One year of Mawwiage

Has it really been a year? I feel like we got married a couple months ago and it is crazy to me how 12 months have passed us by. A year ago I was anticipating one of the biggest days of my life. It was a beautiful day.

I watched our wedding video this morning and still can feel those butterflies and the amazing blanket of love that everyone showed us that day. If you haven't seen it go here: Wedding Video

Now one year later we have grown together with more experiences and adventures as expected.  So here are some questions we have both answered for our one year anniversary!

From Amanda:

1. What has brought you closer together this year?
We obviously do not have any human children but our pups Hannah and Bleu serve as our "kids" right now.  Shortly after our honeymoon Bleu went completely blind. Bleu has brought us together this year for sure. We instantly had to make decisions and make things comfortable for Bleu in this new phase in his life.  It was heartbreaking for both of us to see Bleu go through this.  It was no way like having a child but we did have to make sacrifices and plan our days accordingly for Bleu.  Our daily conversations while at work was coordinating who was going to get home at what time so that Bleu could be let out, have you given Bleu his medicine, did he have any accidents? and so on. It was challenging but it really made us communicate and work as a team for our buddy Bleu.

2. What is your favorite memory of this first year together?

I really loved that we hosted so many holidays this past year in our home.  We had Thanksgiving, Easter and Father's Day celebrations all together with both of our families.  Before we got married our families did a lot of things separately. We would go to two events- one for my family and one for Holland's. This year we really showed the beautify in both of our families becoming one and celebrating together instead of separately.  Our home was filled with laughter, lots of wine and hugs with tons of chatter about what was going on in each of our lives. I LIVE for those moments and I would love to continue these types of traditions in the years to come.

3. Did you have a wedding/honeymoon disaster that you still laugh about?

I have two extremely memorable stories from our Honeymoon: Jelly fish and hiking the Pitons.  While in St.Lucia, we went snorkeling one day and were stung by MILLIONS(ok, maybe a thousand) tiny baby jellyfish.  I got out after a good long sting on my leg and Holland kept on snorkeling. Another day we hiked the highest point I have ever climbed.  Holland was trying to motivate me to wait to eat my kind bar until we got to the top. I was beyond hangry and getting to the top was my goal so I could have my snack.  When we got to the top Holland realized he only packed ONE bar. He was so nice and was going to give it all to me to eat but I shared. What's yours is mine right?  He will hear about this story for the rest of his life. He always has snacks on hand while vacationing now and he knows my feeding schedule.

4. What has surprised you the most about being married?
I remember the first argument/disagreement we had once we were married. I remember thinking. Okay, we gotta talk about this and squash it and feel better and move on.  I have always known that communication is a huge thing that needs to happen in order for marriages to be successful.  I was surprised about how easy this was to calmly tell Holland what was on my mind.  I also love telling Holland how grateful I am and Thank you for the small things he does for me. Thank you for cooking dinner-I had such a long day today at work or Thank you for feeding the dogs etc.  The feeling that we are a team really solidified us this year as a couple.

5. What have your learned from your spouse this year?
Holland's personality is more introverted than I am. I wear my heart on my sleeve and Holland knows that about me. I therefore rarely hide any emotions I am feeling. Holland has really taught me this year to focus on what we can do about situations rather than dwell in our frustrations. We may not get what we want out of something but we can take that and make it something for ourselves for the future. In the end the things that upset/bother us will not destroy us but rather challenge us to make something of it- do something about it- make it better the next time so we will be happier with the outcome.

6.  What is something you have done that has worked, and really made a difference in your marriage that you would give as advice to others on their wedding day?
This is going to sound so silly and I hope Holland doesn't get mad at me for sharing this :)  I read a post online about a year ago about how couples should embrace for a 20-40 second hug every single day as soon as the other one walks through the door. Holland thought it was crazy at first but then as the days went on sometimes I would be cooking dinner and he would come home and he would stand there with both arms out.  No matter how my day was- there is something about stopping everything, giving your partner love and just hugging it out. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we laugh and sometimes we don't say anything. Having that silly long hug at the end of a workday has done something for us.  So you should try it ;)  Another thing that has been extremely successful for us is switching to a reliable phone service so that we can receive texts and calls from one another. We also synced up our calendars so we know what is going on for both of us or if we have made plans that we both want to take part in.

From Holland: 

1. What has brought you closer together this year?
I think we have focused this year on communication and that has brought us closer together. Every day we try to set down and listen to how the others day went. Sometimes it is just one person complaining how their day went but it is important to know theses details of each others life.

2. What is your favorite memory of this first year together?
My favorite memory of the year has been the Thanksgiving meal that we hosted. Amanda and I love our families and we have always had to split them between houses. Lunch would be one place then we would have to rush over to the other ones family to hang out for dinner. But this year was different. We were able to host the meal at our new house. I made a table that could sit about 14 people and we set up our back porch and both sides of the family came together that day. It started a bonding experience between our families like nothing we have done in the past 13 years. And after about ten bottles of wine we even planned a spring break trip to Lake Tahoe which too was and very memorable trip.

3. Did you have a wedding/honeymoon disaster that you still laugh about?
There is one thing that Amanda still jokes about and I must admit it is still funny about our wedding day.  It was about twenty minutes before we were going to line up to walk down and I thought I should go over my vows one last time. So I grabbed my brother, Whitney, and pulled him into the one restroom that was upstairs to read thorough the vows and make sure it flowed smoothly. Well I guess the emotions got the best of me and I kept choking up and my hands could not stop shaking. About two times into reading the vows someone kept knocking on the door and saying "it's Starting" and Whit being a bit of a smart ass said it won't start without him and its going to be five more minutes.  I was able to read through one last time and then I was ready. And I have to say I did not choke up and was able to read my vows to Amanda without crying. So the real funny part is after the wedding Amanda said "Oh I heard you had to take a poop before you walked out and thats why we started ten minutes late." 

4. What has surprised you the most about being married?

About how much easier things are. Most people say the first years of marriage are the hardest but I find it's the opposite. Yes, it is still difficult at times and we argue but there is a bond between us now that overcomes those obstacles. I know I can rely on Amanda completely and without hesitations and she can do the same with me. There is something special about that and that is what I find it the most surprising thing about being married. 

5. What have your learned from your spouse this year?

Amanda and I try to make each others lives easier and less stressful so one thing I have learned is that it's the little things that matter. The small everyday things we can do for each other have a much longer lasting effect on our lives than any big grand gesture. 

6. What is something you have done that has worked, and really made a difference in your marriage that you would give as advice to others on their wedding day?

We were given a lot of advice on and before the big day and a lot of was true and has helped us become closer together.  But the one thing that I felt was very important was our Honeymoon. Now  days everyone is busy with work and the chaos of life and decide to wait to take a honeymoon later after a year or two.  But my advice to people planning a wedding is to spend the time and money and make it happen. Planning a wedding is stressful and there can be tension that builds up. The Honeymoon allowed Amanda and I to reset our lives together and start our marriage  with no worries. Even though it was just a week, the effects of that time alone together still has a lasting effect  a year later.

We are looking forward to what the next year will hold for us. Thank you to all of our families and friends for your unconditional love and support. #lovewins


"That's how you know you love someone. When you can't experience anything without wishing the other person were there to see it, too."