Month-In Musings

It's official: our first month of marriage is in the books. Even if he claims "it's the same!" I totally think being married is way better than not. The month has flown, and we've laughed a lot and learned a lot as well!

What's Different
We see each other every day. For years, we've only seen each other on the weekends, and the occasional mid-week meet up for dinner {usually at Cheddar's...buff chick wrap, yum.}. We've also never been very good phone talkers, so actually catching up each evening is refreshing. Some days, we even have lunch together at home, which is lovely. Some of this will change as Christopher starts his real job in a few weeks and is commuting more, but it's been a great way to start off the married life.

There is honestly a lot more cleaning than I expected. Another person means more dirty clothes and dishes, and as "the clean one," it can sometimes feel overwhelming. But we've done pretty good about working together to get organized and stay on top of the house chores.

What's the same
We still cook together. This is something I have always loved: that Christopher is an excellent cook, and that it is something we both enjoy doing together. We also still grocery shop together; these are two things I hate doing by myself, so it's wonderful to have the regular company.

Our habits. Of course those don't change overnight, and I didn't expect them to! But it is funny to see them a little more up-close and personal than before.

What I did expect
A fight. Maybe that's really negative of me, but I just assumed that moving in together and figuring out life together would instigate some kind of fuss. Of course there has been a few times where we've gotten annoyed at each other, but I've seen both of us take a step back, breathe, and reevaluate how to handle the situation. It's refreshing to see how far our communication and problem solving skills as a couple has come.

What I did not expect
Having to figure out how to incorporate my phone time with friends/family. I hate coming into the house on the phone when he's already there waiting on me. It just feels rude in a way. And my commute is literally three minutes long, so there isn't much phone time in the car. Before getting married, I would spend hours a day talking to friends and family at night when I got home. I'm definitely working on learning how to balance all that.

The Bachelorette. Well, not really The Bachelorette per say. But I guess how easy it has been to spend time together every day. Again, going from doing 100% my own thing everyday to incorporating another person, 100% into my daily life...I just wasn't sure how it was all going to work out!

The first week back from the honeymoon, there was one evening where I said, "Is this what we're supposed to be doing?" as we're sitting on the couch looking at our phones. And there are nights where Christopher {my little social butterfly} says, "So what do you want to do?" and I'm thinking, "Go to bed at 8 p.m., what do you want to do?!" But we've really gotten into a great rhythm, and have enjoyed just watching TV together {like The Bachelorette...I've finally convinced him to watch it with me! And Fresh Off The Boat...go. Watch it NOW. Hilarious, and I am the mom.} and weekly dinners with friends, and working on projects around the house together.

I know we have a long way to go, and a lot to learn. I know there will be hard days and trials, and days that are just days. But I love that we both are on the same page, working towards the same goals, putting 100% into our relationship each day. We are incredibly blessed, and love being married. It truly has been great for us individually and as a couple, and I am thankful for this relationship everyday!