Barack Obama never lets an opportunity to praise his wife, Michelle Obama, slip past.
Barack Obama never lets an opportunity to praise his wife, Michelle Obama, slip past. The former president took to his Instagram to send Michelle a special shout-out for her 59th birthday on Tuesday, sharing a romantic photo of the two embracing as they watch the sunset, including a cheeky message that is pure Barack.
"Happy birthday, @MichelleObama. You make every day brighter — and somehow keep looking better!" the 61-year-old captioned the post. Michelle responded with a red heart and kissy face emoji.
The couple met at the Chicago law firm Sidley Austin in 1989 and married in 1992. They celebrated their 30th anniversary earlier this year, with the former commander-in-chief sharing a sweet series of photos on his Instagram page to memorialize their anniversary.
"After 30 years, I'm not sure why you look exactly the same and I don't. I do know that I won the lottery that day—that I couldn't have asked for a better life partner. Happy anniversary, sweetheart," he wrote.
For her part, Michelle had nothing but sweet words for her husband.
"Happy anniversary to the man I love!" she wrote. "These last 30 years have been an adventure, and I'm grateful to have you by my side. Here's to a lifetime together. I love you @BarackObama."
While the two have always been open about their relationship, The Light We Carry author recently stunned fans when she got candid about the rough patches earlier in their marriage.
The former first lady sat down for a panel with Revolt TV last month -- alongside Kelly Rowland, H.E.R., Winnie Harlow, Tina Knowles-Lawson and moderator Angie Martinez -- where she admitted that there was a 10-year period early in her marriage when she "couldn't stand" her husband.
"People think I'm being catty by saying this — it's like, there were 10 years where I couldn't stand my husband," Michelle said. "And guess when it happened? When those kids were little."
The couple shares two daughters -- Malia, 24, and Sasha, 21 -- and Michelle said that it was during their daughters' early years, as Barack was beginning his political career, that the animosity between the couple hit its highest point.
"We're trying to build our careers and, you know, worrying about school and who's doing what and what, I was like, 'Ugh, this isn't even,'" she recalled. "And guess what? Marriage isn't 50/50, ever, ever."
"There are times I'm 70, he's 30. There are times he's 60, 40, but guess what? 10 years — we've been married 30. I would take 10 bad years over 30 — it's just how you look at it," she added. "And people give up . . . 'Five years; I can't take it.'"
Nowadays, it's clear the rocky road is long gone. In November, Michelle paid sweet tribute to Barack, whom she's called the love of her life.
"As an adult, I’ve lived in a number of places, but as far as I’m concerned, I’ve only ever had one real home. My home is my family. My home is Barack," Michelle wrote in an Instagram post. "But here’s the thing—our marriage has never been perfectly 50-50. One of us is always needing more or giving more. We have to be willing to listen to each other, honestly and without defensiveness. Only then, can we evolve together."
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