And then there were 7

Years of marriage under our belts, that is.

I have often heard of the "7 year itch". Actually, I Googled it, and it is a very real thing!  Apparantly, after 7 years of marriage, couples tend to be too comfortable, too open, and not passionate enough. I would love to say that this does not hold true for my lovely husband and myself. Alas, it is TRUE that we are too comfortable, open, and the "ehem" priorities of our relationship are far different in this stage of life than they were in the beginning.

I guess my question is, then, how and why are we so happy?  We are comfortable with one another to a fault. The mystery is LONG gone. Paul is the one person in the world I can truly say absolutely ANYTHING to, and not worry about being judged. We talk about anything and everything, no holds barred, no matter how embarassing or ridiculous. My husband regluarly sees me in a less than lovely physical state (I have an at home uniform of jammies and greasy hair). That fiery, spicy, can't keep our hands off each other thing- long gone. In fact, as I hate to admit, some days I barely remember to hug my beloved, between work, dishes, laundry, cleaning, busy social lives, and parenting a toddler. Life just seems to get in the way. Ugh. Sounds miserable, right?

Not so much. I can honestly say that this is what I have come to realize IS true love, to us at least. Why did we get married in the first place? When we took our vows to one another, 7 years ago, we did not promise to keep things from one another, to not communicate, or to focus on the physical. We promised to listen, be supportive, communicate, have one another's back, and to be the best friend the other can ask for. We vowed to love one another through thick and thin, to work together in all we do, and to follow the same path and work as a team. We promised to do all we could to make a strong, lasting marriage and to raise a family, together, united as one.

Mission accomplished. I am blessed enough to have a marriage built on communication, teamwork, support, and a deep, lasting mutual respect and a true love for one another. To some, this may sound far from the exciting relationship all women seem to think they will end up with as young people.  And guess what? It IS far from it. It is what matters to us, though. We have truly come to place in our lives where are are happy, settled, and working together in just about all we do. We have honed our strenghts as a couple, and have leared a lot about ourselves and each other as we have shared this journey. How is that a bad thing?

With that being said, I am trying to do better on living up to my vows. There is a LOT of room for me to be a better wife, that is for sure. I need to make more of an effort to focus on my man (hard to do when you have a little one, but just as important as it ever was) and to take the time to nurture our relationship as a couple, and not just Leah's Mom and Dad. She is the most important, wonderful thing in our lives, but our marriage is just as important and special as she is.

I hope I can continue to try to be a better wife to my husband, cause he deserves it. He is kind, compassionate, patient beyond comprehsion, level headed (especially when I am not), hardworking, inspitrational, fun, and the most dedicated husband and father I know. Paul Fasse is my dream guy.

I am thankful for the fact that our relationship IS based on what really matters in life. So, on to year 8 we go, with what I can only describe as a bit of "itchiness".  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy anniversary to the love of my life. I look forward to sharing a lifetime full of love with you.