11 years? Already??

So yesterday the hubster and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.....and if you crunch those numbers, you'll realize, that I have spent just a bit over a third of my life with this man. Amazing when you think about it like that.

No I’m not living in a fairly tale. My life is not all roses and champagne. Ross does plenty of things that really get under my skin. But some time ago I realized I married him for some pretty good reasons and I need to learn to pick my battles. Is it really that big of a deal if he leaves the butter sitting out on the counter after dinner? Or that sometimes his laundry doesn't quite make it to the hamper? Is it worth a screaming match? No.

I don’t know about you, but for me I like to be in control of things. Unfortunately, Ross doesn’t like to give up all of that control. Sometimes that leads to an argument. If he would just realize I am always right, things would work out so much better. But since that’s probably not going to happen any time in my lifetime, I’ve decided to take a new approach. We compromise. And instead of constantly nagging about all the things that drive me crazy, I’ve decided to be more conscious of the things I love. Every now and then I like to just do a little reality check and write down all of the reasons I’m in love. So, in no particular order, below are some of the reasons I love my husband:

*He always calls in the delivery orders when we're having pizza or Chinese food For some reason I don’t like to call and order take-out. I don’t know why. I never claimed to be a perfectly normal person. So Ross always does it when he’s home. And if he’s going to go out and he knows I want take out, he orders it before he goes so it’s on its way before he leaves.

*He helps with the grocery shopping. I almost never have to go to the grocery store alone. (Because we all know from my recent other post how much I LOVE grocery shopping alone wit the kids.....not!!)

*He always buys me candy at the store even when I don’t ask for it.

*Even when he’s comfortable, he will get up to get me a bottle of water or glass of juice when my glass is empty.

*When I came home from a month long trip to Canada, he met me at the airport with a dozen roses and took us out for a nice dinner.

*He sends me e-cards to remind me how much he loves me.

*He lets me sleep in every weekend and he gets up with the kids.

*He likes to cuddle in bed. In fact he tells me it’s hard for him to sleep when I’m not there. He likes to touch my leg with his foot or my back with hand. Just a little reminder that I’m still there. Or is it a reminder to me that he’s still there? Either way, it’s very nice.

*He massages my feet or my legs when they cramp up.

There is so much more, but I don't want to bore you all. Ross is not perfect, but he’s all mine. And I consider myself to be pretty lucky to have him. Sometimes with our busy lives, we forget to stop and smell the roses. I know that’s an old cliche, but have you ever actually stopped to smell the roses? And do you remember how beautiful the sun is as it sets? You’re envisioning it now aren’t you? We tend to forget about the beautiful things until somebody actually points them out to us. Well you live 24/7 (for the most part) with your spouse. Nobody knows him (or her, for you gentlemen readers) better then you. So it’s up to you to remind yourself of the good things. Remember why you got married and why you stay married. Remember why you get a big smile on your face and why your heart skips a beat when you see him at the airport after a few days away. Don’t forget to appreciate the little things. And don’t forget to recognize the reasons you love your spouse.