As we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day and National Marriage Week, I thought I’d share some of the reasons why I love being married to Justin. Many of these reasons I’ve come to more fully appreciate through our year and a half of married life. Despite some silly reasons, I’ve found out that so far, being married to Justin has far surpassed my expectations.

1. Justin gives me sleep. This weekend, we visited my grandmother for her 80th birthday. Overnight, the house was full, and this included both Gus and my 15 month old niece. Because both babies woke each other up, none of us got a lot of sleep on Saturday night. However, Justin took turns with me calming Gus and then made sure I got a two hour nap on Sunday afternoon so I could function.

2. We pray together. I can’t speak highly enough of how much Justin has inspired me to live my faith to the fullest. Because we’re both serious about having Christ as the center of our home, both of us are able to inspire each other when one of us gets a bit “lazy” in our faith life. In our family, we’ve committed to praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together each night. Sometimes, if I’ve had a hard day or I’m tired, I want to skip it. Justin reminds me we need to pray together.

3. He shaves for me. I hate it when Justin has a day and a half or two of beard on his face. Justin hates shaving, and left to his own devices, would only shave when he goes to work. However, because I like him clean-shaven, I can’t count the number of times he has shaved “just because.”

4. Justin helps me pursue my dreams. From the very beginning of our engaged life, Justin made it clear to me that once we had children, he wanted to support me if I wanted to work or if I wanted to stay at home with our children. He’s been very supportive as I’ve transitioned from maternity leave to a full-time working mother to a stay-at-home mother. He’s been very helpful spending time with Gus so I can occasionally spend time with friends or just have a bit of time to myself.

5. He makes me laugh. This is so important! If left to my own devices, I have the tendency to be so serious. Justin knows just how to make me laugh and helps me to relax during serious conversations.

6. Justin is warm. This may sound silly, but the first few months after having Gus, some of the moments I now treasure most are climbing back into bed after a nighttime feeding. Typically, I was tired and cold, and then Justin would sleepily rub my shoulders and cuddle up to me to get me warm. I think those moments were sometimes the difference between frustration and sanity.

7. Justin cooks. Eating is very important. Some days, even though I’m staying at home, I don’t have the energy to make a different meal each night. I plan the menu and have food on hand. Currently, our pattern has been Justin will cook a simple dinner on Friday night to give me a break from the kitchen.