What is it like to have parents who don't like each other? What is it like to have parents that don't speak kind words to each other? What is it like to not come home from work to see your parents cuddling on the couch watching television? What is it like to grow up with parents who are not soul mates? I wish I could take away the pain of anyone who could give an answer to those questions because truthfully, I couldn't answer those questions if I tried. Sure, my parents have disagreements, arguments and trials but doesn't everyone? At the end of the day, I've never seen someone love someone else like my dad loves my mom and vice versa. Of course, on my end, it's kind of gross to have parents who are in love like teenagers but I suppose it's better than being on the other side of this having parents that don't like each other at all. Seeing them act this way has always made me think about my future marriage and what my goals were for that relationship and I guess in many ways, they are what I hope to model my future marriage after.

Firstly, I imagine a marriage where both of us work and we both work hard. I've never met more hardworking people than my mom and dad, I want to be just like them with my husband someday. I hope for an equal ground between my partner and I hope that he expects that too. I hope he wants me to flourish in a career while he does the same.

I hope for a funny marriage. One of jokes, surprises, and moments of uncontrollable laughter. I hope to have inside jokes with my husband, like my parents do. I hope to marry someone who doesn't take life seriously, who understands that we will go through hard times and yet wants to keep laughing with me.

I hope for the little things. My dad takes my mom out for hot fudge sundaes from McDonalds every now and then and you'd think they gave each other the world. They love getting these $1 sundaes, not because it's an expensive gesture but because they get to do it together. I hope that one day my husband texts me while I'm at work and says he's nervous but he would like to ask me out on a date, like my dad does to my mom. I hope my husband values the little things in our marriage, even something as little as a $1 hot fudge sundae.

And finally, I am incredibly hopeful that one day my children will notice these things as I have noticed them of my parents. I hope they will notice how much their mom loves their dad and how much their dad loves their mom, I hope they will notice the beauty in our relationship. I am hopeful that one day my kids will wish to model their marriages after mine. I hope that one day when I am older I am reading something sentimental like this, that my child wrote about my marriage and I'll get to say, thank your grandma and grandpa because they were the ones who showed me how to love.