One year on...

It's been one whole year since we said "I will". One whole year. That time has flown by. I'm not sure whether that's a reflection of married life or ageing. Whatever it is, I feel it's worth reflecting on our first year as husband and wife. So here goes...

I've heard the saying that the first year of marriage is the hardest. I think that's bullsh*t. If that's the case, then you married the wrong person. Our first year has been a breeze, largely down to the fact that I think nothing really has changed on a day to day basis, and the sheer act of getting married somehow further cemented our love and commitment to one another. It's indescribable really, but something felt different - better, but different. 

We started married life off in style; hungover and full of cold and babysitting my Mum while my Dad was in hospital with a horrendous, non-stop nosebleed. Luckily my Dad got sorted very swiftly and our colds subsided before we jetted off on honeymoon. The honeymoon was epic and everything we wanted it to be - relaxing, adventurous, drunken, nail biting (Fraser driving a speedboat and nearly getting us stranded), romantic and fun. We really did not want to step off cloud number nine.

Biras Creek, BVI

After the honeymoon, we dived straight back into work and both of us have been non-stop since. Fraser has spent a lot of this year up north with work, so it feels like I've hardly seen him. It's made weekends much more important and I've loved the build up of excitement each Friday, knowing a squeeze from my favourite man was only hours away. As difficult as it is being away from each other, it seems to have its benefits, especially in retaining our own sense of independence. Neither of us want a marriage where we're stuck by each other's side 24/7. Although we think we could happily do it, we like going to work, seeing friends, and generally succeeding at life against our own personal goals. 

I consider our first test as husband and wife arriving when my mum was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January. Quite the shock for all of us, but having someone to depend on 100% for emotional support was what gave me a lot of strength to stay strong for both my mum and dad through such a difficult time. And Fraser is possibly THE most optimistic person EVER, that there was no option other than the full recovery my mum made {blog post on my Mum here}

I know that I've held on to the memories of our wedding day much more than Fraser. It's not that he didn't have an incredible day, because he did. I think he's very much focused on the future and setting us some pretty damn good life goals. And that's why we work so well together - I like to keep memories alive and Fraser likes to build new ones. That's not to say he doesn't love to watch our photo slideshow every now and again; it's just too good. Maybe we'll watch it every anniversary from now on...? 

So, after one whole year of marriage I'm neither overwhelmed nor underwhelmed. Nothing has really changed, apart from getting a joint account, which I found more scary than getting married. Our next big life goal is to buy our first house, which I also find more scary than getting married. And we've already started making plans for our long term future, which we both find the most exciting. Isn't it wonderful to have someone to make life plans with and build new memories with? 

S
xoxo