5 things I'm learning in marriage...

Blessed beyond measure. These are the words that come to mind when I think of my husband and our relationship. Getting to wake up with my best friend, going through our days together, laughing, questioning, struggling and learning. 

I know so many people who have had rough first years of marriage and it makes me wonder why God has blessed us so. And just so you don't think we think life is perfect, there have been other very hard struggles and lessons, both personally and externally.

These are a few of the things I'm learning along the way.

1 // It's okay to be amateur.
Neither of us were ever married before. So that makes two of us on a new adventure. We both have a lot to learn, grow and be redeemed in. But the cool thing is that's okay. We are in this together. We don't have to be perfect (well, I'm learning that too...). We don't even have to know how to do it all right.


2 // Marriage is so much better than you think it will be.
"Be ready for the honeymoon to end" or "make sure you don't have expectations for they will for sure crash" and "it's going to be rough" were the many responses I received over and over when we announced our engagement. That stinks. Why do we have to make marriage sound so depressing? I wanted to ask, "why did you ever get married in the first place?" Sharing dreams, lessons, friendships, food, laughter, adventure and every day life is just good.

 

3  // Marriage is harder than you think it's going to be.
For me the rough thing hasn't been living so much with another person but rather having the reality of who I am be seen! There are times when you realize just how much you and your husband stink at life, love and grace.

4 // Cooking failures are not the greatest disaster.
I don't have many of these but when I do it is about the worse thing in the world! There are still tears when the occasional mistake happens (thankfully most things are edible :) ) but slowly I'm realizing that my husband's approach to seeing reason for  laughter in the disaster is good.

5 // Dating is even more fun when married.
Seriously. Mostly because there's no goodbye at the end. Though it does take more intentional time now in married life, but that's good. In the business of life it can be easy to forget to take the time to just listen and enjoy each other.


all photos credited to the fabulous Amelia Protiva! 

and this week I'm linking up with several great places:
Intentional Tuesdays, #TellHisStory,

our {new} life

Earlier this year, we saw God begin to open up tiny steps towards the big dream He has given us. It seemed like a million things needed to fall into place to even start on the first part but He has been faithful. It's exciting to see my husband light up as God has opened doors for his vision.

We dream of living in another country as disciples of Jesus. And that means actually working as an every day person. It has been a vision slowly coming together in the past few years as we desire to live in everyday life with people showing them the life of Jesus.

Part of starting towards that is schooling. My handsome man is pursuing a business degree (& some other exciting adventures) while I get to take a few classes here and there while trying to pursue some other interest.

Enter school life...a long road that feels a little overwhelming. Our first few years are going to be a small school in NW PA with continued college education after that. For now we are learning to explore, appreciate and learn in a rural area of Pennsylvania. We have hopes of where we want to keep going believing that God is leading our dreams.

Life in the eastern part of the US is sure a change for this Midwestern girl!

But it's good and full of adventures. 

coffee date {July}

if we were having coffee today...

...I would tell you that having a crazy schedule, limited internet access and lots of traveling make for very limited time to blog. Rather frustrating when I have lots of posts about lessons from this first year of marriage, some budget tips I've found and lots more, but they will be slow in coming till this fall. Right now it feels like I am never going to get caught up on the things I need (i.e. want) to do online.

...being offline has been good to make me think through a lot of my habits and also start pursuing some other things.

...that this month has been full of highlights - We went to KS and I got to see most of my family!!!!! Not all of my siblings live in my home state but I was sure glad to get to see the ones that do. Lots of coffee, talking, games and good times.

...with all this HOT weather we've been getting that I am ready for fall - please don't ever make me move further south

...getting ready for a major move is only slightly stressful

...that the next big change is only making me freak out and get excited all in one. Thrilled to see God starting to bring together the next steps in our dreams but it's also really scary.

...that I have been reading a lot this summer and am loving it. It feels good to start feeding the mind again with lots of words.

What would you have to share today? I'd love to hear! 

anniversary getaway: Branson

Living not far from Branson, MO, it was an easy choice for our first anniversary. Branson boasts a large amount of attractions - from Sight & Sound (a theatrical presentation of the Gospel), to singing groups, comedy shows and amusement parks. We had a great weekend - of course since we love being together that wasn't too hard. :)

I'd highly recommend the city for great fun and lots of adventures. Please excuse all the low quality ipod pictures but hopefully you can get a small glimpse into our delightful weekend. 

One way we made the weekend less inespensive was using AirBnB for lodging. This little place was perfect. Clean and close to where we wanted to be. 

Mini golf is a favorite activity of ours and we made good use of the courses there. (and yes, we won 3 free games. We rock! :) ) 

Sight & Sound - Jonah! Having heard great things about this place from my husband and others, I knew I was in for a treat. If you head to Branson be sure to take in a Sight & Sound show. The acting, music, coragraphy, LIVE animals all combine for a excellent experience. 

I love the mission of Sight & Sound to produce quality shows that share the Gospel of Jesus. 

The next evening we went to Shepherd of Hills. A historical story set in the Ozarks that comes to life before your eyes. I'm glad I read the book a few years back as it helped to keep up with the story a little better. This show has been going for 50+ years and should be on your list of must sees.

Adventure, celebration and daily routine all make life with this man a gift!