One Year

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Thank you Meg for our beautiful anniversary photos!! We love them!!

Today marks one year of marriage for Dan and I. I truly cannot believe it. It feels like our wedding was yesterday and like we’ve been married forever all at the same time. When we got married I imagined at one year we would feel like we were still getting used to things, and instead it feels like I can’t even remember what life was like before. This has truly been the happiest year of my life, the Lord has been especially sweet to us in this season.

Dan is my best friend, and I learn more about him, myself, and the Lord through our relationship every day. We are really similar people but the biggest thing we’ve learned this year is how much our few differences are there to strengthen each other. We love talking about what motivates us, what our natural thoughts or reactions to situations are, and what our individual strengths are. Those are the things that are usually opposite, so put us together and I’d say we make a pretty good team.

I’m not sure that I’ll ever talk much about marriage on the blog, but I do want to share one thing to all of my dating, engaged, or very newli-wed friends. Throughout our engagement we often were told how hard marriage is. Everyone says the first year of marriage is the hardest. This wasn’t just towards us, I see it every day at work as a wedding photographer, jokes about “ball and chain” and “signing your life away” are everywhere and fill almost every room I’m in. I’ve also compared notes with several friends who said they felt the same – like everyone was speaking a curse over their first year.

Theses comments are all well intended. I’m not naive to the fact that marriage is hard, and I’m sure there will be hard times ahead, and everyones marriage story is different. But maybe an engaged couple isn’t who should be on the receiving end of valid laments.

Ya know what I wish people had said? “The first year of marriage is so fun!” “The first year of marriage is so joyful”. “You will love it.” “Savor every bit of it”. “Be so excited for your first year of marriage!”

Our first year of marriage has been full of more joy than I can even express. I had no idea how fun it would be. Dan and I look at each other all the time and say “being married is the best!!” Living together, coming home to each other and getting to know each other better every day is such a joy and such a blessing. I had no idea what we had to look forward to.

So engaged friends, get excited. The first year of marriage is the best. The first year of marriage is so fun. Savor every bit of it. Also take lots of pictures and journal as much as you can because time flies and it is so fun to look back on!