On this date, five years ago, I married my wife… I met her when we were young, very young. She was 18 and I was 19 at the time. To be honest with you, I didn’t think this would turn into my partner for life. I had the hope that it would happen, because I wanted to have the kind of relationship my mom and dad had. They met when they were around that age (I was 2), and they ended up together. I didn’t think this would happen for me with Kinsey because she had broken up with a guy who did not treat her very well for about 3 years in high school, and according to her friends, she was having fun being single. This guy had basically made her think that all guys would treat her that way in a relationship. Understandable. Kinsey was pretty honest about it too, she didn’t lead me on. So I decided to just take it easy, and have fun with her because I knew I really liked her. I was also preparing to get the ax at the end of the summer. I figured we would have a nice summer romance.

Four months into our relationship, she told me she was falling in love with me. That is when I knew I would marry her. I was completely in love with her, but I was too scared to tell her because I didn’t want to scare her away. There was something magnetic that pulled me to her. It happened the night I met her and tried to dance with her. It happened when I saw a picture of her in my roommate’s photo album, and I told him I was going to make whoever that was my girlfriend. He laughed at me, by the way.

I am fully aware that I am the one who reached in this relationship, but I can assure you of this: If it were not for Kinsey, I would not be where I am today. I was told at a young age to find something that gives me a reason to wake up. I made her the reason. She was the only one who has supported me through my transitions, with my career choices, and with my life gambles. She has always believed in me… even when I didn’t. I would have married her at 19 years old, but I wanted to give her the world.

No matter how difficult our relationship got. No matter what fights we had. No matter how many times we almost broke up in the past. I was drawn right back to her. We are not the same people we were back then. But, we grew together, not apart. This is why I waited 7 years to propose to her, I wanted to make sure this was what we both wanted.

I had a moment last night, during dinner, where I went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, and I glanced into our dinning room, and automatically smiled. There was my wife, the person who I am connected to the most, sitting with two lil babies we made together. They were all smiling. I can see the love in my kid’s eyes when they stare at her, and I thought to myself, “I can’t believe we have come this far!” There’s my two kids, one wearing a princess dress, and once dressed as a ninja turtle, and my wife, who was about to launch her very first website. All felt right at that moment.

Again, we do have lows, but the goal is always to climb out of those, and get back to the highs. We fight fair, which is something we learned to do in our 20s. We forgive. And thanks to Kidd Kraddick, and the last thing he said to me on air before he passed, I always tell them I am proud of them, and that I love them.

Happy Anniversary, Kinsey! Thank you for being my “something to wake up for” every morning!

But, I will not forget that about two hours after dinner, on the eve of our anniversary, Kinsey looked at me while we sat in the family room and this conversation took place:

Kinsey: did you see the picture Justin Bieber posted?

Me: the butt?

Kinsey: yeah! Crazy, huh? It’s not bad tho.

Me: is mine better?

Kinsey: (pause)… well, he’s younger.

Me: really?!?

Kinsey: what?!

Me: you are seriously telling me right now, that Biebs has a better butt?

Kinsey: they are both nice, but his is just a lil bit better.

See?!?! Honest relationships are the bestest!