Wow! It is crazy how quickly one year can fly by. It’s hard to imagine that one year ago today we were celebrating our wedding with all of our best friends and family in the charming town of Saratoga Springs, New York. A town that is near and dear to our hearts – it was such a thrill to share this with all of our loved ones. Looking back, I thought that weekend flew by (it did!), but really this year has flown by. Being a newlywed was a lot of fun. It was exciting, invigorating, challenging at times, but mostly it was the best. We had so many “firsts” together and we have so many more to come.
7.22.17
Now I’m not going to do a “things I’ve learned” from being married because, well…let’s be honest, we’ve only been married a year! We’re learning as we go and figuring out what works best for us. But I will give you a glimpse into our first year and two key takeaways I have. I hope to post an annual marriage recap (mostly for my own good – so I can look back over the years) so let this be the first of many, many more!
Change is Inevitable…
Within twelve months, we had a lot…and I mean a LOT of change. We planned a wedding.
One month later we went on our dream honeymoon, which took in insane amount of planning. We traveled to two continents and three countries…and had the absolute time of our lives doing it.
Two months later Terry left his job of 6 years and became the director of a startup. We completely underestimated the amount of work, time, effort and patience from both of us that this would require. When you hear that a startup is “working 24/7”, believe me when I say…that’s an understatement.
Two weeks later we moved. In winter. Without movers. In winter. (Boston winter, y’all).
Side note / PSA on moving: I believe that if you can survive moving together, you can survive most anything. It is the most trying, frustrating, stressful event. Don’t ever do what we did…hire movers!
In the following six months we traveled to 2 more countries, I started a new side job (SES Designs). We took countless weekend trips, visited various family & friends and began the conversation about what’s “next”.
…But Having Fun Should Be Too
As much stress as we could have had over the past year, we made it fun!
Thank goodness I married someone who makes me laugh. And vice versa. It helps with tension, intensity, anger, sadness and more. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing else that can ease the pain of attempting to move in pitch black when it’s snowing outside at 11pm at night…laughter truly is the best medicine.
Travel is our outlet. Whether it’s an African safari, sunbathing in Puerto Rico, white water rafting in Switzerland or wine tasting in Sonoma… travel is our thing. This is how we choose to spend our extra time and money. It has allowed us to open our eyes to new cultures, visit extraordinary places, go on once-in-a-lifetime adventures together. It bonds us in ways I can’t express and it keeps our relationship thriving, alive and fun!
Since not everything is fun and games (wah), I will say that if there is one things I’ve learned – from four years together and one year of marriage – it is that communication really is key. I’m proud too say that we have a pretty solid form of communication down. Every person is different. Every couple is different. I can see how a breakdown in communication can snowball into other issues. Through communication, we learn to compromise, be compassionate and be the best person we can – for ourselves, and for our partner.
Any marriage insights, tips, or words of wisdom you’ve learned?! Please share below!
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