Anyone who follows RaeLynn‘s Instagram knows the country singer has been missing her military husband since he began training, but being apart has not derailed their relationship.
“I loved him so much when I got married to him, but I love him so much more now than I did then,” country singer-turned-Too Faced spokeswoman told PEOPLE Tuesday at the cosmetic brand’s new festival-themed collection launch in N.Y.C.
The singer says that being apart from her husband — 26-year-old Josh Davis — makes them value their time together even more since Davis, who worked as a financial advisor before enlisting in the U.S. military, began training shortly after their February wedding.
“When you have time apart you realize how much you need the person that you’re married to,” the country singer, 23, says. “I will never take a moment for granted, ever, with my husband. I will never get upset over petty things because that stuff doesn’t matter — life is too short. That’s the biggest thing I’ve realized: how amazing a relationship we do have.”
RaeLynn added: “He’s doing something so honorable, and I’m just so proud of him; he’s absolutely incredible.”
It’s also been an incredible year for The Voice alum. RaeLynn performed her final shows opening for former show mentor Blake Shelton in March, kicked off her first solo tour RaVe in April and celebrated her debut album Wildhorse hitting No. 1 on Billboard country charts in June.
And although Davis missed some of his wife’s biggest career moments this year, she keeps him informed through phone calls and what she described to PEOPLE in April as lots of “super-mooshy-gooshy” letters.
One person who has watched the country up-and-comer and soldier’s relationship blossom? Shelton, who RaeLynn calls her “three-in-one” (“like an uncle, dad and brother mixed”) and attended the couple’s wedding with girlfriend Gwen Stefani. RaeLynn says the country star is a “jokester” who used to tease her about Davis when they first started dating.
“If you could have told my 11-year-old self that Gwen and Blake would be at my wedding, I would have said that you were crazy. But Blake wouldn’t have missed it for the world and that meant a lot to me,” says RaeLynn of her mentor and friend. “They stayed the whole time. They stayed and danced.”