are very different, but we love what our in-laws have to offer.  So many people get married without considering that the spouses family will be as much a part of your life as your spouse will be.  If there are problems with the in-laws before the marriage, there will be problems after the marriage.
5.  Talk about children before you get married preferrably before you get pregnant.  Darrell and I both decided that we wanted children only if we didn't have to go through any treatments to have children.  Now that I know what hormones do to me, that was a good call.  We also knew that we needed to start trying immediately after getting married and God blessed us with pregnancy two months after our wedding.  (Do the math--ha ha)
6.  If you want children make sure he is good Dad material.  It's hard being a parent and most of our disagreements are about Blake but we both love him more than anything and we only want the best for him.    Being a parent also means being present in their lives as much as possible. 
7.  Everything ebbs and flows.
8.  Have seperate television sets but watch your favorite shows together. 
There you go--I'm not a perfect married person and it's harder than I thought it would be but it's so worth it.  I love you Darrell--thank you for asking me to be your wife.