Happy 1 Year Anniversary!!

Name a Brad Paisley song and I can almost always relate it to my relationship with my husband.

We danced to this song for the first time as a married couple and now, every time I hear it, I am taken back to that moment in time, wrapped in my new husband’s arms staring into each other’s eyes, so in love and so naïve...but not in a bad way :)

August 18, 2013 marked our 1 YEAR Anniversary!

WOW!

It’s not that I didn’t think we would make it to the 1 year mark. No, we WILL make it last a lifetime.

I’m just in awe that we have been MARRIED for 1 full year and how much has changed in the past year. How fully this song truly describes our relationship but not in the ways that I ever thought…its so much better.

In the past year we:

Got married.

Moved in together.

Got pregnant.

Fought.

Cried.

Laughed.

Really became best friends.

Had a baby.

Bonded as a family of 3.

Disagreed.

Challenged each other.

Laughed some more.

Slept A LOT.

Watched too much TV.

Gained weight…hey, we were pregnant after all :)

Prayed together.

Served together.

Dated each other. 

Enjoyed each other’s company.

Pushed each other out of bed…a queen just isn’t big enough I guess!

Experienced the “in sickness” part of our vows…from pregnancy nausea to cranky with colds.

Went back to Rockefeller Center where we got engaged.

We did life together and couldn’t have asked for a better year. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to be by my side through it all. Through the fun and the tears, Jim is the best supporter, friend, and husband and now I’m so lucky to call him the daddy to our baby boy.

Through all this past year has brought (and it has been a great year full of many wonderful memories), my view of “love” has changed. I can very distinctly remember giving advice to friends telling them “love is not just a feeling, it’s a choice.” I don’t think I fully understood what I was telling them until having lived this past year.

Through our story it is so obvious to me that God meant us for each other and his hand was ever present in bringing us together. Even though this was always so clear to me, with my raging hormones from pregnancy, those strong feelings of love weren’t always 100% present like I assumed they always would be.

“I thought I loved you then”… To me when we picked this song for our first dance, I thought it meant that my romantic feelings for my husband would just automatically grow stronger and stronger every day just by being so close together. HA HA!

I seriously laughed out loud as I read what I just wrote.

Love. Is. A. Choice.

We can even choose to feel those romantic feelings. I remember talking with a close friend who is wise beyond her years. I told her that I didn't always get “butterflies” anymore and that little things like holding hands just wasn’t as exciting... I just expected it! I loved my husband and wanted to be with him, but it was different. I loved him in a REAL way, not just a romantic way any more.

Even more, I realized that its okay that the romantic way doesn’t just happen any more. This same friend advised me that 'romantic' is how you define it. You can choose to feel romantic towards your husband when he holds your hand or gives you that little kiss as he walks by. He doesn’t have to do those things and is choosing to do them as well...and so should I!

When we were dating and even engaged, we were so wrapped up in the newness of our relationship, the way we felt with one another. A year into marriage, that newness has faded somewhat and that excitement doesn’t just happen. It has to be nurtured and kindled daily. That, and we also jumped out of the "honeymoon phase" and right into real life with a baby! And we are so glad we did! 

GREAT MARRIAGES DON’T JUST HAPPEN.

I have learned a lot in the past year:

How to get out millions of different stains from my husbands clothes...from left on stickers to mustard!

White carpets + Baby + Dog + Husband who drinks red wine + me who likes to keep my shoes on = Not the best combination

I’m not always right. Shocker, I know!! 

Just because it's not my way, doesn't mean it's the wrong way. 

Don’t bottle up your feelings. Communication is key.

Compromise.

Enjoy each other.

Fight….but don’t yell or be silent...Have "discussions" as my hubby calls them :)

Pray. Pray often.

Choose love. Choose romance. Prioritize your relationship….even if it means getting a babysitter!

“And I thought I loved you then”…but now its more than just romance…It’s romance coupled with that covenantal love that is so much deeper. It’s an “I need you and I choose to love you and can't imagine my life without you by my side” love. A love that is a choice is just so much deeper and real, one that is not fading. “And I thought I loved you then.”

Can’t wait to see how much deeper this love will grow through all that is to come in the next year!

So...with all that we got to experience in our first year, we definitely needed to celebrate! And celebrate we did! My hubby surprised me Saturday night (the day before our anniversary) and took us to dinner at Red Lobster as a family (Thanks Grandma Strickland!). Red Lobster seems to be our favorite restaurant and where a lot of big things happen for us...celebrating our 1 month marriage anniversary, deciding to take a pregnancy test, celebrating our 1 year marriage anniversary, New Year's, my birthday, the list goes on and on!

But before we went to dinner, my sweet, romantic hubby took us on a "tour" of important places in our relationship:

Grand Hall Studio where we had our wedding reception

Hosanna Church where we were married

My Apartment...and he had me get out of the car and walk down from the apartment doors and get in the car like I would when he would always pick me up for dates :) I was bawling at this point!

The park we would go walking at.

On Sunday we went to church as a family and then had some friends babysit while went to dinner at a rooftop restaurant in Uptown...the same restaurant we celebrated our 1 month anniversary at when we were dating :)


Family picture at church outside of the room we were married in...exactly 1 year ago

Enjoying this yummy sangria without having to worry about when I needed to feed Christian next

My yummy meal! The sun was blinding me so I kinda didn't get the best pic...

Hubby's yummy meatball sandwich

Then we were planning to go kayaking on Lake Calhoun, but due to wind they weren't allowing water rentals...bummer. So we chilled on the beach and walked around a bit and then hit up some mini golfing! Apparently that is becoming our thing! haha We didn't keep score this time, but we had lots of fun!

My hubby thinks he is a golf model :) 

Striking a pose...

And another...

And another... :) looking hot ;) 

Looks like he hit a hole in one...but he didn't....I DID though on hole 7 :) That's right. We didn't keep score because hubby was afraid of losing this time I think... 

Blue ball to match my pretty blue nails! 

Then we headed to pick up our sweet little boy who made us the cutest card ever!!




Christian talking to Nora while she showed him how to play with toys :) 

He was pretty tuckered out from playing with his friend Nora all afternoon, but was able to stay awake long enough to sit with us while we ate our wedding cake! Which to my surprise was still quite delicious! Sooo not good for my weight loss....oops.



Then we reminisced and looked through photo books and photos and all of our wedding and honeymoon stuff.

It was a very special day for us...then Monday came. The day that one year ago we were leaving on our honeymoon to the bahamas...bummer...

Maybe a 5 year anniversary and we can return!? :)

Can't wait to do another year with this amazing man! LOVE HIM! So blessed!