Last week, Elliot and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. It’s kind of crazy to think we’ve hit our first “semi-major” anniversary. We had the opportunity to celebrate a wedding the day after our anniversary and it was fun to reminisce on our own wedding day, while enjoying the nuptials of our friends.

I’ve heard mixed reviews about the fifth year of marriage, because, according to the Internet, it’s the year you stop being “newlyweds”. That makes sense to me, as marriage isn’t new anymore, but in the grand scheme of things, five years feels like “only” five years. Sure, it’s more than one or two years, but there’s so many more to go! While these past five years have been challenging and wonderful, I’m looking forward to the next five. And the five after that. And after that.

In the last five years, we’ve gained another dog, sold and bought a home, had multiple jobs for both of us, paid off debts, had a baby, and many more changes and achievements.

We are also not even remotely the same people we were on our wedding day. I can tell you right now that I know a lot less about marriage than I thought I did on my wedding day. We’ve grown and changed as individuals, as a couple, and we’ve gained a new facet to our relationship as parents. I think the only thing that hasn’t changed is that I still love this man with every fiber of my being. He is still my best friend, a steadfast husband and a man after God’s own heart.

To avoid writing an overly feelsy post about how much I love my husband and our marriage, I’m just going to share some of the highlights and favorite things about the first five years. In fact, I think I’ll share five of each, to keep with the theme.

highlights.

Surviving COVID.

Visiting Peru.

Elliot’s graduation with his Bachelor’s Degree.

Will.

Selling our first home and moving to our forever home.

favorites.

• Elliot makes coffee and breakfast almost every single morning. It is the very best.

• We have a front porch that faces west and I love spending evenings in our rocking chairs watching the sun set. He will sit out there with me even if it’s significantly colder than I think it is and we freeze for ten minutes before calling it.

• The last thing I do before turning out the light every night is offer him my chapstick. He has his own, he just likes mine better. It’s a quirky little thing.

• I love to buy him little gifts when I’m out. Costco has the best presents. It can be a new pair of shorts, a snack he loves, an air fryer, hat, soap - it doesn’t matter.

• There’s just something about praying together - for each other and for our marriage - that just puts my soul at ease and makes me feel so loved. The fact that my husband would go to our Heavenly Father about me is just the best kind of love.

Friendly Reminder that these are the HIGHLIGHTS. This isn’t the everyday, mundane, stressful moments, or the ones where we’re both tired and get snappy. Those things happen, too, more often than I’d like to admit. I know that social media is always showing the highlight reels of people’s lives and it can mess with your head and kill your joy. I just don’t want to pretend that everything is sunshine and rainbows 24/7 and our marriage is perfect. It’s not, we both have work to do, but we love each other. That’s that.

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?” Ecclesiastes 4:9-11