Yesterday Brian and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. So much has happened in that span of time. Kids, jobs, several different states. We have changed a lot, grown a lot and lived a lot in those 10 years. In honor of our wonderful 10 years together here are 10 things that have surprised me or that I now know about marriage.

1. I had no idea something so wonderful could be so hard at the same time and love it all the same.

2. It really took me almost 10 years to accept the things I can not change about Brian and to even appreciate some of those differences.

3. Having kids caused us to step up our intentionality in keeping our marriage first priority.

4. There really is no neutral point in a marriage. You either are moving towards each other or away from each other. But always moving in some direction.

5. We have come to balance each other out in our individual extremes. I’ve slowed down and he’s starting to keep up with me. It works.

6. I had no doubt he was the one but I didn’t really know him. We had a rather short dating/engagement period that was long distance. Now I know him and love him even more.

7. The good times are good but it’s the hard times that have changed us for the better and that I really appreciate having him to lead us. He’s the one I want by my side.

8. We both come from different family backgrounds that have made us who we are-good and bad. But I love what we have taken from each of our own lives to create our own family. It just fits.

9. At the beginning I might have thought we would have had it all figured out by now. But we don’t. Still we are in the best place we’ve ever been in our marriage.

10. At the beginning I probably thought 10 years might not feel that fun and exciting anymore. But it really just keeps getting better. We are just hitting our stride.

And so there it is. My short analysis of the first 10 years of marriage. Can’t wait to see what comes the next 10 and the next 10 and the next 10…..