celebrating 365 days of marriage

a few weeks ago {that's how far behind on posting i am} M & i celebrated our first year of marriage! we joke that we managed to make it this far. but i like to think that making it a year is something to be proud of. because i am proud of us. proud of how well we try to work together {notice the word try}. this year was fun yet also a challenge. we found out marriage isn't playing house but a lifestyle that takes patience & compromise. something that i still need to work on. i'm so blessed to be married to a man that respects me & understands me better than i do. 

so for our first anniversary we celebrated by visiting the town of st. augustine. we were only a short fifteen minute ride from the town & planned to take full advantage of that fact. it's filled with history around every corner & not to mention all the precious shops. being on an island we experienced a few popup showers here & there but nothing could ruin our day. we found an adorable cafe that had bubble tea. boy! was the tapioca soft! we walked along the water hand-in-hand & reminisced about our wedding day. we found the only mexican restaurant on the island which was nicely located by the water to enjoy dinner at. if chips & salsa was the last thing i'd ever eat i'd be okay with that. & no brotherton vacation is complete without overdoing it on the sweets. so when we stumbled upon a fudge shop we naturally bought five squares to share. that same evening after the sun set, we played on the beach with sparklers. 

hidden cafe that had heavenly bubble tea ^^^

our fudge that disappeared quickly ;) ^^^

 sparklers!!!

can't wait to celebrate many more years.
xoxo
-L

wedding part one

  

 

   

    

july 15th marks our first anniversary. yep we're still really new to marriage. many have begged asked for a wedding post but somewhere in the past i told myself i wasn't doing one until our first anniversary. impressed that i managed to keep that little promise i made with myself? me too! i'm biased when i say our wedding was perfect. i can't remember a single thing going wrong that whole day. actually, the entire planning process was a breeze. maybe it had something to do with my laid-back personality & lack of bridezilla in me t/hat contributed to such a blessed day. or maybe it was because i had pinterest to guide me the whole way. the weather the week before breached 100 degrees --yuck. we worried that's how the wedding day would end up -- miserable. but fortunately it cooled off nicely & even the rain held up. we got married at four oaks manor, a charming home just a few minutes from where we each grew up. i honestly drove by the place a hundred times & never once noticed it until we were looking for venues. all it took was one look at it & we immediately fell in love with its natural state & intimacy. we knew it was the place for us. 

wedding planning is a funny thing. you plan for what will probably be the biggest party of your life for it to all end in a few hours. in my next life i'm having a wedding that last days. who wants to come?

return tomorrow for another wedding post!

xoxo

-L

marriage update

in less than a month M & i will have been married for one year. that's wild to think about. i can still vividly remember the weeks leading up to our wedding day. remember all the planning & that morning perfectly. so, it's hard to think that almost a year has pasted since then. but in that short year, i've learned a lot about marriage.

... learn to pick your battles. we don't fight. ask anyone who knows us & they'd say the same thing. but, like any couple, we have disagreements. we both don't like confrontation & try to avoid it as much as possible. but if we find ourselves arguing/bickering, we ask if it's worth it. life's to precious to be wasted on the small stuff. which leads me to my next point.
... learn to laugh together. we've almost perfected this. not sure if that's something that should be pointed out or not. we try to laugh at our mistakes. laugh at our stupidity. most importantly, laugh with each other. we make it our goal to laugh & smile together more than anything else we do.
... but sometimes it's best to be quiet. being with someone 24/7 requires some separation. we don't get mad when we need alone time. this is crucial for us in order to have a happy marriage. occasionally M will meditate or go for a run, & i know this means he needs time to himself. NO WIFE ALLOWED time. & i'm okay with that. i respect his space just like i'd except him to respect mine. but i wouldn't have known this without the next point.
... you need to communicate. our favorite time to talk to each other is in bed. we call it Pillow Talk. it's when we talk about anything. we often reminisce. wonder what our kids will be like. where we'll be in five years. what kodi & maggie would look like if they were human. have tickle fights that turn into wrestling matches. laugh till we cry moments. communication is key & probably the most important thing we've learned this year. it's what keeps us on the same page. update us on each others feelings & thoughts. it simply keeps us connected.

marriage is still a bit foreign to us, but i'm confident we're going to enjoy every bit of it.
xoxo
-L

that time we played in the rain

so yesterday it rained all day. there wasn't a moment of sunshine & prettiness -- just wet & gloomy.

just before the sun disappeared we had this conversation:

M: "watcha wanna do?"

L: "i don't know.... wanna play in the rain?!"

M: ".....sure!"

