My husband and I just celebrated our 14th anniversary this past Tuesday! 14 years! And yes, we still celebrate our dating anniversary even though we are married. After all, when you have been dating for 10 years prior to getting married, the biggest anniversary is your dating anniversary. In honor of our 14 years together, I wanted to bring your 14 tips on why I believe we have had such a successful relationship for so long.
- Compromise. Learn how to be a good at compromising. There are going to be things that you don’t agree on throughout your relationship and knowing how to compromise is a great way to get past those disagreements.
- Laugh Together. Do fun things together. Make each other laugh. Watch funny shows together.
- Have inside jokes. You do with your bestie right? So why not with your spouse?!
- Always kiss goodnight and goodbye. Even if you are mad. Even if they are just going to pick up take out.
- Compliment each other. Tell the other person how good they look or how awesome they did at organizing the kitchen. A little compliment now and then goes a long way.
- PDA. I am not saying have a crazy make-out session in public. But hold hands! Give quick kisses on the cheek! Or a quick rub on the shoulder!
- Random acts of kindness. Surprise the other person with little things. Like grabbing dinner on your way home from work or putting away the dishes.
- Cuddle! My husband and I tent to cuddle a lot. On the couch, in the bed, in the movie theaters. There is just something about snuggling up together that I cannot explain.
- Support each other! Does it suck when I have to shoot back to back weddings on the weekend? Or when my husband goes out of state for 10 days straight? Yes, it totally does. But that is what lights each of us up. And that is just a small drop in the hat compared to the time we do get to spend together. So, we both support each other endlessly in our goals, hobbies, and dreams.
- Find your common interests. Find the things that you two like to do together. Maybe that is working out together, or hosting dinner with your friends, or hiking together. Whatever it is, figure it out and do more of it together!
- Say Thank You. When your significant other does something that you appreciate, let them know!
- Make your own traditions. For my husband and I this looks like a trip to the movies on Sundays, dancing by the Christmas tree to Nat King Cole every Christmas, taking a yearly trip to Disneyland, and a secret handshake we do each time we say goodbye.
- Spend time together alone. Spending time together with your friends and family is great. But you also need to spend quality time together alone. This can take really any form you want it to (car rides, having dinner together, getting up early in the morning to have coffee together, etc.). Just make sure to take some time out regularly for just the two of you.
- Say I Love You. Seriously. You know you love your partner, so don’t hesitate to tell them!
14 years down and infinity to go! I can not wait to see what the future holds for my husband and I.
