Happily Ever After

 I don't think I stand alone in saying am so sick of campaign ads I could vomit. . I've seen some pretty dumb stuff from both sides but the one that took the cake was when Mitt Romney's and Ann Romney's marriage was attacked for being "too good'. I just remember thinking what the heck is wrong with the world to think that without anger and fighting a relationship can't run deep. The only thing I didn't like about the response Ann Romney gave attack was she said it's almost embarrassing that they've never had an argument. I guess this is what happens with a culture views happiness and contentedness as naivety so the urge can be there to feel a little embarrassed of being head over heals in love for your spouse. Well there should be absolutely no shame in having a relationship that can work through things without fighting.

  This topic has been on my mind lately because on a way smaller scale I received the same criticism recently about my marriage to Travis. It was implied to me that this incredible marriage must not be "real" almost like either we're living in a dream world or it can't be this good. When I told Travis this we both laughed pretty hard about it and then we got teary eyed and he squeezed my hand and assured me there is nothing more "real" and it is this good.

  We celebrated our 8th anniversary last week and let me tell you I AM CRAZY ABOUT TRAVIS TIDWELL! My heart still thumps when he walks in the door, I get giddy to see he's calling me, I still get chills when he holds my hand. Even more than that he is my best friend, it doesn't matter how tired I am at night I hate going to bed because I just want to talk and be with him a little longer. We can seriously sit and talk for hours about anything but I live for the nights we just talk a little more about our little family and how we can make it better, or as some of the greatest gospel discussions I have ever been a part of have taken place and of course the nights when we can't talk because we have so many tears in our eyes from laughing so hard together.

I remember a few weeks before we were married we went to the conference center and President Hinckley gave the talk "The Women in our Lives". I cried through the entire thing because I knew I was about to marry someone who would treat me just as the Prophet of God was instructing him to, and he has.

   For 8 years he has treated me like glass  yet at the same time he has pushed me to constantly grow and develop talents, constantly expand my mind and cares so much about my opinion. Even with him in med school he asks regularly when I'm going to get my masters. He constantly builds me up as a woman as he reverences the role of motherhood. 

  I've laughed as throughout our marriage feminist friends seem to think I'm mindlessly submissive, male chauvinists think I'm ruling him with an iron fist but in reality we've both learned an incredible lesson of trust. If were are both working our hardest to make the other one happy somehow all of our individual wants and needs are being taken care of because our greatest want and need is for the other one to be happy. I've learned from him that the role of a spouse is never to "change" the other one. If we love each other for exactly who we are, life will take care of making us better and we will always have the safety and love of each other as it does.

  So in long I am beyond giddy about Travis Tidwell and while my wedding day was awesome it was in no way the best day of my life because he has made countless days even better almost every day since. And to have something this amazing and this real is not something I will ever be embarrassed of.