Showing posts with label Marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marriage. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Wordless Wednesday: 8 Year Date-aversary
After eight years, four moves, two dual job searches, two amazing kids, the ups, the downs, the stretching dollars, the hard decisions, the date nights, and the 1,000 piece puzzles...you still put up with my shenanigans. And it all started with a trip to Canada.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Seven Years
Yeah, we're those people. We still (semi) celebrate our dating anniversary, but with good reason! For one thing, its the longest that either of us have really done anything so its cool to keep count. Secondly, C totally anniversary bombed our wedding anniversary, so its nice to have another day just to ourselves.
Seven years ago, after several weekends ofawkward casual dating bar hopping with friends, I got a phone call from J asking what I was doing that weekend. I was a senior in college - of course I wasn't doing anything important. "Wanna come to Canada this weekend?" he asked. Sure - why not? We spent the weekend with another couple being all touristy and lovey around Niagra Falls and we've been together ever since; complete with the adorably awkward, "so....people have been asking....are we dating?" conversation.
Though I went to graduate school shortly after we started dating, our relationship made it through all of the driving, AIM conversations, and long weeks between visits. Eventually, we moved in together and the rest is history! It's been quite the ride - sometimes not as smooth as we'd hoped, but always fun.
Here's to many more years of random trips, jokes, laughs, and plenty of adorably awkward moments. Happy date-aversary, J.
Prepare to be photo bombed with some of my favorite pictures of J and me...
Seven years ago, after several weekends of
Though I went to graduate school shortly after we started dating, our relationship made it through all of the driving, AIM conversations, and long weeks between visits. Eventually, we moved in together and the rest is history! It's been quite the ride - sometimes not as smooth as we'd hoped, but always fun.
Here's to many more years of random trips, jokes, laughs, and plenty of adorably awkward moments. Happy date-aversary, J.
Prepare to be photo bombed with some of my favorite pictures of J and me...
Our first trip to Niagra Falls (3/2006)
Shortly before I left for graduate school (5/2006)
Cruise with Friends (12/2006)
Hiking at Yellow Creek Park (3/2008) and my sister's wedding (9/2008)
Pumpkin picking (10/2008)
Our wedding (10/2009) and honeymoon stop at Hilton Head Island (11/2009)
Honeymoon at Disney (11/2009)
Our first picture as a family (10/2010)
First family Christmas (12/2009) and second family Christmas (12/2010)
Kid free weekend away (3/2011)
Matt & Carissa's wedding (6/2012)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Relationship Reboot
Ahem, already married people out there - when was someone going to let us in on
this whole "marriage takes work, especially post-baby" information?
Lately, J and I have been trying to take more time out to remember, ya know, all that love stuff and as it turns out its a lot harder than you'd think. The days go by so quickly - we work, we come home, we clean up, make dinner, put C to bed, then crash on the couch for an hour or two before bed. Rinse and repeat.
Wooooo exciting, isn't it?
We were tired, we were cranky, and we weren't being super supportive/nice to each other at times. It was time for a change. Less time going through the motions and more time actually enjoying them - even if its just cooking dinner or cleaning up the house. We're young, we've got a wonderful little boy, and we've got each other. What is there to be blah about?
One of the "projects" we've been working on is going through this list of 50 Questions to Ask Your Spouse on a Date Night and its been a lot of fun! The questions range from simple (What is your favorite color?) to more involved (What things can I do to show my appreciation of you?) It has a religious focus and some questions definitely tickle my feminist funny bone (see questions 26, 27, & 41), but its overall a good list of conversation starters.
I feel like we've talked more lately than we have in a long time. We've also made more time for kind words and acts that we "didn't have time for" before. Its not about utility or what is logical - its about connecting and making a home in this other person.
It took quite a bit of pride swallowing to finally admit that we've been stubborn and sacrificing what should be the best parts of our relationship, but the results are too wonderful to care.
Tonight, for Valentine's Day, we enjoyed dinner....ALONE. Crazy, right? Don't get me wrong, I love my little C, but if you have a little one and haven't eaten a quiet dinner after your kid(s) have gone to bed, try it. Its like you're young and dating again. Our V-Day dinner consisted of a little surf and turf fondue.
So. much. good. cheese. And the company. He was cute too. ;-)
We've also planned a C-free weekend away in March that we are both very much looking forward to. It took a long time to get to this point, but IT IS OKAY to enjoy being husband and wife and not always Mom and Dad.
So for all of you unmarried people, here is the warning that we never got. The work isn't over when you bag a guy/gal and get hitched. Oh, the contrary - the work is just beginning. Marriage is a constant cycle of forgetting and rediscovering why you love someone more than life its self. The forgetting part will happen from time to time and there is no shame in that. The important part is that second half - going out of your way to remind that person why you are their one and only. No slacking allowed. Don't worry, its worth it.
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
Lately, J and I have been trying to take more time out to remember, ya know, all that love stuff and as it turns out its a lot harder than you'd think. The days go by so quickly - we work, we come home, we clean up, make dinner, put C to bed, then crash on the couch for an hour or two before bed. Rinse and repeat.
Wooooo exciting, isn't it?
We were tired, we were cranky, and we weren't being super supportive/nice to each other at times. It was time for a change. Less time going through the motions and more time actually enjoying them - even if its just cooking dinner or cleaning up the house. We're young, we've got a wonderful little boy, and we've got each other. What is there to be blah about?
One of the "projects" we've been working on is going through this list of 50 Questions to Ask Your Spouse on a Date Night and its been a lot of fun! The questions range from simple (What is your favorite color?) to more involved (What things can I do to show my appreciation of you?) It has a religious focus and some questions definitely tickle my feminist funny bone (see questions 26, 27, & 41), but its overall a good list of conversation starters.
I feel like we've talked more lately than we have in a long time. We've also made more time for kind words and acts that we "didn't have time for" before. Its not about utility or what is logical - its about connecting and making a home in this other person.
It took quite a bit of pride swallowing to finally admit that we've been stubborn and sacrificing what should be the best parts of our relationship, but the results are too wonderful to care.
Tonight, for Valentine's Day, we enjoyed dinner....ALONE. Crazy, right? Don't get me wrong, I love my little C, but if you have a little one and haven't eaten a quiet dinner after your kid(s) have gone to bed, try it. Its like you're young and dating again. Our V-Day dinner consisted of a little surf and turf fondue.
So. much. good. cheese. And the company. He was cute too. ;-)
We've also planned a C-free weekend away in March that we are both very much looking forward to. It took a long time to get to this point, but IT IS OKAY to enjoy being husband and wife and not always Mom and Dad.
So for all of you unmarried people, here is the warning that we never got. The work isn't over when you bag a guy/gal and get hitched. Oh, the contrary - the work is just beginning. Marriage is a constant cycle of forgetting and rediscovering why you love someone more than life its self. The forgetting part will happen from time to time and there is no shame in that. The important part is that second half - going out of your way to remind that person why you are their one and only. No slacking allowed. Don't worry, its worth it.
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)