Mawwiage

Today, Hubs and I have been Mr & Mrs for nine whole months.

So here are nine things I've learned about marriage since that day.

1 - You've gotta be honest.  From "No, I really need a back rub today" to "I love you, but the gun rack made of deer feet is not going to be proudly displayed in a main living space.  Ever."  Implying, suggesting and hinting all have limited results, but a flat-out honest response will (almost) always enable better communication.

2 - Sense of humor required.   Mainly because of all the honesty.  And the fact that you just need to have fun in life, so who better to laugh with than your best friend?

3 - Say thank you.  This one I learned from Hubs.  I love it when he thanks me for doing the mundane tasks that make up my normal day, like doing the dishes or buying him good meat at the grocery store.  It's such a nice feeling when the little things are appreciated!

4 - Enjoy different ice cream.  You think I'm kidding, but one day I bought my favorite ice cream (vanilla bean....oh so yummy) and when it got used up in 3 days in his "smoothies" (let's be honest, they were milkshakes) I was pissed!  But, I've discovered that he thinks that butter pecan is the grossest ice cream ever made, which suits me just fine, because now I don't have to share!

5 - Hold hands.  I love it, I love it, I love it!  It's a simple reminder that we're in this together without crossing the 'gross PDA' lines.

6 - Pray.  Nothing makes me feel as loved as when I ask him to pray for something and he tells me that he has been doing just that.  Praying together is a simple way that we remind each other that God comes first.  Plus, this whole being married thing is hard some days, and in those moments, it's also good to be reminded of God's unconditional love, relentless grace and ultimate rule over all things.

7 - Make time for each others' families.  I love that my family loves my husband.  I love that I feel at home with his family.  As much as they can drive me crazy (and I them), it's important to me that he is a part of all that craziness with me.

8 - Have adventures together.  Whether it's joining a small group or going on a kayaking day-trip or traveling halfway across the world together, time spent doing something fun and new is a great bonding experience.

9 - Always say I love you.  And it doesn't have to be in words.  I get told 'I love you' when he makes me breakfast on Saturday mornings and he hears the same when I clean the house.  But words are nice, too.  Hint hint.

I also have accumulated a WAY more extensive list of things not to do over the last nine months.  That list includes things like crying and yelling at your husband when he won't help you find the CD that has all your wedding pictures on it so you can blog about the joys of mawwiage at 11pm.  :)  No worries - it was found, I backed it up twice and I apologized for acting like a she-bear just out of hibernation.