3 years today

I've decided that anniversaries need to be celebrated like we celebrate birthdays.
I mean birthdays require no effort at all, but another year in a marriage is a completely different story.

That being said:
Three years ago today Jason and I were joined in marital bliss....or so we thought.
When they (whoever "they" are) said that the first year was going to be the hardest, "they" weren't kidding.
Our first year of marriage was definitely not bliss. It was work. Really hard work.
There were a lot of expectations (mostly mine) of what this marriage was supposed to look like.
There were fights, there were misunderstandings, there was a general boredom from the monotony of two becoming one, and the general monotony of our own separate lives.
There were also good times though. Times were we laughed, finally figured something out, shared in an experience that only the two of us would have.
But, that wasn't enough. We NEEDED a change. A BIG change. Not only for 'us' to work, but for each of us individually to have a place and purpose.
That is when we both decided that we needed to go back to school. We needed to, not run away from the life we had, but rather radically change it.
Make it better somehow.
So, we landed ourselves in Marquette.
It was not easy.
It was not always fun.
It was not always ideal.
But it was ours.
Our experience to have and to figure out, just the two of us.
We didn't make many friends right away, and even the ones we called friends, were not close.
It was just the two of us.
We have been living up here in Marquette, going to school, driving back and forth to Grand Rapids, making much better, closer friends, and genuinely enjoying the experiences that have come our way for a year and a half now.
This is what I know about marriage, our marriage now.
It's about the little things. The unexpected things.
Like Jason washing the dishes, or finishing the laundry, or making sure to put the seat down, or making coffee in the morning, or worrying about me getting home from work safe, or getting flowers, just because, or just giving me a hug when I need it the most.
It's about loving unconditionally, even when we are not at our best.

Jason is a wonderful husband.
He is stable.
He is kind.
He is patient.
He is so loving.
He is funny. (i hate to admit that one.)
He is a wonderful example of what a good husband looks like.
Thank you for three years baby. I don't know where I would be without you.
It hasn't been easy.
But it's good.
So good.
Just to have you next to me.
Whatever may come.

Last of all I am proud of the example we are to our friends. I have heard on more than one occasion about Jason and I, and our marriage, and how we are together.
This is a part of an email I got from my friend Jenn that has spent a considerable amount of time with me, with Jason and with the two of us together. It is the highest form of compliment I could have gotten.

You should be very very proud of who you are, what your marriage is to you both and to the rest of us (i'm pretty sure you two might be the only married couple any of us is willing to admit makes marriage look appealing)

Sorry for the REALLY long post.
I guess I had a lot to say.