& we did!

not photographed is the fight. i pulled M down the hill, where he slipped & bumped his bum. that initiated the chase & him throwing me over his shoulder. he placed me on the ground & rolled me in the mud. in return, i grabbed handfuls of the think georgia red clay & threw them at him. this probably lasted ten minutes before we realized our toes were numb & it was much colder than we imagined. 

so inside we went to get cleaned up.

have you ever played in the rain?

xoxo

-L

newlyweds: the good & the bad

being a newlywed isn't always ice cream & sprinkles. you have your good days & your bad days. if you're anything like me & M, you have weeks/months of bliss, then from nowhere there's a few days of tension. could be caused by that time of the month. or sometimes we're just too tired. often it comes from petty bickering that leaves you feeling stupid & wish you could take back whatever you said.

but enough of my rant. i wanted to compile a list of the good & bad of being a newlywed.
everything is from our personal experiences only. these aren't meant to offend anyone.

THE BAD:

1) you can't go to target & stock up on seasonal clothes, shoes &/or large amounts of everything else. as a newly married couple, we have to find out what works best for use, budget wise that is. before we got married, i'd allot a certain amount of money each month to spend on myself. it usually consisted of a fairly large amount. i love splurging on myself. what can i say? but now we share a bank account. which means i have to consider him, just like he also considers me.
2) constantly trying to please a toddler. M is the pickiest eater. he's very similar to a toddler, expect he doesn't like mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes or pastas. he lives off a diet of meat, bread & butter. so imagine my challenge when i'm preparing meals. it's taken me nearly nine months, but i think i almost have it down to a science. when we grocery shop, it's mostly all about him because i'll eat anything. he's getting better about trying new things. he now likes rice dishes & even salads! he's pickiness really challenges me to think outside the box. unfortunately if i don't have meals planned, we usually end up eating pizza or tacos :/
3) learning to say "no" sucks. there are times when M doesn't want to take pictures or help me cook dinner. & there are plenty of times when i don't want to watch "justified" or go for a boat ride. when we were newly-newly married, saying "yes" was easy. pleasing each other was second nature. but the truth is, things wear off & we don't always want to say "yes". it was hard to say "no" at first. it didn't feel natural & the look of defeat on our faces sucked. but we've learned that their are things we each don't always enjoy doing & we respect that. yet, we don't always say "no" because we want each other to know that we still want to make one another happy.
4) sharing a bed isn't easy. this may seem trivial but yes, sharing a bed with someone has been an obstacle for me. throughout the proposal naturally i fantasized about sleeping in the same bed with M. the act was foreign to the both of us & honestly it made me blush. but when the time came to share a bed together, i realized i hated it. he loves to snuggle & i discovered how uncomfortable it was to be touched while trying to go to sleep. some nights aren't so bad & we can touch feet or hold hands but that's as far as it goes. i'm a no snuggle girl :( i know, it's sad because he's a great snuggler.

THE GOOD:

1) we are constantly learning together. true! it's fun to try new things with each other. like grocery shopping. haha, it's actually become a favorite routine of ours. we usually go after church, when we are the hungriest {don't they say that's the worst time to go grocery shopping?}. we've also learned a lot about each other. like how he likes to shower multiple times a day & how he loves tv time. i go multiple days without showering & grew up without much tv watching. i've learned that i actually enjoy watching tv & have favorite shows now. M's learned that there's a thing called a water bill & is working on taken fewer hot showers. learning is fun & i hope there's always something for me to learn from or learn about him :)

2) you will always have your biggest cheerleader by your side. it never ceases to amaze me how much M supports me in anything i do. often i ponder about what i want to do with my life & he always tells me to do whatever i want -- whatever makes me the happiest. sometimes i just want to be his wife, like i want that to be my only job. because he deserves it. he works so hard for us & our future that i just want to be a housewife for him. too bad i'm the least domestic female on the planet. so i'll continue working & return to school this fall. but it goes both ways, i support him & cheer him on during all the trials of life.
3) people still gush over our wedding pictures. when we tell people that we got married last summer, they immediately congratulate us. the details of the day are talked about & then they ask about the honeymoon. does anyone know when we aren't considered newlyweds anymore? i've read stories of those who have been married over a year & people are still calling them newlyweds. i'm not mad about it. i love sharing our wedding. which reminds, i haven't shared that day with y'all yet.
4) sharing a bed ;) yes, this was in the bad list, but it also deserves a spot on the good list. being intimate is a huge perk of marriage. 

probably my longest post to date. being a newlywed is exciting & i love the feeling of the unknown when it's related to this topic. because we don't know what the future will hold. but i do know that M & i will be figuring it out together -- still experiencing the bad but also the good.

