My Best Friend

One year. It’s incredible how twelve months can hold so much love, laughter, growth, and grace. As Joe and I celebrate our one-year anniversary, I find myself looking back not just at the big moments, but at the quiet, everyday choices that built the foundation of our marriage. This year has taught me more than I ever expected – not just about being a wife, but about what it means to be married to your best friend, to lean on God in every season, and to keep choosing love, even when it’s hard.

From the very start, Joe and I have shared more than just love – we’ve shared a deep, honest friendship. The kind that’s full of inside jokes, silly moments, and quiet understanding. The kind that makes even the hardest days feel lighter. Being married to your best friend isn’t just a bonus, it’s essential. Because marriage isn’t all date nights and picture-perfect memories. Some days it’s dishes in the sink, laundry piles, misunderstandings, tough conversations, and days when everything feels off. And on those days, having someone who not only loves you but likes you, who knows how to make you laugh when you want to cry is the most beautiful gift.

That laughter, that friendship, has carried us. But even more than that, God has carried us.

From day one, Joe and I made a promise to keep God at the center of our marriage. Not just on Sundays. Not just when it was convenient or easy, but every day. We start our mornings in prayer and we end each night the same way, hands clasped, hearts bowed, reminding ourselves that this union is so much bigger than the two of us.

That rhythm of prayer has become the steady anchor in our days. It’s where we lay down our gratitude, our fears, our hopes, and everything in between. It’s in those quiet moments, just the two of us and God, where we are reminded of who we are, both as individuals and as a couple. Prayer is where we ask for strength when we’re weary, patience when we’re stretched thin, and grace when we fall short (which, let’s be honest, happens more than we’d like to admit). It’s not perfect, but it’s real. And it’s become the heartbeat of our marriage.

One of the songs that has meant a lot to us is Made by Spencer Crandall. There’s a line that says: “Soulmates aren’t found, they’re made.” And I believe that with my whole heart.

It’s easy to believe in soulmates when everything is easy, when the wedding is fresh in your mind and the road ahead looks smooth. But real love, the kind that lasts, isn’t just discovered. It’s forged. It’s worked on. It’s made. Every time we forgive each other quickly, every time we lean in instead of walking away, every time we choose to be present and kind even when we’re tired or frustrated – that’s when soulmates are being made.

Marriage isn’t something that just happens – it’s something you actively nurture. It calls for intentional love, the kind that chooses again and again, even on the hard days. Especially on the hard days. It’s the quiet decision to say, “I’m still here. I still choose you. I’m still showing up, even when it’s not easy.” Because real love isn’t just a feeling, it’s a daily commitment to keep fighting for what matters most. And there’s something sacred in that choice.

This year, there were mountaintop moments and valley days. We had seasons of ease, and others that felt like work. But in all of it, we’ve been forged in God’s fire. And like anything that’s been refined by flame, we’ve come through stronger, more united, more rooted in purpose and love.

One year later, I look at Joe and I don’t just see the man I married, I see the man I’ve built a life with, I see my best friend. He’s the one who makes me laugh until my stomach hurts. The one who prays with me every morning and holds my hand every night. The one who is my partner in joy, in hardship, in faith, and in growth.

And I know now more than ever: love isn’t just about finding the right person. It’s about being the right person. It’s about letting God mold two hearts into one and never taking that gift for granted.

So today, we pause to celebrate, not just the milestones, but the moments in between. We celebrate all that this past year has held, and all that’s still to come. We celebrate the sacred, everyday work of marriage – the beautiful, the challenging, the holy. We celebrate that we were made for each other, and even more, how we’re being made more like Christ through each other. What a gift it is to grow together, to love deeply, and to keep choosing this life—hand in hand, heart to heart.

Here’s to year one.
To laughter. To prayer.
To love that’s chosen.
To soulmates that are made.

And to the God who holds it all together.