Chip & Joanna Gaines on ‘Beautiful Moment’ of Change After 20 Years: ‘Second Part of Our Marriage’ (Exclusive)

Chip and Joanna Gaines are entering a new phase of their relationship — and they’re loving it.

“I would say as we get older, I change and I’m more like Chip and Chip is more like me,” Joanna says of her husband of 20 years in this week’s PEOPLE cover story.

“Jo and I are in this wonderful moment. We’re evolving into each other,” says Chip, “It’s the second part of our marriage.”

For Joanna, that means facing life’s fears — like her two new hobbies, horseback riding and beekeeping — and allowing herself to live more in the moment and be emotional, even if it’s painful at times. “It’s definitely a more real way of living and I’m grateful for that,” she says.

For Chip, 49, it’s taking things a little easier and helping his partner shine. “I want to be her biggest cheerleader,” he says. “I say, ‘Hey, you go do whatever. My knees are killing me.’ ”

Joanna jokes about the transition being a “midlife crisis,” but at 45, she says, “we just see life differently now.”

Chip and Joanne Gaines’ new hotel in Waco, Texas, is officially open — and they’re booked

Courtesy of Magnolia Network

Their current views are exactly the opposite of what fans expect from them. During the past 10 years The upper part of the fixator and its spinoffs, Joanna remained level-headed, restrained, and organized, and Chip was often found wandering atop a ladder or breaking through drywall.

The truth is that everything is changing for the Gaines these days, as a couple, as a family and as entrepreneurs.

The parents of five had just sent their oldest son, Drake, 18, off to college; started a podcast network; announced a series of Magnolia reality shows; completed work on Hotel 1928 in Waco, one of the biggest projects in his career; and debuted Fixing upper part: Hotel, a new limited series about the venture, airing on Max and the Magnolia Network.

Chip and Joanna Gaines are ‘thrilled’ to launch a new podcast network — these are their first two shows

Courtesy of Magnolia Network

They only opened their boutique on Nov. 1, but already they’ve gotten one glowing review that really counts: the approval of their teenage daughters Elle, 17, and Emmie, 13. “They kept saying, ‘I can’t believe something like this is in Waco. We feel like we’re in New York.’ That was the biggest compliment,” says Joanna. “I thought, ‘Ah, they’re finally impressed.’ It felt like a big win.”

The upper part of the fixator fans have watched the Gaines’ kids — which also include Duke, 15, and Crew, 5 — grow up on screen, but these days their offspring are finding their own ways. “Chip is really good at saying, ‘You need your own identity. When you finish college, go do some things on your own. Learn some things. And if you want to come back years later and teach us, we’re here,’ says Joanna.

All the most romantic (and hilarious) Chip and Joanna Gaines throwback photos

Joanna Gaines/Instagram

Saying goodbye to Drake, who started college in September, was a particularly difficult moment. “It’s this tension of joy and pain, all in one breath,” Joanna recalls of the emotional fall. “Even now when I’m setting the table, I have to consciously say, ‘Oh, there’s only six here.’ ”

Having Crew at home was a meaningful counterpoint to that void.

“The greatest gift when a child goes to college and is five years old is that perspective,” she says. “It’s not here forever. We don’t want to waste these moments.”

Chip and Joanna Gaines open up about their difficult first year of marriage: ‘We had our challenges’

Joanna Gaines/Instagram

The same goes for their relationship. After 20 years of marriage, they still start each morning by asking what they dreamed about. “Mine are very practical,” says Chip. “They are always fun. She has really vivid dreams—big adventure and all that Technicolor.”

“You rubbed me the wrong way,” Joanna says. “I think that’s the beauty of relationships in general. If Chip wasn’t my partner, I’d probably still be in the corner. From the moment I met him, he always experienced change in a positive way. Even if it was negative, it was, ‘Okay. What are we going to do next?’

Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia House Lists for $995,000 — Take a Look Inside!

“Now I believe in it, she adds. “We have experienced so many changes in our lives, and the proof is here: change is hard, but it is always beautiful.”

“I hope this is just the beginning,” says Chip. “I hope we look back in 20 years and feel as confident as we were meant to be. We really feel like we’re just getting started in a way.”

Find out more about Chip and Joanna Gaines in this week’s issue peopleon newsstands on Friday.

Fixer Upper : Hotel is now airing on Max and the Magnolia Network.

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Source: HIS Education