The Happiest People on Earth

There are two things in life I’ll never say no to: Disneyland and iced coffee. This post is not about iced coffee.

Marshall and I debated about getting Disneyland annual passes for a while before biting the bullet. Could we justify the cost? Would we use them? Would we get tired of it?

Saying yes was one of the best decisions we ever made.

Here’s the thing: Marshall and I aren’t exactly *Jean-Ralphio voice* flush with cash. We’re fortunate enough to have a steady income and enough to fill our fridge and pantry, but we do forego a lot of little things like going out to dinner, going to coffee shops, and buying pre-prepared foods. I think we’re generally pretty frugal people so it might seem counterintuitive that we’d spend $60 a month on annual passes for the two of us. But I haven’t regretted it for a second. Here’s why:

I work full-time, Marshall’s a full-time student which means he has to do a lot of work on nights and weekends, and on top of that, we have different interests, as most couples do. Maintaining my individuality has always been important to me, and I think it is an essential component to having a healthy marriage. So, I write, he plays Dungeons and Dragons. I go for walks with my girlfriends, he rides bikes with his brother. He participates in Search and Rescue, I run a fan blog on Tumblr. All of those things are ingredients to the recipe that is our partnership, and I think they give the final product an interesting and satisfying flavor.

However, equally important to maintaining our separate lives and interests is cultivating activities and hobbies that we both enjoy and can bond over. We have quite a few; camping, coffee, travel. Disneyland is a big one, though. Like Christmas, we have traditions and rituals rolled up into Disneyland, which helps us feel close. But where Christmas only comes once a year, Disneyland can be as often as we feel comfortable spending the money on gas to get there. Disneyland is our thing. Making shared memories and having a reward to look forward to strengthens our relationship.

We work hard, Marshall especially. We deserve to play hard, too. I feel like I spent the entire day laughing yesterday, and I got to spend completely unburdened time with Marshall as well as my sister and my cousins. To sum it up in one overused cliche: that’s priceless.

Magically yours,

Claire