Six Years Together

Today marks six years since Justin and I started dating. I know everyone feels differently about still celebrating dating anniversaries after you’re married and though we don’t necessarily do anything special for ours, I still like to recognize it each year because we wouldn’t be here together without it. Though I definitely didn’t know it at the time, it was a day that established the rest of my future. In hopes of not making this too cheesy since I’m sure no one would honestly enjoy that but me (lol), I wanted to commemorate the day by sharing six things I love about Justin and our relationship that I’ve never shared before (yes, juicy exclusive!!!) that make us work and have brought us to where we are today, six years later.

Call me crazy for those of you who aren’t into this kind of stuff, but Justin and I are both Earth sun and moon signs, and Taurus moons — which I believe has been highly beneficial when making decisions as a couple. We get each other and I’ve always said that we have very similar temperaments, even before I knew anything about his signs, and I think that stems from this too. Essentially, being Earth signs means we’re both very stable, wise, economical, efficient and reliable, leading to stability and longevity in relationships. Taurus moons mean we like the familiar, cozy and stable, and focus on building a solid life with solid people. Nick Jonas is also a Virgo sun, Taurus moon and fire ascendant like me according to the ever-reliable Google, so maybe he’ll be my next husband, idk (I’ll see myself out with that one).

I love (though he may disagree) his complete unawareness of pop culture and sports. I call him my alien (lol). For someone like myself who is so aware of this kind of stuff, it’s a funny contrast between us. When I told him Kobe Bryant died, I knew he wouldn’t know who it was, but I was still somehow a little surprised that he didn’t even know his profession (actor, athlete, what sport he played, what team, etc.). Some people may find this as culturally unaware, but I think there’s something honorable about tuning out the noise and not seeing others in any type of hierarchy or “celebrity.” He’s not a social media guy either. He has a fresh outlook that can be refreshing, especially in a social media-centered world where all we think about is what others are doing. Not him.

Something else that I truly appreciate is that we balance each other out. He’s extroverted and I’m introverted, so this especially comes in handy in social situations. When around anyone other than friends and family, I’m pretty shy and reserved and I don’t easily engage in conversation. Even when I really want to, it’s hard for me and I easily feel very awkward. In contrast, Justin can talk to anyone about anything. This is a trait of mine that I’ve been insecure about for years and it’s the biggest thing I dislike about myself, so having a partner that compliments that positively and helps makes me feel more comfortable is such a blessing. Rather than speaking for me, he breaks the ice and fills in the gaps and those types of people are something that *shy people* everywhere can rejoice about, am I right?!

I love the love we share for our puppy, Lucia. She’s our first pet together and the obsession we both have for her is crazy. She has brought us so much joy and uncontrollable laughter, and it’s been so fun to add such a sweet little member to our family of two. With that has brought so many fun experiences since we got her back in May (so many new “firsts”) and she genuinely makes life so much sweeter. For example, we discovered over the weekend that she’s afraid of Justin’s speedo (he was a college swimmer) and she barks at it like it’s a literal DEMON and we couldn’t stop laughing. I think loving and carrying for another being together has strengthened our connection even more too and we can’t imagine life without her now. She’s just the best!

He supports me in anything and everything I want to do. My heart still melts a little every time he shares one of my blog posts on Facebook (and he shares pretty much all of them), simply because he doesn’t have to do that and I’ve never asked him to. I’ve been blogging for a majority of our relationship and he’s been supportive of it since day one (as any significant other should, so I don’t want to skim over that), even though it’s a world/hobby that he didn’t have any prior knowledge of beforehand. Even though he’s not a sharer online, he respects what I do. He’s taken countless pictures of me, attended events, helped me with campaigns and went on blog trips with me. It’s not always easy for me to let others help me, but he’s been so patient and generous with his time and energy over the years. It means a lot.

I’m forever grateful for him cooking dinner, especially during the workweek. As a teacher, he gets home two hours before me and having dinner on the table at 6 after driving in traffic for sometimes an hour is never something I want to take for granted. In a relationship, I think it’s important to recognize the tasks that each of you likes to do too. Justin knows I don’t love cooking, but I’m obsessively down (ahem, Virgo energy) to wash/change our sheets (ideally multiple times a week in my dream world, but a minimum of once a week), vacuum, sweep, clean the showers, etc. He does the dishes, mowing/weed-eating, etc. and it works for us. We pick up where the other has left off, switch off as needed and help each other out. I really value that.

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Those are six of the many things I love about Justin and our relationship. I’m grateful every single day that life led us to each other and we decided to give dating a go, because I wouldn’t have the life I have today without him. Whether you’re in a relationship or not, I encourage you to tell someone who has played any sort of significant role in your life how much you love and appreciate them today. Also, try dating your friends — sometimes it works out! 😉