The Two of Us

I know I generally give a very lighthearted view of my marriage around here. Angel's a funny guy--it's only natural to appropriate his humor for my blog posts.

But I wanted to say, on a more serious note, I'm glad I married him.

We're really married, ya'll. Four years ago today we got engaged, which means that later this year we'll be celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary. I may look pretty much the same but I'm no longer the 19 year old blushing bride I once was.

You know, we never had a fight till after we were married. I remember, back in the day, Angel telling me, "I can't imagine ever being mad at you."

Well that was just in the beginning. He's been mad at me..2 or 3 times. I've been mad at him...noticeably more often than that. We aren't a particularly tumultuous couple but every once in a while we fiercely disagree with the other. Over the past few  years we've learned how to fiercely disagree in better ways. I've learned that timing matters--don't bring up serious conversations when he's just come home from work after 4 days of 12-hour shifts in a row. He's learned the importance of admitting when he was at fault and that telling me not to cry is never, ever going to actually make me not cry (never).

I'm more likely to joke about marriage, and tell funny stories about my husband, because those are the kind of stories I like to tell. I love real life humor. Real life is more hilarious than fiction could ever be. But that's not the whole story. Our life has its serious moments, too. We make big decisions together, decisions that I can't quite believe I'm old enough to make. Together we pray, we work, we study, and we teach each other from our own skill sets. Angel makes me push my limits and do things I'm scared to do, but he also knows me well enough to help me in situations I really don't know how to handle. On the other hand, because of me, Angel's begun a lifestyle he never thought he would have wanted.

We're so different. Sometimes I wonder what could I possibly have in common with this athletic California boy who eats foods that I think are disgusting, tells jokes to complete strangers, and thinks it's fun to wear a bear costume. The funny thing is that we agree on everything that really matters, and that's the miracle. One of my sisters said once that Angel and I are perfect for each other because we're both a little odd and we understand each other's oddness better than everyone else--and it is a very, very good thing to be known by someone who understands you so well. We're good together, and we've gotten better as time has passed.

When I went off to college, my grandpa told me to stay away from boys, especially Christian boys who I met at Bible study. I asked how he expected me to ever get married. He told me that when I was done with college he would give my his permission to not stay away from boys anymore and instruction on how to proceed to the marriage stage of life, but in the meantime, I had to obey the rule. I promptly broke the rule. Back in 2010 Angel and I decided to do life together. I didn't know what that would mean in reality. I don't think anyone does. I still don't know what our future life is going to look like exactly. But I'm convinced our story will be one well worth the telling, and that's all I ever wanted.