In 1996 (when I was 17), I met this guy that I thought was a total slacker. We went to his Senior Prom together as friends. I thought we'd date for a few months and then he'd go off to college and that would be it. After dating (for real) soon after the prom and having a long-distance relationship for most of our early adulthood, 10 years later, in 2006, we got married. And 10 years after that…here we are living in Los Angeles with our two girls. I know I cut out a lot of the in-between stuff because I don't want to bore you.

But I seriously never thought I'd date this guy, have him turn into my best friend, and then still be with him 20 years later. I'll try and keep this anniversary post short and not too sappy. But in celebration of my 10 year anniversary with my husband, Bob, today, here are 10 things I've learned in my 10 years of marriage:

1. The person that you are married to should make you want to be a better person. They should lift you up when you're low, make you laugh when you're having a bad day, make fun of you when you need to be made fun of, and believe in you more than anyone else.

2. Marriage is always a work in progress and you have to work at it to make it progress.

3. You'll never agree on everything. But you should see eye-to-eye on most things.

4. If your spouse had an annoying habit when you first started dating, chances are, they'll still have it 20, 30, 40 years later. And you just need to be okay with it. And love them for it. Or laugh at them for it.

5. You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, know when to run. (Ok, I borrowed that from Kenny Rogers, but it's true.)

6. Marriage is loving someone so incredibly much and more than anyone else. But it's also being annoyed and infuriated with them more than you could be with anyone else.

7. Having butterflies in your stomach is a good thing.

8. Make time for each other even when your kids feel like your new priority. Don't forget to keep nurturing the relationship that made those kids in the first place.

9. It's a good sign when you can be independent and do your own things separately, but you're stronger (and have more fun) when you're together.

10. If you can fart in front of your spouse and not feel embarrassed, you're on your way to eternal happiness.

{Wedding photo by Karen Wise, family photo by Katherine Rose}