Mr. and Mrs. Brice (16 years)

Still Winning!

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Steven and CheRita Brice met in high school. He was a senior and she was a freshman.  At first CheRita would not give Steven the time of day! Gradually he started to win her over. Sixteen years later...Steven is still winning her over!!!

Date Married: * 5/23/1997

City/State of Residence: * Spencer, OK

Ø What qualities did you see in each other that made you want to marry him/her?

Steven – She’s smart, funny, silly, loves to sing, and keeps me on my toes! I love that.   

CheRita – He was the exact opposite of me! I’m loud, he’s quiet, I joke a lot, he knows when to be serious, I’m moody and he stays pretty even. It is like he makes me balance.

 

Ø How do you keep the romance going? What are some things that you enjoy doing as a couple?

We have become home-bodies over the years. We had 9 years of marriage before we had our child, so we had plenty of time to party, stay out late, and get up at 3am for an Ihop run. Now we just really enjoy each other’s company…a quiet evening at home, laughing, playing around, and having a blast together keeps us going.

 

Ø What is your favorite part of marriage?  

Having someone who can bring sanity, peace, and calmness to this hectic world. Someone to talk things out with...Someone who knows you better than anyone.

Ø What is the most important aspect in a marriage to make it successful?  

Really, it is knowing that your normal may not be everyone else’s normal. In other words, if something is working for you and your mate, keep doing it! Don’t worry about how others run their home…just worry about you and yours.

 

Ø Life often throws many curveballs, and those that make it through those tough times stay together. How have you dealt with stressful times that arise?  

We try to just talk about things. Have discussions before things get out of hand. Don’t bottle stuff up and hope it gets better, just TALK!

 

Ø Marriage isn't always a cakewalk. What advice can you offer newly engaged couples when disagreements occur?

 Agree to disagree sometimes and keep on pushing. You may not always see eye to eye, but there is still love and can still be respect.

 

Ø What do you see as the strengths of your marriage?

One strength that we see is that we married young. We know it may sound old fashioned…but we think us having a chance to grow up together helped a lot! We weren’t set in our ways and then married..trying to fit two separate personalities together and make it work…instead we grew together. We learned together. Also we had so much time to get it right before having a child. We think those years of bonding and growing as a couple before becoming parents helped a lot!

 

Ø Steven, what do you LOVE about CheRita?

She’s smart, sexy, funny as hell, always sees the bright side of things, she is a thinker, she always thinks outside of the box, she’s also pretty cool…she doesn’t trip about a lot of stuff other friends say their wives trip over. Like, she doesn’t care that I have old school cars I love working on in my free time or that I hang out with the guys in my man cave. She is pretty cool.

 

Ø CheRita, what do you LOVE about Steven?

He is the perfect man…he’s very smart, works hard, knows how to take care of his family and he keeps me sane. I am sooooo moody, he knows how to calm me down and keep me from getting too wound up! I love that he understands how I am…and loves me anyway!

 

Ø What advice would you give newlyweds?

Be open and honest with each other…even if it hurts. Don’t keep things from your mate. Discuss and have a plan for finances, having children, where to live, how to divide the holidays with in-laws...EVERYTHING needs to be talked about. If there are no surprises, then all will be well!

 

Ø What song best describes your marriage?  

YOU  by Jesse Powell.