Some days life seems to crawl by and others it seems like I can’t keep track of where the days went. For example, we are celebrating one year of marriage on March 15th. While a year is nothing super monumental, I can hardly believe we have been married a year. It seems like just yesterday I was tying up loose ends regarding DJs, flowers, and wedding food. And while this year has had its share of challenges, I can honestly say, one year later, I am more in love and more proud of my husband.
We jumped head first into marriage, ministry, and life together. Through this, God has blessed us with an amazing community and families who support and love us. Whether it is lunch with the family, serving at church, or the nights we spend praying for the strip club ministry I lead, we have grown stronger and closer. We put God at the core of our marriage and it has been exciting to see the growth and change in both of our lives as we grow closer to Him and to each other.
We have both learned how to navigate the transition of living together and sharing a space. And while some days are still tough, we made a decision before we ever got married to not share a bathroom and I am convinced this has saved us from many marital tiffs. While I tend to like neatness and order, my bathroom basically always looks like a tornado went through it. And I wish I could tell my husband this was going to change, but alas, after 28 years, I am afraid this may be a battle not worth fighting.
Some may have counseled us otherwise, but two weeks into marriage, we got a dog. She has been one of the best things for us and sometimes I am a little embarrassed to admit most of our evenings consist of a lot of puppy snuggling. We love her so much and taking care of her has helped me feel a little better about becoming a mom. She is a constant source of joy and we are both so glad we made the decision to get her.
Perhaps the biggest change after one year of marriage, is the coming transition into parenthood. This was definitely not my plan. I imagined many different scenarios, but a baby was not in any of them. Nevertheless, I have fallen more in love with my husband since we found out and we have both learned to communicate better and cherish each other more. I find myself saying no much more so we have time to spend time together. I have also had to let go of some of my “perfect” wife notions. When you are sick 24/7, you just have to let go and be ok with spending a lot of time resting. I am also learning daily I am not in this alone. Sometimes it is easy to feel that way as my body is the one going through a million changes, but I am learning to rely on my husband and include him in the stresses, the changes, and the million thoughts swirling through my head.
One year later, I can honestly say we talk more, laugh more, and are more in love today than when we said “I do.” He has become my best friend, my trusted confidant, partner in crime, and huge cheerleader. I would not be where I am or who I am without his constant support, care, and sharpening.
So babe, after one year, I can say from the bottom of my heart, you were the best decision I have ever made and I can’t wait to see what the next many years holds!
