Yeah that definitely just happened.
But life goes on, and now here is a sappy blog post about our first year of marriage and how we celebrated our first anniversary.
We went from this:
To this:
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| photo credit: Snap By Ang |
Trips and Travel
- The hubs and I celebrated our honeymoon by spending a day exploring Savannah, GA before jumping on a boat for a week that cruised around the Bahamas. It was relaxing. We were not allowed to use technology or social media while we were away. We both got sun burns in the middle of February. I recommend a trip like this at least once a year. Even if its just a day or two, getting off the grid and connecting with your spouse is much needed.
- For my birthday we bought season football tickets to watch the NC State Wolfpack that upcoming fall. What a blast we had traveling to Raleigh, eating Bojangles, and cheering on our Alma mater.
- Our first married summer together we attended family beach week at North Topsail Island. It has become a tradition for my family and what a relaxing week it was. There is nothing like the feeling of sand between your toes.
- In July, Chase and I took a road trip to KY for a friend's wedding. We left a day early and were able to spend a day sight seeing. We ended up visiting the famous walking bridge, the Louisville Slugger Museum, Churchill Downs, and eat so much good food.
- To round out the year we took another road trip to Washington DC, more about that below.
Life Events
- Both Chase and I have always wanted a dog. We agreed to wait one month into our marriage before we began to look for a canine companion. Exactly one month into our marriage we adopted our sweet fur baby Luna Bug. It was the best decision we ever made. She brings so much joy to both of our lives.
- I graduated from grad school in December, and was hooded soon thereafter. It was a tough road to walk while being married, but it drew us closer together and we would not have had it any other way.
- We bought a house! The house hunting process was not like we thought it was going to be, and everything moved really quickly. In the end we walked away with keys to our first home together.
Best Advice Given
- At our wedding we had a station where guests would give us wedding advice and well wishes. They were tucked away into a small box, and every now and again Chase and I will pull them out and read through them.
- We have been told over and over again to always say I love you to one another before bed. That is a great piece of advice.
- We have been told a few times to enjoy our time with one another and date often. We are young and have our lives ahead of us. Don't rush anything, just enjoy each day and soak in every minute.
- We have also been told to choose joy. I like this one. Its a hard one some days, but its a good one.
How We Celebrated
To celebrate our first year of marriage, we took en extended weekend trip to Washington DC. We had both been to DC, but it had been a while and we wanted to experience the city together. So we found a hotel right across the walking bridge from Georgetown and a block from the metro station. Each day we would hop the metro into the city, find a cute bakery to have breakfast in, explore the city until our feet felt like they were going to fall off, and then venture back into Georgetown or VA for dinner. While we were there we were able to meet up with some friends on a couple of different occasions, and even were able to have a special private tour of the Pentagon.
On our actual wedding anniversary we visited all of the monuments, were given our one year wedding anniversary pictures, saw the Pentagon, ordered Chinese food takeout, jumped into our pajamas, and watched the Super Bowl. Our anniversary was the last day of our trip so we were wiped out. After downing our takeout we crashed before the end of the game. We forgot to watch our wedding video, and even forgot to exchange cards that we both had tucked away into our suitcases. The next morning we exchanged cards and headed back home.
It was so much fun to remember our wedding day and step away from reality for a few days to reconnect and have some fun. Year one flew by oh so fast. And year two is currently passing by at warp speed. Time please slow down!
Goals For Year Two
- Travel! With impending full time work for myself, travel may be becoming more limited. So we wanted to see as much as we can. Go to the beach a couple of different times. Go hiking as many weekends as we can. Maybe go on another cruise. Have a long weekend in Raleigh and watch NC State play ball. Anything where we can get away and have fun!
- Adopt another Dog? We believe that it may be time for Luna to have a four legged sibling. We are trying to figure out what that would look like for our family, but we definitely want it to happen.
- Find a home church. Now that we are settled and in place, it is time to join a church and really begin investing in a church family (and have them invest in us). Church is important to us, and it is a goal for us.
- Start family traditions. We were not very good at that in year one. We want to have things that are just ours. For example, we love having Chinese food takeout dates one Friday a month and then rent a movie afterward. That's a start for us, but now we need more!
So do you have any advice for us going into year two? What kind of family traditions are your favorite? Any travel recommendations? Please share with us!!!
S&C
