2 months until...

my 7 year wedding anniversary. (as I begin to itch... kidding)
I know I talk about boys on here and I go ga-ga over them on tv, movies, and magazines, but I am happily married. And I know this because he understands that my being obsessive about celebrities and singers is just part of who I am and that I would never ever leave him for anyone. Seeing the ticker on my blog this morning made me all introspective about marriage. We are such different people. I know people say that, but I think we are more different than most. That brings up so much conflict. But I was not blind to what marriage is really is like. My parents are still married after, shit - almost 36 years. (Their anniversary is 1 day before mine.) I saw growing up that marriage is not all romance and flowers. It's a life. There are fights. Financial struggles. Illness. Stress. Insane kids. Times when you just want to leave it all behind. But it all comes back to those vows. Sickness. Heath. Good times and bad. And if you went into your marriage with the knowledge that those were more than just words. That they are potential realities. And you still wanted to go thru those times with this person, then it will work. I think so many marriages fail because people just don't want to try anymore. I can't judge people for that. I know marriage is hard. But I am married to my best friend and even though I want to ring his neck sometimes, I can't imagine my life without him. Yesterday at work, this 21 year old who sits near me asked me what it was like being married compared to not being married. I told her that one of the major things I appreciate about being married is not having to deal with boyfriend/girlfriend drama. She said, "You've been with him so long and were so young when you started dating (since we were 16 - if you are playing along at home), don't you regret not dating around?" My answer was, "Hell no." I told her that when you find that right person, you don't feel like you are missing out on anything. And that's the truth, for me. I see the drama that other people go thru in dating and it makes me appreciate so much what I have. I say that to my husband all the time. "Aren't you glad we don't have to deal with that drama?" And he agrees. I told her that I just knew in my gut that being with him, even at that young age, was right. When you are with the right person, you can't explain it to other people. You can surely list off the things that you love about them. The fact that they cook for you, the fact that they are so intelligent, the fact that they make you feel safe. But you can't explain why it's right. It's right because you just know it is. I can only hope that she and everyone else can have that feeling about another person one day. I was lucky. I know I was. I do believe in soul mates and fate and all that other crap. I believe it because I lived it. It's part of our story. And I love our story. We went through so many rough times before we were even married. Being apart for so long. I missed him every second. I cried so many nights that I can't even count. I think it helped me appreciate him so much more. I cherished the time we had when we were able to be together during that time. And now I know how lucky I am to be with him all the time. I also know that I am lucky to just plain know him. My husband can be on the shy and quiet side. Not to me. We are very alike in the regard that it takes us a long time to open up to people. But to each other, we are not shy at all. People tell me that they think he never talks. And I like that I have that little secret. I like that I know that's not true. He surely talks to me. I like that I know him better than anyone else does. I like that, even though he doesn't really say it, I know I am his best friend. I know that there is no one else on earth that I am supposed to be with. I know that he loves me and I love him. How do I know this? I just do.