Dear Cody,

It’s been two years since I told you I’d stick by your side no matter what shenanigans befall us – or, more likely, the shenanigans we get ourselves into.

I’ve become a better person by your side, which is the point, I think, of choosing someone to spend so much of your time with. Because of your influence in my daily life, I have become more comfortable being silly,

more sure of my own convictions, more assertive when it comes to making choices that are most healthy for me, and closer to becoming the type of woman who makes moves towards making her dreams a reality (instead of being the type who just talks about them all the time).

Over this past year, I’ve embraced the fact that teasing you back is way more fun than just rolling my eyes. I’ve cherished our long hugs even more than ever before, because it means that my foundation is strongest in your arms. You have helped me see that, despite all the giving and sacrificing I love to do, that relationships need to be two-way streets in order to be healthy for everyone involved.

Watching you ask so many questions invites me to ask my own – a practice that you encourage more than any teacher I’ve ever known.

You helped me write my first book (!!!), getting rid of any doubts I long held about myself, any distractions that might get in the way, and driving me to my super understanding in-laws in Arkansas for Thanksgiving so I could finish writing my self-imposed and community-driven goal of 50,000 words.

And you’ll be there when I print and publish the WifeReflections guided journal and the NaNoWriMo final draft. I fully expect a happy dance and can already feel the joy of that celebration.

The last 24 hours have been the most perfect Ania and Cody way to celebrate our two years as a married couple.

We saw Niagara Falls together, crossing over into the Canadian border and back again, thankful that our spontaneously-planning brains thought of bringing our passports just in case.

After we got over the fact that the speed limit was now shown in km/hr and I had promised not to get arrested for accidentally breaking the law, we decided to enjoy the ride. Thankfully, you’re the type of person who notices when nature is being extra awesome, so we stopped at the most beautifully-located Lakehouse restaurant overlooking Lake Ontario because, “Ania! Oh my goodness! Look at that! No, seriously, look!” 

P.S. I’m also grateful that the prices turned out to be in Canadian dollars, but the fact that you were willing to spend more without complaint to make our experience special says that you are not a total Scrooge as first-year-married-Ania thought. I rescind my prior accu-sumption.

And then we were back in the States this morning, just in time to teach my scheduled piano lessons and let you get back to work by 3pm Central Time.

The fact that I feel so at peace is a testament to our entire year together.

We have grown so much, whether the moves we’ve made have been calculated or they have totally taken us by surprise. I am so grateful that we’re in this together.

You are my favorite travel partner – along any ol’ highway, through a mountain’s long-winding trail, and definitely in this marriage we vowed to protect, nurture, and enjoy.

I will always choose you. Happy 2nd Anniversary. May there be many, many, many more. Like, I want people to be like, “What?! So many years? When did they get married, when they were like, 5?”

I love you,

Ania