Love Week: Amanda – ‘How I Fall more in Like with my Husband’

Day Six of Love Week and just one day away from our 10th Wedding Anniversary. While we are in Wales celebrating with family and friends I introduce you to Amanda, an expat living in South Korea with her husband. As both military brats, with a background in theatre, and a love of travel I really connect with Amanda. She is a perfect example to me of how friendship knows no borders (or languages) and you can become friends with someone who may live on the opposite side of the world from you. Six months ago I may have sent out a tweet here and there but now I look forward to seeing what Amanda is up to through twitter from England and getting to know her better. The world may be very big with lots of places to explore, but at the same time it is very small. I really like being reminded how we can take a different view of something and see it even better than before. Today Amanda does that with sharing how she daily falls in further like with her husband. We can all fall in love, but finding how to sustain that love over the years is key. As we celebrate ten years of marriage that fact becomes ever more important in my eyes. Please make Amanda feel the love today for the sixth day of Love week and without further adieu I leave you with her and her guest post for today.
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Photo by AURENTHIA STUDIOS 2010
Hi all, I’m Amanda and I blog over at Living in Another Language. My husband and I have been married since August 16th, 2010, after dating just 4 months. Before you have a heart attack about this, you should know we had been friends since 2006, where we met in a work-study program in college.  We currently live in South Korea teaching little kiddos how to say their ‘ABC’s’ and other things. Namely English…and for kicks we throw in a little Spanish every now in again (why not?). 
Back to the topic of this post. I’m so excited for Bonnie and her husband’s vow renewals! Although I don’t know Bonnie outside of blog-land, I totally wish I could be there for her big event! Since she’s gone getting ‘hitched’ again, I thought about writing a ‘how-to,’ on the first years of marriage. Who am I kidding. I don’t have a PhD in anything, I’ve only been married for 3 years, and I’m 24 years old. Pretty credible don’t ya think? Nixed that idea real quick. Cue cheesy grin. 
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Photo by Chris Smith Photography 2010
I’ve decided write about how I spend every day of my life falling more and more deeply in ‘like’  with my husband.  Yes. I said like. Here’s the deal. I’vloved my husband for 3 1/2 years. Love‘ goes a lot deeper than ‘like’, and it’s harder to fall out of. ‘Like’ is something that’s very easy to fall out of, and so many couples my age (married or not) get caught in a pit of un-like…which can lead to falling out of love if it gets crazy bad. Yikes. 

Hopefully I haven’t lost you yet.

Here we go-how I fall more in ‘like’ with my husband:
1. I have a list saved on my phone of 100 reasons I adore my husband. Every time I have a bad day, I read this list and it makes me smile and get all warm and fuzzy inside. 
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2. He’s not afraid of the unknown and encourages me to take the leap of faith with him. I seriously have the greatest adventures with my husband. Heck. I moved South Korea where I didn’t have family, didn’t know anyone, didn’t speak the language, or didn’t know how the heck I was going to to do my job (I’m not a certified teacher). My husband has always been there for me as I’ve had small panic attacks due to the lack of friends (I was a huge socialite back home), as I’ve broken down and cried over not being there for my sister’s pregnancy or birth over her sweet baby girl, and as old friends have unexpectedly passed away. Guys-It’s hard living overseas. But it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to our marriage. We only have each other to lean on for support, and as a young married couple we have grown so much by this.

3. My husband loves to play. I should rephrase that: my husband and I love to play! Whether it’s tossing the football, playing Kinect (I suck at it), jumping in the waves of the ocean, making music  or even experimenting in partner yoga,we love to do things together! I think playing is so important in our relationship. It helps us forget the stresses of the day and unwind the right way: with each other.  We’re both open to trying new hobbies, and when we’re not good at them, we love to laugh with each other. 
4. We talk. About everything. First of all, my husband and I have no secrets. We talk openly about the past to each other as well as the present struggles we may be facing. D really doesn’t have much of a choice…I don’t have many girlfriends I can just yap all my problems to. He has to step in and fill that void, and thankfully he does it with such understanding and has a great listening ear! 
5. We both enjoy life. I am so thankful to have married a man who enjoys life just as much as I do. Whether its drinking a cup of jasmine tea in the morning and reminiscing about the last 7 years we have known each other, or jumping in a shark cage to witness great whites (that’s booked for January 2014), we’re ready to take on the world together, hand-in-hand. We love new experiences, old experiences, crazy experiences, and everything in between. Life is our biggest adventure, and we’re both on board to live it to it’s fullest! 
So do I lovemy husband? I freaking adore him. Do I ‘like’ my husband? Oh yes…way more than I could possibly even say. Sure, we have our moments: the times that just aren’t ‘working.’ But overall, at the end of the day, D is always there for me and I’m always there for him. 
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Photo by Chris Smith Photography 2010
What about you? What do you do to fall in ‘like’ with your significant other? 
Have you found that learning to ‘like’ each other better has lead to a more successful and loving relationship? 
Follow our adventure on: 
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I love your “in like” theory. I think it’s great to live by that rule!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    That list is seriously a good idea. Noted. :p

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    That list is so cute! 😀 It’s a great distinction you make between Love and Like… sometimes looking at my husband and telling him “you know, I like you” means so much more than the “I love you” he gets so often! (though still important!) And your point #4… so true!
    <3

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I’m in love! You seem to have a wonderful marriage and great support from him. :) And that list! I’ll keep that in mind for my future. I love feeling the love of others. It brings me hope for the future. Not just for me, but for everyone else looking for their ‘one’.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I’ve been loving all your Love Week guest posts! What a fantastic idea and Congrats on your 10 years of Love!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    beautiful post Amanda, I need to remember to read this again when I find someone. xx

    mysmallrayofsunshine.blogpsot.com

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Thanks for this post Amanda! I think you touched on something so important — and I think oftentimes it’s that friendship, liking quality that people overlook in relationships over time. I love your idea for a list of 100 things you like. :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Amanda thank you so much for participating in LoveWeek! We loved hearing how you can keep love alive with falling in like more and more every day! x