This Is Marriage: Day 305

Well, we made it over the hump and it's now past the halfway point of this whole deployment thing. Pete is being promoted to Chief, which is something he's worked very hard for, so he's going through the initiation for that. Apparently it is a very secret initiation process and I do not get to know any details. So I just keep asking questions like "How many teardrop tattoos do you have now?"  (because if the military is going to monitor our conversations, I'm going to make them as ridiculous as possible).

Two weekends ago, I fell while running and twisted my ankle and Pete sprained his ankle in some kind of forklift related accident. This past weekend I was dying a slow, painful death from pooping and Pete hurt his back doing dead lifts at the gym. So here's hoping the couple that falls apart together, stays together. Or something.

While it's encouraging to be past the halfway mark, November still seems like an awfully long time away. If I've found any answers to the question how do you maintain a happy marriage when you are eleventy kajillion miles apart? (approximately), it is this: the same way you do everything.

• Be honest. None of that vaguebooking crap. Have the conversations. Use your words. Like an adult person.

• Be awesome. In any relationship, the only thing you can control is your own actions and attitudes. So put in the effort and be awesome in attitude and action. Work on your own shit so that you're not taking it out on other people. Take care of yourself. Do the things that make you happy. And then bring your happy, most awesome self to the party that is marriage and life. Party hard.

• Be grateful. You get to have a partner in life and adventure. Treat that as the honor that it is.

• Be kind. To yourself and everyone else. Try to be more understanding and less Judgy McJudgerson. That guy is a real downer at parties.

• Get by with a little help from your friends. Pirates had it wrong, my friends. Treasure is not gold or jewels or ships. Or even booty. The true treasure of life is friends. Friends who hug you when you're a sweaty hot mess. Friends who show up, for the happy parties and the sad parties and the work-on-each-others-houses parties. Be a good friend. Appreciate the hell out of your friends.

Lyric of the moment: "I have to step away sometimes, to see how much I love my life. And now I am grateful. If something's worth all my time, it's to make sure you know you're on my mind. And I will be there..." ~Gene Evaro Jr. "This Kind Love"