Our First Year

I know I keep saying this, but I seriously cannot believe our anniversary is 2 days away. The last year has gone by in the blink of an eye, which makes me a little sad, but also tells me that it’s been a year full of memories and fun. Before getting married I think everyone wonders what the first year will be like – If you’re like me, you had people tell you that the first year was the hardest, or that it was terrible trying to figure the whole marriage thing out. You don’t know what to expect, so that uncertainty combined with those comments leads to some anxiety.

I remember the night before our wedding (if you haven’t read any of my wedding recaps – read this one! It’s seriously one of my favorites because of my sweet husband!) falling asleep praying I’d be a good wife, teammate, and best friend to David. I had no idea what the heck I was doing, but I knew that both of us were committing the rest of our lives to each other and promising to do anything in our power to make our marriage glorifying to God.

Honestly, I couldn’t be happier with how our first year turned out. I’m not saying we didn’t argue, didn’t disagree, or didn’t cry a few times out of frustration with each other. That definitely happened. But through all of that we learned about each other and about us as a married couple. We’d been together 6.5 years when we got married, but I feel like you learn so much more as a spouse. Marriage is a whole new level of commitment and closeness, and it teaches you so much.

I learned David constantly leaves his utensils/plates/cups in the sink instead of putting them in the dishwasher. I learned he needs warm water to brush his teeth. (Isn’t that odd?!) I learned he presses snooze about 30 times every morning. And I also learned more important things, like that he’s constantly helping his family/mom in some way – that he’ll drop absolutely anything to make sure he’s there for them. I learned that he’ll support me no matter what. I learned that he is the hardest working man I’ve ever known. While I probably ‘knew’ some of those things before, seeing it on a daily basis is totally different.

So much has happened in the last year. David supported me through nearly 3 months of unemployment following our wedding, and then celebrated with me when I found my first ‘big girl job.’ We experienced our first holiday season as our own family. We became a part of a new group of friends who we absolutely adore. We dealt with a ton and a half of family drama. We celebrated our first birthdays and holidays as husband and wife. We survived David finishing his last couple semesters of undergrad and his first real busy season as a public accountant. We grieved with a dear friend through the loss of her father/one of our mentors. We completed countless house projects. We hosted multiple family get-togethers and parties in our (now not so) new home. We watched friends get married, offered advice (are we even qualified?), and were even readers in one wedding. And through everything, we fell even more in love with each other.

I wouldn’t change a thing about our first year of marriage. Has it been easy? No, not really. But has it been worth it? MOST definitely. The one thing I’ve learned over and over again is that you must make your marriage a priority. It’s so easy to slip into a routine and end up living like roommates instead of husband and wife. You make time for everything else that’s important to you – Why wouldn’t you make time for working on the most important relationship in your life? Multiple people told me that marriage is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but also one of the most rewarding, and I couldn’t agree more.

I am SO blessed. And I’m so excited to see what the next year (and the many years after!) holds for us. Regardless of what happens, life is so good with David by my side. It’s so comforting to know I have a husband/best friend/teammate/partner/encourager for life.

I love you more than I ever thought was possible, babe! You’re my biggest blessing, and I’ll never be able to express how grateful I am for you, everything you do, and everything you are. Happy 1st anniversary!

Married ladies – What's the most important thing you learned your first year as a wife? I’m obviously still learning, and love advice!

Also, I have my last recap (tear!!) scheduled to go live later today. :( I can't believe I'm really finished. If you've missed any, be sure to catch up! 

Ring Ching Ching

It took me entirely too long to come up with a title for this post that I hadn't already used. My creativity is slightly lacking lately! If you've been following my blog for some time now, you've seen several pictures of my ring and you saw a photoshopped version of what we intended for my ring to look like with my wedding bands. If you haven't, here's a refresher:

Well, long story short, it didn't end up that way. We purchased two matching bands and basically wanted them cut and souldered to the sides of my setting. The custom jeweler that we were working with made it sound like that would be no big deal, but I guess it ended up not being possible because the bands were thicker than the band on my engagement ring. He was going to have to set the wedding bands up a little higher, so he needed to space them further apart so it wouldn't be as noticeable. Basically, this is what we ended up with:

I wasn't able to go with David to pick it up, so when he sent me pictures from his phone of it I was a bit disappointed. It wasn't what I'd envisioned. I'd really wanted all of the bands to sit flush with each other.

But then I got home and tried it on. And all of my worries were gone.

I love how it looks on my finger! And more importantly, it will still mean I'm married to my best friend, whether there's space between the bands or not. I can't wait to wear it! But until June 12th, I'll be wearing this 'pretty' (that sometimes turns my finger a bit green):

Don't let the picture fool you, it's fake (like $12 fake) but it works to keep my finger from feeling naked and it will be nice to have on our honeymoon if we decide to go into Cancun to do any shopping or eating. I'm definitely looking forward to having my real ring back, though!

