How about one for us married folks.

I've been married for 23 years to the first girl I had a real date with, though she had her eye on me. I was 18 and she 16. We had our picture taken that first date and we talked about marriage on the second. We hit it right off, We connected. We got hitched 6 months later.

She's aggressive, I'm passive.
She's a pessimist, I'm an optimist.
She worries, I don't.
She is logical, I have adult A.D.D.
She is a democrat, I'm replublican.

The old saying opposites attract, that's us. We said early in our marriage that we can work out any problems that come up and we do.

Marriage is work....every day. Everyday we say "I love you", everyday we do something for each other to say "I love you".

 

Consider yourself very lucky. Pretty rare in today's society.

 

My wife and I have been happily married 31 years with two good kids and we are looking forward to many more years together.

 

We'll be married 30 years this February. We got married when we were 18 too. Though we are the same in some ways, we are opposite enough to keep things interesting as well.

She worries: I don't.
She's emotional: I'm rational.
She's not a "joiner" and won't even register to vote: I join clubs, organizations, discussion groups and am a registered voter.
She keeps to herself and doesn't meet new people: I'm friendly and make new aquaintances easily.
She craves chocolate: I prefer vanilla.
She will only watch movies deemed critically worthy: I'm serious a student of bad cinema!
She loves dogs: I am soooo sick of dogs... the cats are more popular with me.

By the time we'd been married 20 years she started saying "it doesn't seem like we've been married that long!" To which I would reply "no, it seems more like 50!" (Which would always earn me a slap upside the head.) Well it's getting close enough to 50 now that I'll have to change my reply to 100, LOL!

Scott

 

I met my wife in May of 03 and we were married in Nov. of the same year. We are planning for Children soon. I love her with all my heart and I believe we can work through anything. We argue and have fights sometimes, but we never go to bed angry and we always say "I love you" no matter what. I love being married and I thank God for her everyday.

 

Met my wife at a church singles picnic (opposite sides of the volleyball net). First date 2 weeks later and engaged 4 weeks after that. That was 16 years ago. I laugh about how I've only had about 6 dates in my life and she was only 2 of the 6. She was 21 and I kid her that if something happens I'll keep on marrying 21 year olds since this has worked out.

 

25 years last month, three wonderful children (1 special needs). It's been a wonderful adventure. If the next 25 years are half as good as the previous ones, I'll be a happy guy.

Wife and I talked about this last night though- for all I hear and read about the divorce rate, none of our close friends or family have gone through it. It's a big family, and the car biz has blessed me with a pretty extensive circle of friends. Wierd.

 

And never go to bed mad!

 

Byron, I'm glad to see all is well!

Do you have any children?

One thing that can condition a marriage is having and raising children.

My wife and myself waited about three years (after we got more established) before having them.

Now it's been over 18 years and things aren't too bad.

Like anything worth keeping, I guess marriages require maintenance.

Sometimes the tune-ups, fluid changes and detailing aren't so bad after all.

 

It will be 36 years for us this coming March . Two grown sons and 4 grandchildren . I'm sure byronbgs has it right when he says marriage is work every day . A successful one will not just happen by the grace of God .

We are also not very much alike in our personal likes or dislikes . She is the passive calculating family planner while I was always the carefree poopkicker
on the fly to the next adventure in life . Married at 20 when she was 16 and I had told her when first dating that she already knew me better than to think I was looking for a wife . A year later there we were married and listening to all who knew us say that it would never last . Contrary to their beliefs here we are 36 years later one of the only couples our age that we grew up with still with the same partner . Only by her patience and tollerance I might add .

Today's marriages all seem doomed when the young couples do not have the time to work through the hard times which are part of any marriage and stick it out long enough to get to know each other completely ,(about 7 years by my guess ). A ground plan and direction to work on also cements the relationship to a large degree . The hard times are what puts the character in
a marriage and cements us together eventually if we stay together long enough to realize this .

Some of our best memories of our times are taken from tough times when there was no work and little extra to go round but our support for each other .

Young couples that think their lives are going to be all cut and dried like the soap operas depict with life styles that it takes $250,000 a year to support are in for a rude awakening once the vows are exchanged .

Good Luck to all who are thinking about heading down this road but remeber it all comes down to the effort that goes into it .

In my opinion there is nothing more rewarding than a good marriage and relationship and together most any challange can be conqured .

At this point in life we realize that no matter how successful my career positions were and no matter how much loot could be dragged home at the end of the week, the base reason for the effort has to remain strong before anything else matters .

Put the effort in guys if you feel the Gal is worth attempting to spend the rest of your life with it can be Heaven or Hell and it is all dependant on the both your attitudes from the get go .

 

19.5 years so far. We are very much opposites like byronbgs said:

I'm democrat; she's republican - we cancel each other out every election.
She's a slob; I'm the second coming of Felix Unger (see TP alignment poll).
I like rock, metal, Van Halen; she likes country, Reba, and Barry Manilow.
She's beaucoup tight with a $$; I like to spend on vacations and Ford Trucks!
I'm too liberal with raising our 2 boys; she has them on tight umbilicals.

I would sorta agree with "don't go to bed mad" philosophy, but she apologizes once in a blue moon. I guess if you're never wrong......I say "yes dear" alot.

 

30 years here to a wonderfull red headed nurse, it's the second for me but we sure have it together. won't trade her for anything

 

Last Oct 13 had 31 years in on life sentence, must be a saint to have withstood it for so long and still going!! Wouldn't trade her for a Million bucks, but would like to slaughter her sometimes.Such is life in the fast lane. My creed is: If momma is happy, all are happy; if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!!

 

Isn't that the truth!

 

2 1/2 years married, 5 1/2 together...we're just getting started!

Our habits are sometimes different but that's par for the course. We think on the same wavelengths and have a lot of the same interests (mention of old cars and Rusty Wallace on the 2nd day we knew each other is what got us talking in the first place). She has more interests than me but we do everything together, we learn things that way. And we don't fight. Maybe get a little impatient now and then, but within minutes it's forgotten. A guy she works with said we don't fight because we don't have kids. I don't know how true that is and we may never find out.

We plan on being "honeymooners" for the rest of our lives. I'm cool with that!