Marriage Victories

I’ve been married for a year or so, and, because I have a very strange mind that makes me stay up late thinking about all kinds of random shit, I got to thinking about all the things my husband and I have accomplished in our time together (almost 3 years including the time before we were married). While marriage itself is an accomplishment because we don’t have to endure heinous bar scenes or dating apps anymore, these things are even more momentous.

• We’ve witnessed my very own Cleveland Cavaliers win their first championship. I chose to mention this first because we all know this season is NOT going well, and I need to reflect on better times to get through it. I don’t cry much, but I shed some tears on June 19, 2016 when my team finally clinched that first championship ring. I haven’t shed any tears this season, surprisingly; I just drink some extra wine and remind myself that we’re rebuilding after the fallout from a toxic relationship with a noncommittal narcissist. I know all about that from my romantic past.
• We’ve binge watched all 19 seasons of Law & Order: SVU. From the beginning. And we DVR all the new episodes until we have time between shifts to watch. I’ve never been much of a cop drama girl, but I love SVU because it’s a fantasy world where sexual assault survivors are believed and rapists are actually prosecuted; even better, they’re prosecuted with the help and expertise of Lieutenant Olivia Benson! If only the real world was like that for survivors.
• We’ve engaged in multiple Monopoly tournaments and haven’t gotten divorced due to the competition. Would divorce courts really honor the reason for dissolution of a marriage as “She constantly defeats me in Monopoly” anyway?! 😂 In all honesty, he has won a couple times, but that’s definitely the exception, not the rule. 😉
• We have an actual savings account, even though it’s minimal. When we were both single, we were too broke to save anything. Even though we aren’t even close to our savings goals, we’re in a better place than we ever were separately, and that’s progress.
• We travel whenever we want to. We’ve taken a few awesome trips to the mountains and a couple trips to the beach, both conveniently found within a few hours of us here in NC. Being able to explore our state together and get away from city life is the best.
• We sprung me out of Corporate Hell and I began my career of self-employment as an independent contractor, which put a quick stop to my panic attacks. It has its challenges, but I’ve been panic attack-free since February and that’s the best thing ever. No amount of money is worth sacrificing my mental health.
• We both started blogs! I had other blogs before but I always got too busy to focus on them because I was working ridiculous hours; now I can actually focus on how important writing is to me. He was an amateur stand-up comic when we met and has since given that up, but I always knew he had a creative energy and sense of humor that would vibe well on the page, and he has fun blogging too. Being able to share my love of writing with the one I love is pretty great. This is totally a shameless plug, but you can check out his blog here.
• We’ve adopted the most adorable two puppies ever! We couldn’t possibly love these guys more. We’re the proudest and dorkiest dog parents ever.
• 

I hope I haven’t left anything out! If I have, I’m sure my hubby can fill in the blanks on yonkaholic.com. Again, totally NOT a shameless plug. 😂

People talk a lot of shit about marriage being lame and boring, but that just tells me they’re doing it wrong. Marriage is great if you have the right connection and the right timing. It can lead to the accomplishment of many goals you never knew you had.