Lovespiration from Mike & Brandy
High school sweethearts Mike and Brandy shared their secrets with us on how they have made it work from high school to now. The two actually met in seventh grade, but they didn’t start dating until there were juniors in high school.
Brandy thought Mike was cute and insisted on sitting next to him in a class. She and chatted up a normally quiet guy, and the rest was history! From the start, they knew something was special about their relationship and attended college together.
They now live in Houston with their son. Brandy is a teacher and blogger, and MIke is a personal trainer. You might recognize Brandy + Mike from the How We Love challenge, we share more of their wisdom and secrets on how they’ve made their love work.
Love Intently: Brandy, Tell me one or two favorite things is about Mike that you really love.
Brandy: Here's the thing, it's also what's perfect about him. I really like his consistency. He likes the same things. He likes to keep a schedule and I am all over the place and unorganized and he kind of keeps me organized, “like, remember, you need to do this or don't forget this.”
He really kind of helps me from not like running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
Something I would also say would be his faithfulness. I've never ever had to worry where he is or what he's doing or I just literally in my heart know that if he says that he's somewhere like he's there, he's so truthful and I never have to question anything. I know whatever he says is 100 percent the truth., I just know he's being honest. So he's a really, really exceptionally honest person.
Love Intently: Mike, what's your favorite thing?
Mike: The fact that she understands me. I know sometimes I can be like an onion, you just gotta keep peeling layers. I know I'm very to myself sometimes, but she knows me more than any other person. She knows when I'm upset or something's bothering me, she can automatically tell, she can tell when I walk in and if I’ve had a bad day. She was very understanding. But she knows me very well, very well. I love the fact that she is, she's so hardworking even though it's like what she said, organized chaos. She's very, goal driven oriented. We purchased the house, she was doing a lot of the grunt work. I was at work so I couldn't really help her out as much. But I did the best I could. She's done a lot of stuff that I can't even tell you.
I know her and she's a phenomenal mother. I've seen different levels of her and she's just taken off and I admire her ambition to be great. And that’s what I love about her.
LI: Mike, what's something that Brandy does that makes you feel really loved?
Mike: Man, that's a great question. I really love the fact that she's just supportive, you know if I come up there with a plan. Let's say the things that I want to do, like a goal that I have in mind. She backs me up. She helps me find avenues to get something done the most efficient way. She's always there giving me some great insight on some things. I lean on her. She's all I have, she's like my rock. She's very supportive.
LI: Brandy, what about you what makes you feel really loved by Mike?
Brandy: He's just aware of when I'm exhausted or if school was long, like last night we got home and Grant was asleep by 7:50 and I went to bed at eight and he did not make me feel bad about it. He just lets me rest when he knows that I need the rest even when things kinda go undone like around the house and stuff like that. So yeah, just so sweet every Saturday he makes breakfast and he just lets me sleep in and he just takes care of Grant and I get to kind of come out of my cocoon whenever I'm ready.
LI: Question for both of you guys, even though you might have different answers. What is some relationship advice that you guys have heard before that maybe really stuck with you or that you guys like to give to other people?
Mike: I would definitely say communication is key. Even just listening and giving your feedback and your thoughts and your opinions about something. Just notifying the person I'm going to come home late today or vice versa. I think communication has gotten us this far and we've been together for eight years of dating and then it will be five of marriage and I think communication has definitely played a vital role. Now we have a, a child, so everything has to be on point.
Brandy: He has two different jobs and then I am a teacher and have a side business. I have two full time careers teaching and blogging because they're both huge time commitments and it hasn't always been that way for us. So we've had to reallocate a lot of our time and play pass the kid along. I would say the best advice would be just to think about and always keeping in mind that the way you are, it's not gonna always be the way you are so when you grow older and when y’all change, just to just to keep that in mind. Don't expect them to be the same person they were yesterday because everybody's growing and changing all the time. Our interests change what we like, what we don't like.
LI: What does it mean for you guys to love your spouse with intention? What does it mean for you to choose to love your partner daily?
Brandy: Always keep in mind that if you're going to love someone with the intention that it's work, but it's not a job. It's something you're choosing to always make sure when things get hard to remember you want it to be there. Remember that you generally like this person because it gets a little hairy sometimes.
Mike: To love them with their flaws as well. And I know that she's not perfect, but I still love her despite all of that in and just to keep her first, just keep her on that pedestal and she deserves to be on. To love her for all she is. She's literally seen me grow from 13 to 31 now.
Missed our How We Love challenge? It's not too late, join the 14 day challenge here and love your partner better in small ways.