some thoughts from six years of marriage

On May 24th, our relationship took a new turn. Five years have turned into six. We're on the downward slope to ten years (that came out wrong...by downward I mean we're over the other side of the hill, not downward like it's going to suck from here on out). So I thought that in my infinitely dwindling wisdom, I would ramble on about a couple of points of advice. And if any of you want to have as successful a marriage, as I've had, you will read this with while watching the NBA playoffs.

NUMBER ONE:
Never stop dating your wife. Of course you leave that stage behind and say "I do" to a whole new level of relationship, but mark my words. You will have a "come to Jesus" meeting called by your wife if you never buy her flowers or write songs or stroke her hair...all the things that you used to do. Keep doing them.

NUMBER TWO:
Stay close to family when you have kids. Never, ever, ever leave them. I don't care if your hometown has been moved to #1 on the terrorist hit list, you stay in the same town as your parents. Five WORDS..."free babysitting".

NUMBER THREE:
Never leave in the morning for work before the MRS. gets a good look at your outfit. You may think you are the hottest thing in the office, but it's her opinion that counts. You are a reflection of her, and apparently wearing plaids w/ stripes doesn't paint your wife in a good light.

NUMBER FOUR:
Fight Naked. No commentary needed. If you start a fight, just start undressing too. Soon the fight becomes secondary.

NUMBER FIVE:
Pray at night together. I don't care if you're fighting, PRAY together. Kara and I started this early on, and it has revolutionized our relationship. Don't get me wrong, there have been nights where we were so tired that we didn't get past "Lord, thank you for to-". But we have benefited so much from this time together at night. Even better after you've experienced NUMBER FOUR (see above).

NUMBER SIX:
Don't ever start a game of Monopoly. This is probably good advice for any relationship. It never ends well.

NUMBER SEVEN:
Show your kids you love each other. Let them see you kiss or hug or snuggle. It'll make 'em giggle at first, but they'll eventually understand.

NUMBER EIGHT:
Laugh a lot. Laugh at life. Laugh at each other. Laugh at yourself. Laugh at the little things.

NUMBER NINE:
Don't say you're in the checkout line at Target and are almost home when you've actually just parked the car. For some reason, this has come back to bite me. So word to the wise.

NUMBER TEN:
Get rid of the TV. We've done this twice since we've been married, and it's awesome (except for sports and HGTV). Maybe you do it for a couple months. See what happens. I dare you to try it. Double dog dare. Triple dog dare. You know what that means? You have to do it now. Let me know how it turns out.