The Talk

The other day I was given my first talk.  Yes, that talk.  I'm not going to go into the awkward details, nor explain why, at 22, I have yet to receive that talk, but I will tell you that it was informative.  Now, it wasn't informative in the way that most people would assume- honestly, I'm not sure I am ready for that portion of the talk anyway.  However, I learned quite a bit about marriage.
First of all, it is not like the movies.  I mean, I already knew that, but a girl can hope, right?  Not every marriage is the same.  Sure, it can be cutesy, and sexy, and all those things you see on television.... but that isn't the only aspect of a relationship.  There is so much more to a marriage.  The first few years you settle into a new life, living with a man, learning each other's quirks, developing a routine... but 10 years, 13 years, 17 years down the road... that is where the true "cutesy" part of marriage settles in. You've seen the stomach flu (both sides of it)... A child- most likely your own- has either thrown up on you or deprived you of enough sleep that the college sleep-deprived face that you tried to hide from each other when you were dating reappears (with 10 years added to it).  You've fought, you've won battles, you've made memories, you've struggled through deaths, you've grown, you've bonded deeper than you have with anyone else (except Jesus, hopefully).  You've experienced life with your husband in ways that no one else can understand.  No one but them can understand what it is like to be the parent of your children.  Only they can understand your struggle with your personal finances. Only they see every side of you.
They are who you come home to every night.  After thirteen years of coming home to your husband, marriage takes on a whole new meaning.  Love's definition deepens into something that you really can't explain.  Coming home every night for thirteen years is telling your spouse, "Hey, I love you, even if we fought last week."  Or, "Hey, I love you for spending the day with out kids so I could hang out with my friends."
The first years are great, and I am very much looking forward to them.... but I am way more excited to be coming home thirteen years down the road and thinking, "Hey, I love you because thirteen years is a long time for you to not give up on me.... Here's to the next fifty."  It's not an episode of Castle or Grey's Anatomy, but thirteen years sounds pretty perfect to me.