Sometimes it’s hard to know what your marriage looks like to the people who aren’t part of it. You know what it feels like, and you know what you hope it looks like. But you can never be sure it looks the way it feels. I recently had a conversation with a friend about marriage and he said something I won’t forget.

“I know a whole lot of married people. It’s obvious that some are doing well, and that others are just getting by.
When I see the way that Stephen looks at you, I can tell that you two really love each other.”

In that moment, my friend saw exactly what I feel every day.

I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about what makes us so happy together after nearly a decade of learning everything there is to know about each other and I think I figured it out. Stephen is my best friend in the whole world. He’s the one I put first. He’s who I call when something great happens, and the one I cry to when life just isn’t fair. He’s the one I send all my memes to, and the one who will tell me when my jokes aren’t funny. When I feel like the world is against me and I just want to be alone, he’s the one I want to be alone with.

The first time I met Madison + Jason, I could tell right away that they’re best friends. Jason’s the one that makes her laugh. Madison is the one who brings out the best in him.

They’re just better together.

As an outsider, when I look at their relationship, I see two people who are ready to take on the world together. They’re on the same team and they’re not going to let life get between them. They’re ready to work hard for each other and to always lift each other up. But most importantly, they’re ready to laugh at the same memes and New Girl reruns for the rest of their lives.