5 Things I Learned My 1st Year of Marriage

I recently celebrated my one year anniversary with my hubby (woot, woot!). We had a little stay-cation in Florida that included Jet Skiis, Disney, amazing food, lots of relaxing, and all that other good stuff. ;)

I took some time to think back on this year and some of the most important things I learned, hence this post of 5 things I learned my first year of marriage. :) Enjoy!

Marriage is like a mirror.
Being married has taught me to reflect and it has shown me some of my strengths as well as weaknesses and areas of growth (yikes). But, it's great to be married to someone who will help you grow through the tough patches and help you be your best. And of course you are there for him too. :)

Marriage is not like the movies. 
Praise the Lord that it's not! My marriage is real- not filmed in segments, and has a Divine director with the best script (plans) written for the couple. Don't compare your marriage to what happens in the movies, sitcoms, or what you see from your friends marriages on social media.

I am still myself. 

Let me just clarify and say that I never didn't feel like myself. My husband always nourishes my personality and encourages me to do the things I love. But being married is different from being single and it's a role you might not have played before. It might be weird. You might wonder where you went. But you are still here! You are still beautiful you, with just another amazing, fun, role you get to play, a wife. What a blessing. :) I love sharing who I am and the things I love with my husband. We don't have to be clones of each other, we can still be ourselves, and that is a wonderful thing.

YOU are a GOOD thing. :)

A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. 

Proverbs 18:22 

We are a gift to each other. 
I am so grateful for the gift of marriage! I always have a friend to talk to, someone to cuddle with, and a shoulder to lean on. God created a beautiful thing when he created marriage. Recently, J (my husband), and I have made it a point to ask each other everyday, "How can I serve you, today?" Being married means that I get the opportunity to be a blessing to the man God put in my life and bringing joy to him. The question "How can I serve you today?" is all about being a gift and a blessing to each other.

Time with my husband, by myself, and with my God, is important. 
I love me some quality time with my husband, but I wasn't much of a "me time" girl until after marriage. (Quality time is my love language, hands down.) At first my extroverted-self felt a little guilty for sneaking away for a ukelele jam session, or for a minute to write in my journal. But then I realized that time alone is not a bad thing and it doesn't mean I love my man any less. If anything, I appreciate him more! Take time to take care of yourself. Your husband will be glad you did. :) And lastly, time with God. This isn't always easy, but when I realized my happiness truly stems from time with Him, I started making it a priority. Being connected to God fills my cup and lets it overflow to my loved ones, including my husband. :)

With much love,
Rachel

Inside Out

My sweet husband delighted in the little girl in me and took me to see Inside Out yesterday afternoon. I was so excited. It was such a cute little movie and I just have to give my take on it.

//SPOILER ALERT//

The story is about a sweet girl named Riley whose life has been filled with mostly good, mostly joyful memories. But Riley faces some emotional challenges when she moves to a new city, new school, and new house. 

Her emotions are portrayed by Joy, a joyful spunky thing who is (mostly) always in charge and keeps Riley happy. Fear keeps Riley safe, Disgust gives Riley some sass, Anger is in charge of the temper and of course Sadness, well, sadness seems to never have a place and to only makes things sad...or so it seems. 

During the movie, Joy and Sadness get lost deep inside Riley's mind as she's struggling with all of her tangled and hurting emotions, which leaves Disgust, Anger, and Fear to control Riley's mind. (Yikes) Joy's main priority is to keep Sadness from ruining anymore joyful memories and to get back to headquarters where she can make Riley happy again. But eventually Joy realizes that acknowledging what's making Riley sad might actually helpful in making Riley feel better...

.............

It's important for our kids and society to realize that sadness is OKAY! Not every situation in life calls for joy and exuberance. Sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and even joy, all have their place. Kids need to know that their emotions aren't some freak happenings in their body, but a gift from God to feel and to have a heart. 

I'll admit there's been plenty of times when I'm sad that I make a list of things I'm thankful for. Sometimes making that list can be hard though. I mean, hard times are hard for a reason aren't they? Well, watching this movie made me realize this: when I make a list of things I am thankful/happy for, I'm not denying sadness or anger or any hurt that I may have felt that day. But I'm trying to acknowledge that maybe there can be some joy in every day and am choosing to hold it tight.

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 

1 Thessalonians 5:18