I just found out that the traditional 6 year wedding anniversary symbol/gift is candy! I wish I found that out sooner so I could’ve gotten Charlie a basket full of candy but instead he got him big lollipop.

Charlie and I got married six years ago today. It seems like forever ago. This morning we told Luke that it was our anniversary and that we were going to church and dinner to celebrate. Luke asked if we were going to get married at church today. We told him no wedding ceremony, just regular church.  Then he asked why we’re going to church…I don’t think he gets it yet.

For our 6 year wedding anniversary, I thought it would be fun to twin with my better half. I found this gingham dress at Target the other day to wear on our upcoming trip but when I brought it home, I realized that Charlie had a shirt with a similar print! So I figured we should twin on our anniversary. I’m glad he’s a good sport about this twinning thing (for just one day).

I’m not one to give advice on marriage or to tell you how to make a marriage perfect (ours is not). We are still learning and figuring out how to make everything work. But a few things I’ve learned in the first six years so far….

Give Gratitude

Always give gratitude and mean it. I’m thankful for the many things Charlie does for us (e.g., being my Instagram husband and fixing things around the house). I know sometimes he doesn’t want to spend his weekends taking pictures but he knows it makes me happy (and I think he secretly likes it). I love him for his kind heart and let him know how much I appreciate it by telling him so. He tells me my dinners are tasty and thanks me to cooking dinner on the weekdays. I’m not sure my cooking is that great but it’s good to know that he appreciates my effort (so that he doesn’t have to do the cooking).

Be Honest and Communicate

I’m married to my best friend, someone who has accepted me through the good, bad, and the ugly (he has a lot of patience). He is supportive of what I do and how I feel and is always honest with me, even if I may not like the answer.  We try to talk about our day at dinner (when Luke is not interrupting) and also text and email each other during the day with fun conversations or as reminders for what to talk about when we get him. I look forward to our conversations (sometimes about nothing).

Have Fun

Marriage isn’t always easy. It’s a lot of work. And not everyday is going to be happy day but there are more happy days than bad.  There’s also a lot of compromising. We are still learning about each other. But we are trying to have fun while we’re at it. There isn’t a day that goes by that at least one of us just laughs it out (at ourselves or at the other). Laughter is contagious. Twinning is also fun!