I mean we went from this...simply engaged.
Obviously the final photo isn't representative of us JUST yet, but I hope and pray it will be some day! I hope we grow old together. I hope we experience aches and pains together and grandchildren, but I suppose for that to happen we have to have some children of our own first. And I hope we experience that too - raising children together, being parents.
It almost seems abnormal to let an anniversary pass you by without taking the time to reflect on the past year or the past few years - and to think about how far you have come, how much you have grown as an individual and as a couple, and how gracious God has been along the way. I suppose after so many years of marriage the reflection process may cease to exist, but this whole thing is still so new to us, hence the reflection.
I was telling one of my dear friends and coworkers, Riley, that I hope and pray all the lovely ladies in my life end up in a marriage like mine. I just feel blessed...sooo very blessed beyond belief that it is simply overwhelming at times. I truly married my best friend, and I love living every single day with this man, and I feel truly honored to walk alongside him. Don't get me wrong, marriage is hard, but it is beautiful. And our marriage is so real, so very raw, and incredibly honest. And it is hard at times to be so real and so honest, but it is so worth it. Everything is out on the table for all to see and we hold nothing back. We love deeply and we live fully, and for this I am thankful.
I love my husband and I love being married, but PLEASE NOTE we are NOT perfect nor do we have the perfect marriage. And we definitely have our crazy moments, or maybe I should say I have my crazy moments. And they certainly are crazy! I can be so dramatic at times and yelling speaking with a raised voice is one of the terrible ways I communicate. For some strange reason I think that I have to raise my voice in order to be heard or something, and even I think it's slightly obnoxious. So you can only imagine what Peter thinks about the whole thing. Now, I by no means am saying it's acceptable nor am I condoning it, but transformation and change take time people, and I am a work in progress. I am living and I am learning. And thank goodness Peter is patient.
Not only do I raise my voice, but I nag. I nag and I nag and I nag until even I am exhausted by it. I mean I didn't sign up to be the nagging wife nor did I ever want to become that wife. So I try so HARD not to be, but let me tell you it's hard people. I don't know what my deal is and I nag him about the silliest things like dishes in the sink or clothes on the floor. Oh it's so annoying, and thank goodness Peter is gracious and forgiving.
And after two years I have learned these fabulous things about myself. They are so fabulous that I am trying to rid myself and my character of them. I don't want to be a yeller nor do I want to be a nag. People have been asking me what I have learned over the last few years of marriage and I have given them all sorts of answers about the many beautiful things I have learned. But what if I responded with the ugly truths I have learned about myself? How might people respond if I told them that I have learned that I don't want to be a yeller or a nag?
Marriage is beautiful simply because you get to walk alongside someone through the good, the bad, and the ugly that is life and you get to love each other deeply through it all.
So just a few things I have learned over the years...
1. Humility goes A LONG Ways in a marriage - I mean a REALLY long ways! And the simple words, "I am sorry!" go even further. It is humbling to realize that you just might have been wrong about something and even more humbling when you can actually admit you were wrong and couple that admittance with an apology. But it is within those humble moments that growth occurs - and let it be known that they are beautiful and blessed moments.
2. Also, Laughter is essential within a marriage - Peter and I truly have been blessed with this component. My husband is funny people, or at least I think so, but I suppose that's all that really matters! I mean he is really funny and he can make me laugh like no one else. Maybe it's because his humor is so unpredictable - one minute he is making up songs in the kitchen, the next minute he is speaking in an accent (a non-Irish one), and the next minute he is rattling off all sorts of punny puns.
You know I could write so many more tidbits, but I will just leave it at that! Peter Drennan - I love you. thank you for a beautiful year, and I look forward to celebrating so many more anniversaries with you!
And we had a fabulous anniversary weekend in the Methow Valley, which I will write about at a later date.
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