Steve and I have officially been married for one year.
People ask if it feels like it’s been a year. In some ways, the months really have flown by. But when I think about it, our wedding day feels so long ago. I guess that mean that it evens out to a year, right?
I have a tendency to think about our wedding day quite a bit. It was the most beautiful, amazing day. I had heard other brides say their wedding day had been a blur, and so I wanted to make sure I enjoyed and soaked in every second. In the days and weeks that followed, I’d sit there and literally recap the whole day in my head like you’d replay a dream after waking up. I wanted to remember every minuscule detail, every thought, every feeling, every interaction, every face.
July 20, 2012, certainly was an incredible day. But I think I’m learning that it’s not just about that one day. When we celebrated our anniversary yesterday, we weren’t just celebrating July 20, 2012. We were celebrating that day, and the 364 days that followed, plus the next tens of thousands of days to come.
“Marriage is not a noun; it’s a verb.
It isn’t something you get.
It isn’t something you get.
It’s something you do.
It’s the way you love your partner every day.”
It’s the way you love your partner every day.”
Barbara De Angelis
It’s been quite a year. I feel like the first year is so significant. It’s a year of newlywed bliss. A year of firsts. It’s a year of looking forward to the great unknown. A year of new experiences. A year of getting to know someone that you thought you already knew. Of falling deeply in love with someone when you thought you had already fallen.
But it’s also a year of growing and learning — learning what it means to be a married couple, a family. We’re discovering what makes each other tick. We’re learning how to communicate, how to speak each other’s love language, how to manage our time and money, how to be respectful even when he’s not loving, how to be loving even when she’s not respectful, how to forgive.
And, oh, we’ve got a lot of learning left to do.
I love weddings. I cherish my own wedding memories. My heart does a happy dance every time a bride and groom contacts me to photograph their wedding. But, even more than weddings, I love marriage. I love the journey, the blessings, the ups and the downs, the faithful devotion and forgiveness despite the inevitable failings.
And even more than marriage, I love my Steve. My husband. Thank you, dear, for an incredible first year. One year down, forever to go!
– Abi S
