in appreciation...

I survived my 36 hours away from Daniel! Yea for me! I cried the night before and was a bit teary on my way out the door, but ended up having a nice weekend with my fellow sorority volunteers. Scott did great and has not told me of any trauma while I was away. I am proud of him for being such a great dad.

It is so nice to be married to someone who supports me no matter what. My sorority volunteering goes back as long as Scott and I have been together, and he has never questioned or made fun of me for it, even when I have made fun of myself. In fact, he whole-heartedly supports the time I spend on Phi Mu, and is very positive about whatever project I am working on.

I had a conversation with a friend over the weekend about marriage and how it changes when you have children. We both agreed that parenthood tests your relationship greatly. I feel very lucky that Scott and I have adjusted as well as we have. Sure, there have been, and will continue to be, times when we are frustrated with each other, but I know that as long as we communicate openly, we work it out.

My friend has kids and a strong marriage of her own, and we also agreed that you should never marry a "project." You know, someone that you have to fix or improve for them to become who you want them to be as your spouse. Life is too short for that kind of work, and I really don't think that all of that effort ever changes them. If that person is not "enough" (as Nat puts it) in who they are at their core, there is no point in committing your life to them or having children with them. I think that just leads to second guessing yourself and ultimately, dissatisfaction and unhappiness.

No one is perfect. Compromise is necessary for every relationship, and while I think people can change some of their habits, fundamentally, people do not change.

I know that what I have with Scott is not common to most relationships, and I am so thankful for the husband and best friend that he is to me, and the father and role model he is to Daniel.