Anyone else notice the common factor?

Friends first seems to be related to happy marriages.

I know mine was (we'd still be comfortable and content as an affectionate partnership save for unexpected death).

There is absolutely no such thing. You could be happy with many different people.

Anonymous wrote:Yup. Still madly in love after 10 years. Happier, if possible, than when we met. Definitely not love at first sight on my part. He pursued me for four years before I finally agreed to let him out of the friend zone.

Wow. You're very lucky.

I don't believe in soul mates but I did marry someone who I believe I just naturally click with very well. We have similar personalities, values, and goals. We never fight. It doesn't feel forced. We've been married for ten years (together for 15). We met when I was 19 and now we have 3 kids together.

Anonymous wrote:How is it working out?
How long have you been married?
Was it like 'wow love at first sight' or did you come to know gradually they were your 'true love'?

Awesome.

4 years.

It wasn't love at first sight but it was rather quick. By 2nd/3rd date I knew he was the one.

No, the relationship with the man who I truly consider the love of my life failed in my mid-twenties. Met and married another man a couple of years later and he later married as well. I have a content life with a family/children who I love and adore (but the love relationship is just not the same as my first love).

However, if we had made it through our early twenties together and actually married, I don't know if we would have been compatible- our life goals were just different. Hard to say, but occasionally I do wonder if we could have worked it out and I feel great pain. Its not really a grass is greener thing, much stronger than that...

Yup. Met him when I was 17, started dating when I was 19, and married him when I was 23 (and he was 29). Married 22+ years now with four kids (only one HSer still at home), and he's still my best friend. We talk and laugh together all the time, and we have an enjoyable sex life.

Yes. We dated for 2 years right after college and then we broke up for 4 while we grew up, dated other people and just lived life. Saw each other at a party after not seeing each other for 4 years and realized we wanted to be together forever. Since then we have been together for 15 years and married for 13 years. He truly is my everything.

Yes. I sure did. We've been together for 16 years and married for almost 13. We have two kids in elementary school. He's just wonderful. He's caring, kind, funny, a great dad, handsome and a good provider.

He's encouraged me professionally and personally and really believes in me. I think that makes all the difference in the world.

Do we ever get mad at each other? Sure. But, we have a strong respect for each other and are always truthful and honest.

Yes. It was not love at first sight, but we became friends very fast and had a sexual relationship. I wasn't in the place to commit (emotionally) when we met so I didn't attempt a serious relationship, although I could tell he was developing strong feelings for me, and we spent so much time together in a completely natural way. After a year or so, I realized that I loved him and I convinced him to come visit me for 3 months in DC (across the ocean from where we met) so that we could give our relationship a real shot. We ended up getting married 3 months later before he would have had to leave the country and are very happily married (and expecting!)

I could not imagine ever loving anyone else as much as I love him.

Yep. Mrried 19 years and a few little ones.

No, I didn't.

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe in the idea of one true love, but I do believe in true love.

My DH is my best friend. 13 years together and 2 kids later and he's still my favorite person to be with and I look forward to hanging out with him. He is kind, smart, thoughtful, hardworking, and funny.

All the rest of it is Disney princess crap, in my opinion.

That should say 2 kids later, not 2 years.

I don't believe in the idea of one true love, but I do believe in true love.

My DH is my best friend. 13 years together and 2 years later and he's still my favorite person to be with and I look forward to hanging out with him. He is kind, smart, thoughtful, hardworking, and funny.

All the rest of it is Disney princess crap, in my opinion.

I don't believe in one true love. So if something happened to my marriage, I would never fall in love again? My spouse isn't the most intense love I ever had but the most reliable and deep. The other person would not have worked as a marriage partner.