Marriage is a journey—and one of the most revealing parts of that journey is how two people handle their differences. If there’s one area in our relationship that highlights just how different Nate and I are, it’s finances. Yet, it’s also the area where we’ve grown the most and built one of the strongest foundations in our marriage.
Let’s just say this: when it comes to money, we’re not cut from the same cloth.
Nate is the ultimate minimalist. He’s the kind of man who could go years without buying new clothes if I didn’t gently nudge him (okay—force him) into updating his wardrobe. While my parents sometimes ask, half-joking, “Can’t he dress a little sharper?” I always remind them—that’s just Nate. He’s not moved by appearances. He doesn’t shop for trends or impress people with what he wears. What matters to him is purpose, not presentation.
Me? I enjoy spending. I like nice things, I love a good shopping trip, and I’m not afraid to treat myself. But I’m also practical. I know how to stop, reassess, and prioritize when needed. I’ve learned how to balance desires with discipline—how to indulge without spiraling into excess. That’s my rhythm.
Now Nate—he has his own rhythm too, and it’s all about the future. If he had it his way, we’d have just one dollar in our checking account today, but be millionaires in investments, property, and retirement accounts. He sees money not as something to enjoy in the moment, but as a tool to build what lasts. His heart is always set on creating long-term security—not just for us, but for generations to come.
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And that vision? It’s something I deeply admire.
Nate is always thinking about legacy. Not just how we live now, but how our children will live after us. He’s constantly asking: How can we position our kids to succeed? How do we move the Gaston family forward—one step closer to a life where our grandchildren start higher than we ever did?
That hits home for us because we both come from families that started with nothing. No inheritance, no head start. Just grit, faith, and determination. And as Black Americans, we know how often our community is left out of the rooms where wealth is built and passed down. That reality has driven us to be intentional. Every decision, every sacrifice, every moment of patience is part of a bigger picture.
Everything we’ve built—every dollar, every opportunity, every breakthrough—came through prayer and perseverance. Nobody gave us a blueprint. There were no shortcuts. We just kept trusting God and doing the work.
That’s why our shared faith matters so much. I’m grateful to have a husband who believes in the same God I do—Jesus Christ. Our faith isn’t just part of our marriage; it guides our marriage. We pray together, we seek wisdom together, and we lean on Scripture when life throws us curveballs.
The Bible says, “Can two walk together unless they agree?” (Amos 3:3). That’s more than a verse—it’s a mirror of our journey. Over the past 25 years, we’ve had to come into agreement on how we raise our kids, how we handle conflict, how we build our home, and how we dream about the future.
And through it all, love has been our constant.
From the moment I met Nate, I knew he was someone different. Our conversations flowed effortlessly—those late-night phone calls that stretched into the early hours of the morning, until one of us would fall asleep mid-sentence. There was a sense of peace, comfort, and friendship that made everything feel natural.
To this day, that’s what I cherish most about our relationship: the friendship underneath the love, the understanding that anchors our differences, and the shared mission that keeps us moving in the same direction—even when we walk at different paces.
Marriage is not about sameness. It’s about harmony. Nate and I are living proof that two people can be different in the way they think, spend, and see the world—but still be perfectly aligned in what matters most: love, faith, purpose, and legacy.
And if we’ve learned anything through these decades together, it’s this—when love is guided by faith and built on respect, even your differences can become your strength.
