All About That Married Life

“This post is sponsored by adidas.  As always, all opinions are my own.”

10+ years ago, I had this crazy idea to switch career paths and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life!  While it didn’t earn me another degree, it did land me in the arms of this guy. Physical therapy and a mutual friend may have brought us together, but it was the chicken fried steak that ultimately sealed the deal for us. (If you haven’t heard about that story, I’ll have to share it with you another time. Ha!) All jokes aside, life with this man has been such a blessing since Day 1. He works harder than any person I have ever known and knowing that he does it all for our family makes me appreciate him even more.

I’d love say that our marriage is perfect, but who am I kidding.  There is no such thing. Like any other couple, we have our disagreements and sometimes annoy the heck out of each other.  However, our highs have always far outweighed those rare low moments in our relationship so no matter what, we always come out stronger than before.  There’s no sugar coating it. Marriage is hard work.  However, when you’re with the right person, it’s the most rewarding kind of work you’ll ever experience.  That’s how I know I married up.

With our 8-year anniversary just around the corner, I wanted to share a few rules we live by to keep our relationship thriving.  Even if you’re not married, I hope these tips serve as inspiration to be the best partner for your significant other.

SPEAK THEIR LOVE LANGUAGE

We all show and receive love in different ways. Do you appreciate gifts?  Is physical touch your thing?  Or do you feel most loved through acts of service? For me, I love words of affirmation and quality time spent together, but for my husband, acts of service is his jam. So, by doing things like cleaning the house or packing his lunch, he feels appreciated. I may find absolutely nothing romantic about this, but I do it for him because I know it will be well-received.  By finding out your partner’s love language, you can discover fun ways to show them you care!

LAUGH OFTEN

Looks may bring you together, but laughter will keep your marriage going. After almost 8 years of marriage and 2 kids later, the belly laughs, pranks, and jokes are still rolling in daily and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

ALL IN

Like adidas says – all in or nothing! All too often, I hear people say relationships are 50/50. You contribute half to the pot and the other person fills the rest.  But why?  Shouldn’t it be 100/100?? Just think – if you both put in 100% of the effort, your relationship is destined for success. More importantly, it’s wise to give it your all because there will be times when your partner falls short and you may need to pick up the slack.  That’s what relationships are all about – give and take.

BE HIS HYPE MAN

The most wonderful thing you can do for your partner is to be his hype man. While it’s not your job to make your spouse happy, it is important to serve as a source of support and inspiration for one another. Build him up, encourage him in times of doubt, support his crazy dreams, and challenge him to be better. Speak highly of him to others and support his vision (and career) even if you may not understand it 100%.  I can’t even tell you how many wild ideas I’ve had since meeting my husband 10 years ago, but you know what?  He has been my #1 supporter in almost all of them. Being that voice of inspiration and support does wonders for a relationship and will help keep your marriage thriving.

BIGGER THAN YOU

Faith is a big deal for us.  In fact, it’s the glue that holds us together.  By believing in something bigger than ourselves, we are shifting our focus on making God the center of our marriage.

FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES

We all have our downfalls, but instead of focusing on our partner’s weaknesses, highlight his strengths and play them up.  My husband is such a source of inspiration for me both personally and professionally. His work ethic is something I truly admire and I will often times use this as motivation to get back on track when I’m feeling lazy.  The same goes for his discipline to working out.  It’s unreal and quite frankly, I get a bit jealous because he is body goals. Ha!

DATE YOUR SPOUSE

Whether you’re a newlywed or seasoned couple, never stop dating your spouse.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier the more kids you have so find a good babysitter (or grandparent) and make the time.  I love the idea of dressing up for date nights, but lately I’ve been all about that athleisure life.  Luckily, this guy doesn’t mind one bit since most of our date nights lately have consisted of dining at our favorite local spots and catching an early dinner. If we’re feeling extra wild, we’ll shop at Trader Joe’s and stay out past 9pm. Gasp!

In an effort to look put together for date nights, my must-have mom style athleisure pieces include a stylish jacket, comfy sneakers, and a great bag to pack all the essentials. This track jacket is perfect to throw on for fall and I love the grid print on it. It matches my sneakers, fits true to size and is currently 50% off.  I’ve been a huge repeat offender with these Original Flashback sneakers and want it in another color.  What do you guys think?  I wore them on our recent trip to California and love how comfy they are. I also packed this tote bag as my carry-on for the trip and absolutely LOVED it! It’s sold out, but here is a similar one.

My husband is all about comfort and casual so a good pair of joggers, comfy shirt, and classic sneakers are his go-to pieces. I know he’ll be getting some good use out of this track jacket because it’s so lightweight.  It comes in several different colors and is only $50.  If your guy doesn’t have a pair of these joggers, get them for him now!  They are so incredibly soft and fit amazing.  They come in 3 colors and are only $50.

So, tell me – what’s one thing that keeps your relationship going strong? Do you know your spouse’s love language? What quality about them inspires you?

Photography by Hayley Jackson Photography