xoxo
-L

friday's letters {15}

dear sunshine you make everything so much better.
dear phone call from doctor next time you call i'm letting you go to voicemail. it's never a good thing when they personally call you. so yeah, next time i'm not answering.
dear married life you haven't always been what i envisioned. sometimes things can get boring {for a lack of a better word}. sometimes you throw a curve ball & M & i need each other to REALLY lean on. sometimes things are so great we never want to come down from cloud nine. i say this a lot, but i know i wouldn't be able to handle it all without M. he's the foundation to it all. with him, i know it's all going to be okay.
dear weekend you're my first weekend off since i got my new job. my boss even asked me if i wanted if off so i could spend time with M. i really appreciated that. so i think we are going to the cinema tomorrow night. maybe dinner too?
dear house hunting we've put you on hold for the moment. there's other things in the works that i'm more excited for!

according to my nearest & dearest friend, weather.com, things are going to be lovely here in georgia. hope it's the same for all of you.

happy friday friends!!!

one year ago i said "no"?

it's a weird feeling thinking about how much my life -- our life -- has changed since last year. before last year i was confident i would be an independent working woman, living on my own with maggie, paying my own bills before i ever thought about marriage. you know, "living the life". but one year ago today, on a routine hike at our hiking grounds, M kept asking to take pictures {way out of character}. we were three miles in when the tripod was set up for the last time...

as i'm posing for the picture, i feel for M & realize he's not in reach. i turn to him & see he's on one knee. i was in SHOCK! that's an understatement. this was so unexpected. we had NEVER talked about getting married. i mean, we knew we wanted to marry each other, but just never once talked about it. so my initial response was "no". no as in, "no. this can't be happening. is this real?" that kind of no. i didn't notice i was saying "no" until M got this horrified sickening look & started to pull away. that's when i caught myself & said, "yes". poor guy was about to faint.

i wish self-timer allowed for more than ten pictures because it would have caught me joining him on the ground, in tears, kissing & hugging, smiling & more tears. the moment was so raw & private, sometimes i wish it was caught on video just so i can see it all over again. 

after that day, the idea of being an independent working woman, living on my own was something i no longer wanted. i wanted to experience everything new, tough, exciting, & stressful with M. because i knew my life would immediately be better with him. & thus we got married six months later surrounded by our family & friends. 

this was actually the last time the tripod was set up. i look like a hot mess, but notice the ring? woohoo!

happy one year engagement anniversary babe {wow, that's a mouth full}.

it's been a joy being yours. 

i love you, oh so much. 

180 days. 4,320 hours. & a zillion kisses later.

yesterday marked 6 months of married life. i prepared M his favorite meal over a candle lit dinner. we sipped cranberry apple juice. reminisced over our wedding & stress free honeymoon. & before the night ended we snuggled up on the couch & watched my husband-in-another-life -- mark wahlburg {swoon} -- in contraband.

it was weird. some people congratulated us reaching this small milestone. but then there were some who, jokingly yet nonetheless, made comments like "haven't gotten a divorce yet?" & "haven't gotten sick of one another yet?"

maybe it's just me, but i wish people didn't ask those questions. those questions aren't for a married couple. people who committed to love each other unconditionally. who vowed to tough it out when it's hard. sure, i know there are those times that just suck. but in my opinion they are moments that are between you & your partner. & to be really honest, i don't like the comment "you two haven't gotten sick of each other yet?" it irritates the snot out of me. if anything, i wish M & i had more time to be together. fyi, this is not me saying i don't want advice. we need it & i will always want it.

BECAUSE

we've only been married for a weak 6 months. what do we know? & that's a comment i can totally agree with because we are still learning. i would not have married M if i didn't think we would make it through this tough life together FOREVER. so to anyone asking "you haven't gotten a divorce yet?" i will respond with a confident NO. & "haven't gotten sick of each other yet?" i will say NEVER {i'm being really optimistic}.

this marriage gig can be stressful but with one another it can be more rewarding than anything else this world has to offer. i'm totally up for the challenge.

thanks to those who managed to get this far. i rambled a lot.

xoxo

for M

picture was taken with our DianaF+ last Christmas

weekends are a big thing over here at the brotherton hub. friday is our favorite day because it marks the start of our adventure filled, pancake mornings, bonfire evenings, & the occasional spooning on the couch (M's personal fav). but for whatever reason, this weekend started rough. i was grumpy, M was sick, & kodi ate both burt's bee chap sticks of mine. she's dead. but not really. even after church on sunday, i was still ill about who-knows-what.

while i was vacuuming like a mad woman (literally), M was preparing lunch for us. once i was finished sucking all the joy out of our carpet, i sat down at the table to a husbandly like lunch - chips, tortillas, and cheese dip. bless his heart. but honestly, it was just what i needed. good'ol constipation & high blood pressure never made me feel so happy. M even turned on my favorite pandora station while we ate. then in the middle of lunch he got up from his chair & hugged me. he didn't explain & i didn't need an explanation. he told me he loved me & sat back down.

even after taking my frustration out on him, he still showed me kindness & love. i don't deserve this man. thanks sweetheart for the small reminders of how much you really love me. i never want to take you for granted. i love you.