15 Years

Today marks 15 years with this wonderful man:

No, not Dwight D. Eisenhower. Dear Husband and I have been married 15 years today. 

Last weekend we were on a little getaway with my sister-in-law and her husband and stumbled across the birthplace of president Eisenhower. I read the history of where he grew up and when he got married. It said that he never formally proposed to his wife Mamie. Not because he was a jerk (at least I hope not) but because from the time that they met they just knew that they would always be together. Getting married was just a given. They were married for over 50 years. 

When I read that it resonated with me. From the first night that Dear Husband and I shared that we liked each other there was never a question about if we were exclusively dating or if we were officially together. We just were. There was never a question in my mind, even from the beginning, that this was the man I wanted to spend my life with. 

I don’t typically write about my own marriage because it’s a very happy one. I fear that my happiness may be pain to those struggling in their own marriage. I don’t want to come across as bragging, boastful or rub salt in marriage wounds. But the truth is that we do have a very happy marriage. We don’t fight very often and I’m not sure if we have every raised our voices at each other. I could list of the things that I think make our marriage work; being considerate of each other’s feelings, talking to each other the way we would want to be spoken to, not hiding things from each other, knowing his love language, etc. But those are things that every marriage can have; not just ours. 

Honestly, sometimes I wonder if I just got really lucky. He gets me and puts up with my impulsiveness, procrastination and open-ended plan making even though he likes order, making plans well in advance, spreadsheets and decisive, concrete decisions. He recently took the Myers Briggs personality test for work and discovered that he is ESTJ: Practical, realistic, matter-of-fact. Decisive, quickly move to implement decisions. Organize projects and people to get things done, focus on getting results in the most efficient way possible. Take care of routine details. Have a clear set of logical standards, systematically follow them and want others to also. Forceful in implementing their plans. I don’t know what I am, but it’s not that. However, knowing what makes him tick helps me be a better mate, be more patient when I want to just go instead of plan to the teeth and utilize his strengths.

I could go on and on but it would get sappy. Suffice it to say that I love this guy and he loves me. So here’s to a happy anniversary to us. 15 years and counting.