Good morning, friends! I hope you all had a great weekend, spent with the people you love and doing the things you love.
Our weekend was pretty great! Ben and I celebrated our one-year anniversary and took a short weekend getaway to one of our favorite towns in New York. I know this is probably cliche, but I find it nearly impossible to believe that it’s been a whole year that we’ve been married. In so many ways, it feels like we were married yesterday…but in a whole other ways, it feels like we’ve been together forever. Cliche, yes…but true.
It has been the most incredible, fun, life-changing, and beautiful year of my life.
There is nothing I love more than being married to this man, and living life with him, and building dreams with him, and doing his laundry, and cooking his meals, and laughing at his funny jokes. Sometimes I sit and think about Ben and our marriage, and I get this overwhelmed feeling in my belly. Like, I hardly know how to take it all in. It feels too good to be true. Sorry for getting all mushy here, but I can’t help it: I just love that man so much.
So one year together, and so excited about the next fifty!
I know so many people look at newly married couples and hear of their exuberance at being married, and say something like this, “just enjoy it while it lasts.” Please don’t ever say that to me. Please don’t ever tell me that the love and joy and fun and commitment won’t last for us. If you feel that way, ok. If that’s been your experience, ok. But if you can do nothing else, inspire hope in young couples. Inspire them to fight for love and covenant marriage. I understand things will change in our marriage and relationship. I actually want them to…because they can change for good. We can grow together, not apart. It won’t just happen, I know this. Covenant marriage requires being intentional and fighting for connection and being honest and repentance and laying down our life. And it’s something we want to fight for…something we want to protect more than anything.
I had the wedding of my dreams one year ago, and I believe with all my newly-married heart, that the marriage of my dreams is a reality, and can be a reality.
Now some links:
– Encouragement for those who create.
Cheers to a gorgeous week, my friends!
What about you: what are your thoughts on having the marriage of your dreams?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
I whole heartily agree with you. I don't even want to hear it, if people only have negative things to say about marriage. Especially if you are a Christian. Our marriages should only get sweeter and sweeter as should our relationship with Jesus.
1 year was so much fun to celebrate. Looking forward to year 2. 🙂
I love your link-up posts. Its always fun to see what you are enjoying.
yesss to your thoughts about marriage. my marriage is above and beyond what I could have ever dreamed of. its not always roses and sunshine, but the hard times are what bring depth and growth to our marriage and makes it even better! blessings.
so beautifully put. Marriage is so wonderful,and it will change and it will get richer,and sweeter than you can ever imagine.You are a beautiful couple,I remember running into you and Ben getting ice cream in Canandaigua last summer when you really were just marrieds.We are married 34 years this year and we are still holding hands and praising God for this gift of marriage.Blessings to both of you ,Dawn
Sweeter and sweeter…exactly! I love how you put that. Marriage is meant to BE a reflection of our relationship with Christ…it's a pretty big mandate to represent that to the world, if you stop and think about it.
I agree: the hard times are what bring depth and growth to our marriage and makes it even better. There is something so “glue-ing” about working together on a misunderstanding or issue. It's not a bad thing to have things to work through…it's just a bad thing if you refuse to be honest and communicate and fight for connection.
Thanks, Dawn! I remember running into you guys as well last summer. Thirty-four years…that is amazing! We are always so inspired by couples who have years and years of being together and still like to hold hands, sit close, and have fun together. Blessings!
AMEN! I'm not married, but this is exactly how I feel and I totally agree- it really bothers me when people are negative about their marriage! I am a firm believer that marriage can be beautiful and wonderful forever, both because of what I see in the Word, and seeing a few (notice, I said a “few”) marriages that are even more wonderful as the years go by. I just want to watch those couples and learn from them, the ones that have been married 5, 10, or 50 years and still way deep in each others eyes and sit close in church just because they can and go on romantic dates and getaways and love Jesus so much together.
Blessings and thanks again for the lovely post!
Allison