The Story of Us: 19 Years of Marriage and Lessons Learned

“I’m going to marry him”, I told my friend our freshman year. I didn’t even remember that I made that statement until years later when that friend messaged me on Facebook and told me she vividly remembers me telling her that. It was the best message! I guess little baby Vicky knew her future. ❤️

We met Freshman year of high school. We had summer reading to do, and Kevin didn’t do it (such a slacker 😉). He caught wind from one of his friends that I had done the reading and hunted down my phone number (way back when there were landlines, and you actually had to call the person’s house and ask to speak to them! Am I aging myself? 🤭).

He called, and I gave him the information that he needed to be able to write the paper we had to do on the reading. In my defense, before you even ask, “why did you do it?”, I was at a new school and knew 2 people…. I really wanted to make friends! 😂 Sure, there were better ways, but this opportunity presented itself and I took it.

The real kicker to this whole story of us meeting for the first time is he got a better grade on the paper than I did! Thankfully he taught me how to bs my way through a paper like he did, and I got better grades after that 😂

We instantly became best friends from there. We dated our sophomore year and then reconnected again years later. Our relationship has had many bumps, curves, sadness and complete joy but I couldn’t imagine doing this life with anyone else ❤️

Today we celebrate 19 years of marriage! I don’t take for granted being here at this mark with all that we’ve been through. I know how dang hard it is be married and fight for your marriage through some tough times, so this number 19, although an arbitrary number in the marriage world, is being celebrated massively in my heart because it means a lot!

We sat down together last year on our 18th wedding anniversary and came up with 18 things we’d learned in 18 years, and I wanted to share them and number 19 for this year ☺️

19 things we’ve learned in 19 years:

1. Grace is needed in abundance

2. Laughter is medicine

3. Going to bed angry is really not a good idea

4. Communication is key

5. Being right is not as important as being kind

6. The toilet paper goes over not under

7. Don’t ever stop dating each other

8. Kids can enhance your marriage or hurt it, it’s your choice

9. Marriage is hard work... but the best rewards in life are the things you have to work hard for

10. Marrying my best friend was the best decision

11. It’s important to be your spouse’s number one fan

12. Making a menu and grocery list every single week can be awful sometimes

13. But…. grocery shopping is a great date!

14. Sometimes it’s better not to say anything

15. Hold hands even if it’s at home watching tv

16. Hug at least once every day

17. No matter how much you’d like to, suffocating your snoring spouse is not a good idea

18. Love is more than a feeling

19. Differences can be a blessing

As we celebrate 19 years, I’m filled with gratitude for the lessons we’ve learned, the laughter we’ve shared, and the challenges we’ve overcome together. Marriage isn’t always easy, but it’s a beautiful journey when you’re walking alongside your best friend. To anyone reading this, whether you’re just starting your own love story, or you’ve been on this journey for decades, I hope these lessons encourage you to cherish every moment and keep fighting for the love you’ve built. Here’s to many more years of grace, growth, and hand-holding—no matter what life brings our way. ❤️