We Anniversaried! {Year 17}

It's time for the annual anniversary report! Russ and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary yesterday with pedicures, shopping, and dinner out. It was relaxing and slow-paced and lovely. 

We had some good laughs reminiscing about our baby days...

(back when we were 15 and 17 but looked 15 and 12? Hahaha ;) 

And we marvelled at how amazingly well things have turned out for us, considering we were basically toddlers when we started dating. Or, excuse me, NOT dating, because I was not allowed to date at 15, even though the evidence of Russell pictured in every single family and life event captured in our family photos from this point on would argue otherwise.

This led to a great discussion on what we each thought we'd list as our ingredients to remaining so happily married, if some imaginary person were to ask, and here's what I came up with (off the very top of my head), and what Russ had to add... 

Me:

- being on the same page in our parenting (through taking Growing Kids classes at our church pretty continuously since our oldest was born)

- being on the same page in our finances (through going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University...twice so far)

- being on the same page in the effort we put into our marriage (going through the Love and Respect course by Emerson Eggerich really helped, and dating and doing couch time regularly)

- being on the same page in our faith and beliefs (a huge one)

- and just having really compatible personalities

Russ:

- having great examples to follow in our parents and the way we were raised

- GOOD LOVIN'

If that's not a man vs. woman list for you, I don't know what is. Bahaha. I could add a ton more now that I've thought about it more but that's not the point. It was just fun to talk about and the bottom line is that I'm excited for the next 17 years :)