This Way to Go Wednesday absolutely deserves a shout-out to my husband, Mike.
A lot of our ups and downs have been shared publicly, but not nearly enough of the behind-the-scenes work—and the growth—we’ve both been putting in.
Now listen, I am NOT an advocate for staying in toxic or unsafe situations. But sometimes two people walk into a relationship carrying an entire U-Haul worth of baggage, old wounds, questionable coping skills, and a combined talent for sarcasm…and questionable levels trauma drama for our friends and family as well. 🤫 🤫 🤐 lol
—yet somehow we STILL can’t walk away from each other. We seem to have all inclusive fans, skeptics/crtics, and some in-betweeners. We have probably earned our place in every category as well!
Call it a trauma bond, call it stubbornness, call it Jesus doing His absolute hardest work—whatever.
As we head into our seventh year together (and our April anniversary), I just want to say how awesome we BOTH are.
This man has stood by me through some of the darkest years of my life—my depression began long before he showed up. He’s seen me at my absolute worst. And even when he lost his cool (because life loves to throw plot twists), he never once abandoned my basic needs: shelter, safety, food, and a reliable cigarette supply when I was going through five different personality arcs a week.
And to be fair, we’ve always had our brand of love:
- passionate but petty,
- dramatic but loyal,
- roasting each other but also defending each other like we’re in a courtroom drama,
- and capable of turning any argument into a joke eventually.
He pushed me to grow: to work harder, consider my words and disclosure better with friends and family, laugh more, and be smarter with money. And yes, sometimes we argued about what “smart with money” even means.
But I challenged him too—by expressing my emotions, setting boundaries, and occasionally reminding him that “I’m fine” actually means “I’m not fine, grab snacks.”
And now? We are becoming a whole Growth Machine™ over here.
(Even if he doesn’t know it yet.) 😉😘
As always, any prayers for God’s healing power—over us individually, as a couple, and in our relationships with others—are VERY appreciated.
And now, your customized joke:
Marriage is basically two people taking turns being the reasonable one.
In our case, we just schedule it like shifts at Walmart.
AND Included Below:
A never before released video of the unwrapping of his Valentine’s Day gift!
Love you, Honey! XO
