Chip and Joanna Gaines Approach 20-Year Wedding Anniversary: ‘We’ve had to Fight for Our Family’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Chip and Joanna Gaines, the stars of the hit TV show FIXER UPPER, plan to celebrate their 20 year wedding anniversary in May 2023.
Chip told Fox News about their marriage and how, like all other marriages, there have been ups and downs, but that he is grateful for it all.
In an issue in their Magnolia Journal, Chip reminisced on their time together so far.
“All the old folks in our lives warned us that these years with young kids and big dreams would go by fast. That one day we’d look back and wonder where the time went. They were right,” Chip wrote.
“We’ve had to fight like hell for our family and learn to hold loosely what we can’t control. But we did all that together. The two of us,” he continued.
Through the 20 years the carpenter felt much change occur in the couple’s lives.
“In those 20 years, our world changed. But the one thing that didn’t was the promise Jo and I made to one another at the altar in front of our family and friends,” he wrote. “They asked if we’d stick it out through thick and thin. We said yes, and we meant it. We still do.”
He added, “Marriage is interesting that way. Whatever I go through, Jo goes through. And whatever she goes through, I go through. Life has done us plenty of favors and showed us things we’ve been beyond blessed to see. We’ve also had some hard times—some the world knows about, and plenty it doesn’t. Like anyone else, we’ve been sick and sad and hurt and lost and flat out of ideas on how to turn things around.”
No matter what, Chip never wants to forget about the good times but also about the bad times. He cherishes those memories where he learned and grew as a husband, father and person.
“Jo’s been focused on what it means to savor life. To savor the moments that, too often, we let slip away without a second thought. That word has taken root in my heart as well, but I’m finding that the moments I’ve savored the most over these past 20 years have also been the hardest ones,” Chip wrote.
He continued, “I don’t want to let those times get away from me. I treasure those memories of hardship and struggle.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the couple’s marriage and the importance on leaning on one another in difficult times:
Chip and Joanna Gaines’ HGTV show FIXER UPPER and their flourishing home decor and lifestyle business, Magnolia, was always a dream for Joanna. However, building their diverse and thriving businesses from the ground up did not come without its challenges.
“It doesn’t change overnight,” Joanna said. “Even though we were, like, ‘We’re in it,’ it didn’t mean that all of a sudden everything was going to be easy and we were going to make it.”
For small businesses today, there is so much uneasiness amid COVID-19 restrictions and precautions. However, the Gaines attribute their success to their no-quit mentality and their trust in God’s will for their life, despite the adversity and uncertainty.
The Gaines remember times of uncertainty when it came to their future.
“[We] would look at each other and just think, ‘How are we going to make it?’ Not seeing the end—not understanding you could actually get through it,” Joanna said.
In a 2015 interview, Joanna recalled the initial hardships while working to fulfill her dreams and how Chip encouraged her along the way.
“He really encouraged me to step out, and make one of those dreams happen,” She said.
Together they opened their first business, Magnolia Market. However, Joanna knew that she could not give the same amount of attention to her two children and the store, so they made the difficult decision to close the store.
“I remember the last day and we are closing the shop down, and I am crying because it feels like an end of a dream…” Joanna said. “Very clearly I hear God say, ‘Joanna if you trust me with your dreams, I am going to take Magnolia further than you ever could’ve dreamed. So just trust Me.’”
After an apparent setback in 2015, Joanna was reminded of Chip’s commitment to never quitting, especially on her dreams.
“Chip and his family have always had this thing that Gaines never quit, so he’d say, ‘Jo, we’re not going to quit, we’re going to make it through this,” Joanna told Us Weekly.
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