Four going on forever

Four years have come and gone, not just in a blink of an eye, but in several patterned movements.

Hundreds of yawns.
Dozens of side-eye glances.
Hours of commentary. (Reality TV, politics, gossip, and beyond.)
Endless alarm clock snoozes.
Too-many-to-count kisses.
Lots of lost thoughts and interruptions.
Many dreams, schemes, and plans, with plenty of actions to match.

Amidst the routines and the patterns and the normalcy, there have been adventures, too. Heart-skipping moments, adrenaline rushes, laughter that turns into tears. We’ve boarded planes and held hands a little too tight as wheels leave and touch the ground; we’ve dug our toes into the sand as our skin burned under the sun; we’ve waded in pools and explored new cities; we’ve cheered at ball games and danced on crowded floors and shut down bars and sang at concerts; we’ve cheers and clinked and celebrated every milestone—the job switches, the promotions, the new hobbies, the new home, our success as dog owners.

Marriage looks a lot like living a very, very good life alongside someone who has dedicated themselves to a shared language—an intricate series of movements and moments and habits and feelings—that only we speak.