In this day and age it's refreshing - and rare - to see a couple that has actually put forth an effort to keep a marriage alive. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are inspiring.

Married since October of '96, they have 3 kids together and are still happily married. And while I know exactly how difficult it is to keep a marriage alive as I've been married since '96 as well, I can't even imagine the stresses that those two face with their careers, publicity and celebrity status. Most would - and most have - given up under the pressure. Heck, Captain and Tennille couldn't even keep it going.

During an interview with People back in 2011, Tim shared some relationship secrets:

  • Put family first - Family activities go on their calendar first, THEN they fill in the blanks with work.
  • If one career is in high gear, the other one takes a back seat - Faith enjoys being with the children so she is happy to make the sacrifice when Tim's career is going strong.
  • Be your spouses biggest cheerleader - They don't get jealous of each others careers, instead they get defensive FOR each other.
  • Learn from each other - Faith helped Tim get sober and Tim helps Faith when she gets too hard on herself.
  • Fess up to mistakes - If the other one is right, you say so.
  • Don't jump to the divorce place - They have fights just like every other married couple, but decided long ago they could have real fights without the thought of "Should we be together?"
  • Grand gestures are great - They want each other to be happy, so they surprise each other with large gifts such as Tim renting the Onassis yacht for Faith's 40th birthday in Greece.
  • But small gestures are great, too - Tim finds their weekday matinees, late-night coke floats, and dinner out with the kids just as romantic as a trip to Greece.

So with all of that said, Tim and Faith claim they "will be together forever." I hope they are!

You can win a trip to see Tim and Faith in Vegas on March 21!  All you have to do is get yourself entered!

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