Ten years of marriage means there aren’t any secrets left, which is pretty nice now I don’t have to hide my obsession with rap music, my terrible sense of directions, my slightly intense ocd, my fondness for Tito’s, or my inability to remember much of anything unless I write it down.

Ten years of marriage means the “young love” butterflies have been replaced with the cozy, intimate, content, knowing each other inside-and-out sort of butterflies.  Instead of being the girl looking at a boy from far away wondering what it would feel like to hold his hand, I am a woman standing next to a man and remembering what it felt like the first time he held our daughter in his arms.

Ten years of marriage means the laughter outweighs the anger and the fancy dinners have been replaced with your average white cheese dinner at Cancun.  Romance is less about flowers, diamonds and buying the perfect gift and more about being the one to clean the kitchen without being asked, sending a sweet text just to say, “I love you!” and covering the other with a blanket when they fall asleep.

Ten years of marriage means knowing how to argue, when to not back down, why sometimes it’s okay to go to bed angry, and that regardless of how much I desperately want to shake some sense into him (totally kidding), I am with the person I’ll be with until we’re both old and gray.  We’ve been through enough ups and downs that we know things will look better if you just give it some time.

Ten years of marriage means we’ve learned how to love each other.  And continue to learn exactly what it means to be in love.

Ten years of marriage means we’re no longer newlyweds.  It also means looking back at our wedding photos and thinking, how was that ten years ago?  It also means being grateful to have met my other half and realizing how many incredible moments we have yet to share together.  Life is still just beginning.

Before we know it, we’ll be another ten years down the road, and just thinking about where we’ll be at that point makes me smile.

Here are some throwback photos…

Happy ten-year anniversary babe!