darby asked me to share something about marriage which is a pretty daunting task because there are so many things i could write about. marriage is probably the greatest adventure i've experienced in my life so far. phil and i were married july 25, 2008 and since then it has been quite the roller coaster ride. the first day of our marriage was a complete disaster haha. the day after the wedding we were dropped off at the airport around 4 pm to catch our flight to miami. we had booked a cruise that was leaving the next day so we had to be in miami for the night. well, our flight got delayed. then it was delayed some more. then of course, more delay. around 11:30 pm they were throwing around the word "cancellation". this was the point when i just started crying. i was standing there, newly married, in an airport thinking i may not make my honeymoon before it leaves without me, crying. it makes us laugh now but it was a horrible day. finally they got us on the plane and we landed in miami at 3 am. it was an exhausting and emotional day but the danger of missing our honeymoon was gone so we put it behind us and had a fabulous honeymoon : )
on our honeymoon being ferried from the ship to grand cayman!
while our honeymoon was completely fabulous, it is so incredibly daunting to look ahead at an entire future before you, not knowing what lies ahead or what marriage will be like. we were kind of scared and didn't know what to expect. we knew that as soon as the honeymoon was over we were packing up all my stuff and moving to st. louis. i didn't have a job there yet, i had just graduated college, st louis was a long way away from my family and friends and i had only been there twice to visit phil. now i was just moving all my stuff there and moving in with him and it all just seemed so overwhelming! i had no idea how to be a wife and it just seemed like my life was full of unknowns which i was totally not a fan of.
whether i was a fan or not of the big unknown ahead of me, it was coming anyway. after the honeymoon we came back to my parents' house in georgia, packed up all my stuff and moved to st louis on the hottest day of the year in a car with no air conditioning. it was awful. not only this, but i realized i was sick with a fever and i started my "girl time" at this time. not good. this doesn't make for a good second week of marriage, let me tell you. plus i was moving 9 hours away from family to a city i wasn't sure i liked, to do a job i wasn't sure i knew how to do; being a wife. when we arrived at our new apartment that i had never seen in person i was less than thrilled. it was a mess. the landlords had promised to have it cleaned before we moved in. they did not follow through. i mean, there was still toothpaste in the sink. and hair. it was gross. being completely full of all kinds of emotions and being so incredibly tired, i just cried. there was so much to do and now i felt completely uncomfortable in our apartment since i was dirt. y.
a month after moving to st. louis!
this is another thing we look back on and laugh at now. those beginning times of marriage when everything seems so unknown and everything completely changes. it seem so scary. i was surprised at how quickly we settled into a routine. soon it was totally normal to be phil's wife. i found i totally loved being his wife! our first two years living in st. louis were an adventure. i think it was just what we needed to learn to love and depend on each other. being way from family and friends we learned to be friends to each other. then we found amazing new friends! God took such good care of us. i learned how to trust and respect phil as my husband. it is hard work, learning to be married, but it's easier if you listen and respect one another.
after two years of living in st. louis, we packed everything in a budget truck and moved all our belongings down to georgia. this time it was still a little scary, but it was so much easier now that we loved and trusted each other as husband and wife. we knew our marriage was solid and could handle the change, and our trust in God had also grown.
we have been living in georgia for a year. it has not been easy. this year has been the hardest financially of any year we've had yet. i felt God calling me to be a stay at home wife. this year has been about learning to trust God when nothing makes sense to us. it has been hard and full of tears and trials. we have learned a lot more about trusting the Lord and relying on Him for everything. while it has been the hardest year in terms of trials, it has been the best year of our marriage. we learned to trust each other so much more with all our thoughts and feelings. we have grown into a marriage. i feel so much more like we are one unit now, instead of two totally different people trying to learn to live together. it took time and trials for us to become one. it doesn't just happen when the preacher makes the announcement, as nice as that would be!
i love phil more than ever, during the biggest trial we have gone through. marriage isn't easy, but it's so fun! and full of adventure, especially when God is the center of it. when He is leading the way it can be scary, but it's the very best ride! every year has brought something new to our little family and i am so excited to see what this year has for us! come on over and follow my blog to see for yourselves what's in store for us this year!!
july 28, 2011 : )
Thank you Jessica for sharing today! Please check out her blog, awesome DIY projects, and leave her some comment love!