If you had your wedding bands custom made did they end up looking like what you'd imagined? If not, did it turn out better or worse than you expected?

PS - This weeked is a crazy one, last night I had my niece/goddaughter's kindergarten graduation

Here she is saying her name, her favorite Bible story (when Jesus was born), her favorite thing about kindergarten (reading books), and what she wants to do when she grows up ("buy things!" HA! My kind of girl!). She's getting so big!

and tomorrow and Sunday are my new niece and nephew's baptisms! 

On top of all that, David's bachelor party is this weekend. I'm hoping to get a lot done today before all of that starts so I have some projects to share with you next week, but we'll see if I get the posts written and scheduled! I can't believe how close we're getting - My best friend and MOH gets in town on Wednesday and will be here until the day after the wedding! I'm getting soo excited! Thanks for sticking with me through the lack of posting - You guys are the best! :)

These Are the Best Days of Your Life

This past weekend was fabulous! Thank you so much for all your sweet comments on my last post. Graduation was great, and seeing all of my family was so fun. I can't believe I'll be seeing all of them again in 3 and a half weeks!

My parents representing in their crimson and blue!

David and I with my beautiful grandma

In the campanile where David proposed and that I got to walk through for the first time later in the day

 With BM S! 

Rock Chalk!

Done!

My daddy - KU class of '88!

And my momma

My mom and all 5 of my siblings

It was a great day and it's been wonderful being HOME and no longer in a long distance relationship! I've still got more stuff to move when David and I are back up there this weekend for a wedding, but our house is finally starting to feel like our home!

I've been working on wedding stuff in all of my spare time, so I do have a few things to share with you! I'll try to get a couple more posts written this week. Thanks again for all of the support - I love my blog friends!

Did you have any major life events happen right around your wedding?

Graduation Day

Today...

..I officially become a college graduate! 

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...The University of Kansas becomes my alma mater.

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...I join my dad, uncles, aunt, sister, and cousin as a KU alum.

My dad on his graduation day

...I will walk through the campanile where I got engaged for the first time! (Legends surrounding the campanile say that if you walk through it before graduation day you won't graduate on time and if you kiss someone under it, he/she will be the one you marry!)

...and then I'll walk down the hill with all of my family (and soon-to-be family) and friends there to support me!

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It's a big day. And I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I completed my undergraduate degree in 3 years with a 3.8 GPA. I did something totally out of my comfort zone by coming up here without any of my friends or David and I succeeded. There were so many people (including a couple of our high school teachers) who said I'd never make it and would ask David when I was going to transfer back to Wichita State. And I'd just like to say, 'HA! I not only made it, but I did a DARN good job up here.'

KU has been really good for me. I learned a lot more independence and more about who I am as in individual by being up here. Being in a long distance relationship has helped David and I discover ourselves and has strengthened our committment the way nothing else could've. I've made lasting friendships and great memories. I worked my butt off and I feel like I accomplished something. I'll miss the gorgeous campus, the school pride up here, and my friends (particularly my roommate/BM S). I think my friend J said it perfectly:

"Thank you KU!! You have tested me, made me cry, taken away many hours of sleep, and even made me hate you at times. But, you have also given me some of my best friendships and most wonderful memories. Because of you I am a better person and I will always love you for that! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!"

Congratulations to everyone else graduating this weekend! We made it!

Everything's Changing

No, don't worry - Nothing about the wedding or the fact that David and I are getting married is changing. But it feels like just about everything else is. Let me explain...

I've never been a big fan of change. It just makes me nervous. The first day of high school, starting a new job, leaving for college without any of my friends, deciding what to do with my life - Terrifying. But the next six months or so will be some of most life changing times I'll ever experience.

First, I'll finish school and become a college graduate. No more nights spent studying until 3 am? Wonderful! Working full-time at my first 'big girl job' instead? Exciting/scary!

Then I'll move out of a cute little house that I've shared with three other girls for the last two years:

And shortly after move into a cute little house with David:

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We'll be back in the same city, living together for the first time, and we'll be homeowners!

We will no longer just be parts of our individual families:

We will have started our own little family:

And most exciting - We will finally be married!

Those are some pretty major changes. The thing is, I feel totally different about these changes. Is it intimidating and a little overwhelming sometimes? Of course! But I don't have the same scared/nervous/sick feeling that I'm used to. And the only explanation I have is that I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I know we'll offer each other support and encouragement that will get us through the stressful times and we'll be there celebrating together in the good times when we realize how incredibly blessed we are.

Are you experiencing other major life changes in addition to getting married?

PS - I reached 100 followers, so I'll have another giveaway starting on Monday! :) And if you haven't already, check out my current giveaway! Thanks to all of you for following, commenting, and offering advice and support - It's made blogging SUCH a rewarding experience!