Couples get married everyday...whether it be out of love, lust or necessity. Could be one reason, could be many reasons. Our story goes back 17 years; more if you want to get technical. The key element to a successful relationship is and will always be understanding. Understanding each other's wants, needs and expectations. Understanding what needs to be done in order to make a relationship work. Understanding what needs to be sacrificed to make one another happy. Understanding that in order to last in a relationship, compromises have to be made. Knowing this, you know that a relationship is equal parts give and take. You have to find a perfect balance in order to have a harmonious partnership. A good friend once exposed me to the age old adage, "happy wife, happy life". This works in any relationship. But knowing this tidbit is half the battle. You need to work at it everyday. And it's not just keeping your better half happy. It's knowing that both parties are in it together. It's not a one way street, it's a highway built on communication and equal respect. We had our first official date back in 2004. We went to see a movie. Long story short, I laughed at a scene that I thought was hilarious. Unfortunately, she didn't see it the same way. She had a couple of options at that point: run for the hills or accept it as it is. Luckily, she decided on the latter. We still talk about that story to this day. She accepted me for who I was. Not an insensitive jerk, but an immature, easy going guy. Going through this relationship, we have encountered many obstacles. We've gone through many journeys together. A lot of good, a lot of bad. Through it all, there's no one else I'd rather take this ride with. While we have gone through alot, I know there are plenty more chapters to fill in our book. We are best friends. We don't know everything about each other, but we learn alot about each other everyday and can't wait to learn more and more in our forever after.