78 Months: Reality and Real Love

Last Sunday was our 78th monthiversary, and lest you worry based on the title of the post, we had a really wonderful day together. But as I tell you about our celebration, I want to be sure to pay attention to one of our real-life moments that matters!

We started the day with a coffee run (because Ryan was trying to complete a star dash...)

...and then we went to church, where we helped serve communion.

I had lunch in the slow cooker, so we were able to eat as soon as we got home, and then move into the all important...NAPS!

We had a beautiful day, so Ryan was able to grill our dinner, and he did a fantastic job. Steaks and broccoli!

Please let the record show we did not eat ALL that for dinner!

We had our first graduation open house that evening; it was for one of the guys whose senior pictures I took. He'd gotten a life advice book as a gift (from someone else) and Ryan had the best time looking at it while we ate our cake. I don't know that I've seen Ryan that excited about a book in a long time!

(We didn't get our picture with the graduate, because I've scarred the poor guy enough taking senior pictures for him. I wasn't going to ask for another one!)

So all in all, it was a really fun day.

But in all the fun, we also had a good heart-to-heart talk. Nothing is wrong. But we've been going 100 miles an hour for so long, that my heart was about to explode from the overload of thoughts, dreams, ideas, fears...you name it.

So from about 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. we had a good, old-fashioned, heart-to-heart talk. We tried to strike that balance of being understanding and simultaneously open and honest. One of the things I really appreciate about Ryan is his ability to listen to my heart and speak truth to me, even if the truth is hard for him to say and hard for me to hear. I always feel safe telling him how I feel, and I always appreciate it when he doesn't just say what we both know I want to hear, but he says what needs to be said. I woke up the next morning feeling so much better about all that had been weighing on my heart, because I'd been able to process it out loud with him and he'd been able to help me make sense of it.

We celebrate monthiversaries because we are so incredibly grateful for every month we get to spend together. We always try to do something to make the day special, and this time the little splurges came in the form of lattes, steaks, and open house cake - and of course, the naps. But it's not just about doing fun stuff and making excuses for treats. It is about celebrating who we are as a couple. And I hope who we are always involves growing as individuals and as a team. I think being able to have long, deep, honest conversations shows we're doing just that.

And that is what I celebrate the most! May our days (monthiversaries and regular) always be filled with proof of growth and love.