The five months before and after we were married I worked at a hotel in Tulsa. Occasionally, I would ask the couples what their secret was to a long and happy marriage. I heard a lot of the classic pieces of advice: ‘don’t go to bed angry’ or ‘always say I love you’. Well, I can’t say that I have followed either of those to a “T” but over the next eight years, I discovered my own:

marry your best friend.

When you marry your best friend, you marry someone that you actually like being around and want to spend time with. While there are many aspects to friendship I am just going to talk about one: Paul and I love going on adventures. Over the years, we’ve taken several road trips from Oklahoma to Oregon and while the miles endlessly come and go, we do enjoy just being together.

Recently, we went driving through the countryside of Oklahoma, visiting bait shops and scouting for a new fishing spot for him. Just the two of us. We stopped at a bait shop in Locust Grove that had a BBQ food truck outside. I asked the lady when she was going to close and she said she was closed but she hadn’t put anything away if we wanted lunch. Paul was putting his stuff in the truck and although our plan was to come back for food later, I hollered at him “It’s now or never, love.” His immediate response was “I guess it’s now then.” Perfect. That’s just what I was thinking too. We got our BBQ and found the fishing spot he was on the hunt for. We dropped the tail gate on the truck and just enjoyed the water rushing by, wind in our hair, and the warm Oklahoma sunshine as we ate our tasty pulled pork sandwiches. We don’t make enough time for exploring but when we are able to, those are my favorite days. 

Spending your life with someone that you want to be around combined with someone that you want to love for your whole life is a great way to build a strong marriage. However, this combination isn’t a guarantee that things will always be easy. All marriages take work, need support, communication, and most importantly a firm foundation. But it certainly does make the day-to-day more fun, full of laughter, and more enjoyable to live. 

I can’t thank the wonderful and amazing Sandie Barns enough for these images of Paul and I! She is as sweet as she is adorable and she does amazing work with her family clients!!

https://www.sandiebarnsphotography.com/

If you’d like more from the “Personal and Business” section…

Recently I changed my business name from ah Productions to Amanda Hitchen Photography. You can read more about that change, what prompted it, and why Paul claims he should get a cut of my profits.

2019 was a year I saw (and prayed would be) coming but not one that ended the way I thought it would. Click here to read my blog post where I reviewed what an amazing year 2019 was and how it left me dazed.

Would you like to start planning your photoshoot with me? If you’re ready, use my contact form to send me an email and we’ll get the ball rolling!