Wedded Bliss Wednesday: My Turn to be Ooey Gooey

I recently came across a very cool marriage website called EngagedMarriage.com. They focus on "candid and practical advice that you can learn and put into action without a huge time commitment" and "healthy doses of motivation in the form of humor, personal stories and spiritual reflections". I've really enjoyed what I've seen so far as I've browsed. Spend some time checking them out, and let me know if you likey too! :) Another reason they are so cool? They've invited yours truly to be a guest blogger, and share one of my own wedded bliss moments with their readers sometime in the near future. So, I thought I'd share it with you Flaunt It readers as well. I hope you enjoy (and don't think I'm incredibly dorky. A little dorky is good...but incredibly? :))

(My mom LOVES taking pictures when we visit...this is one of my favorites...)

When Engaged Marriage invited me to share one of my wedded bliss moments as a guest blogger, I began racking my brain for the perfect story to share. I wanted something romantic, something that would make you all ooh and ahh, something that would help us all remember why marriage is so incredibly worth it. So, I started thinking of all the out-of-the-ordinary, big moments of romance in my 2 ½ year marriage.

I thought of the designer purse my husband surprised me with when he returned from his last business trip, and how I could write about all the time he'd spent in the shop consulting the sales associates about what pattern would be just right. I thought about this past January, when I stumbled out of bed hours after my husband had left for work one day to find a deliciously scented bubble bath tied with a bow waiting on the counter and a note saying, “Today is National Bubble Bath Day. Relax and enjoy!” (Who knew such a perfect holiday even existed?!). I thought about the time he surprised me with a trip to Italy for our honeymoon because he knew it was my life-long dream to go there, and the romantic dates he's occasionally planned that have made me so glad he's mine.

But with all these big, romantic gestures to choose from, do you know what I kept coming back to as my reason for wedded bliss? The little day to day things, that neither of us stop to think twice about most of the time. The way he opens my car door whenever I get in the car. The way he takes the edge of the sidewalk that's by the street on our walks. The way he laughs right along with me when I'm sometimes seized with a very irreverent giggling fit during our nightly prayers. The way he steps in to do the dishes when I've done the cooking. The way he irritably catches and takes out a spider for me, even though he'd much rather smash it. The way he sits on the sideline, and cheers me on when it's my turn on the basketball court, and the way he smiles at me when he manages to avoid yelling at the refs when it's his turn. The way he lets me rant and rave about all the stresses in my life. The way he'll miss a college football game to go clothes shopping with me. The way he's willing to handle the list, and the cart at the grocery store. The hours we've spent making homemade pizza. The nights of promising we'll cream each other in cards. The mornings of snuggling up with a good book. The times spent brushing our teeth together, when he teases me about the foamy mess I make.

These “little” things are the things that make marriage worth it to me. They are the things that get me through the tough days that we all have. So while I hope that the occasional big sweeps of romance continue (I mean, who in their right mind would turn down a dream trip, or refuse a bouquet of flowers?), what I really hope is that I continue to recognize the little blessings of every hour that come because I'm spending a life with someone I love.

Thanks for following along, and please don't forget to submit your own stories about the little moments that make marriage worth it to you!