4 Years

"I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!"
Probably not the Wuthering Heights quote you'd expect. Usually Catherine's "whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same..." overshadows this darker one.
But Heathcliff's mad desperation at the loss of Catherine - his life and his soul - is just..... 
Tucker is my life and my soul.
It has been that way since the beginning. We are sealed for eternity, and eternity has no beginning nor end. Therefore, we've always been... "us."
Looking back, it's been over a decade of "Karli and Tucker." People knew we were a package deal, even before the romance. 

Now our package just has a couple extra add-ons! ;)

The past year has been a whirlwind, that's for sure. We added Eli to our family, Tucker landed his dream-job, we bought a house and moved, I auditioned for and was cast in a dream role - Belle, and of course, all of this has the normal craziness thrown in with some really hard trials as well.

But one of my favorite things about "Tucker and Karli" is that we face things together. Problems mean we communicate and find a solution. I love that we see it as "us vs. the problem" instead of "me vs. you." And we support each other's successes.

I was at a late rehearsal a few weeks ago while Tucker was home taking care of kids and bedtime, and this quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley came to mind:
The women in our lives are creatures endowed with particular qualities, divine qualities, which cause them to reach out in kindness and with love to those about them. We can encourage that outreach if we will give them opportunity to give expression to the talents and impulses that lie within them. In our old age my beloved companion said to me quietly one evening, “You have always given me wings to fly, and I have loved you for it.”
This is Tucker for me. He has been the most encouraging and supportive husband and father while I've taken on long rehearsals and what will be even longer performance nights.
He helps with cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms and does laundry. After we went out for dinner last night, I zonked out almost immediately while he stayed up helping a very weepy Annie settle down. When I'm craving Cowboy Fries from Filiberto's at 10pm, he reminds me I have spending money and sends me out the door (and doesn't judge me too much when I come home with McDonald's Dr. Pepper, too 😉 ) And when I'm whiny and tired and really want Zoyo, he goes and gets it himself.  A couple weeks ago, I asked him to pick up some bread and milk, and he came home with a dozen red roses! And for our anniversary, he surprised me with a night at the cabin with no kids! It was perfect, and I can't believe how lucky I am to be his wife.

He is quick to point out my strengths, and he encourages and loves me while I strive to overcome my weaknesses. He is constantly looking for feedback and working to improve himself, and I can't even tell you how proud I feel when I think of all that he has accomplished in these past 4 years.
I think that my most favorite thing about our marriage is that we help each other become better and reach our potential. We trust each other to call out our BS and ask for help and offer support and unconditional love. We know that we are better together, and we have so much fun in the process.

My favorite part of the day is in the evening after the kids are in bed when we get to sit and eat ice cream while watching a show or just talking or reading a book together or snuggling or swimming or laughing or whatever! It doesn't even matter. Because as long as we're Tucker and Karli, it's perfect.

our only picture from our weekend at the cabin

That's not to say that WE'RE perfect, though. We make mistakes. Sometimes there are hurt feelings and frustrations. But I feel so safe that WE are each other's priority. We're figuring it out. And we love each other more than anything else. For a couple years, we settled into a normal, comfortable, routine marriage. But it was a little stagnant. The past couple months, we changed that. We found the sparkle again, and it is so much better! I love being married to this man, and I can't wait to say that over and over again for the next 70+ years and into eternity.
Happy 4th Anniversary, my love.