Happy Thursday friends!! We hope you have had an amazing week! I don’t know where y’all are at, but here in Illinois it has been crazy cold this week! The high for Sunday said 0 degrees on my phone earlier this week, and though you KNOW I love snow and the cold, I’m not sure I’m ready for a full-blown Midwest winter yet! Ha! It sure has been a fun and full week here on the blog though… SO fun that I want to recap the first three posts of the week in case you missed them! On Monday, we shared our Christmas cards with you guys… on Tuesday, the ladies at Michelle’s Bridal & Tuxedo shared their top 5 MUST-read wedding gown shopping tips, and yesterday, we announced that we’re adding wedding albums to our Wedding Collections for 2017! Whew!!
This weekend, we’re celebrating six whole months being married! Now, compared to a lot of people, I know we haven’t been married all that long ???? I mean, we did get married on my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary! We have some amazing examples of the legacy of marriage in our lives, and that’s something we definitely don’t take for granted.
BUT, we are kind of stunned that it’s already been six months since our favorite day ever! How did that even happen?! The past few months have been incredibly full for us. Running a business full time together will definitely teach you a lot about each other, let me tell you that! We’ve gotten so much closer, learned to show grace, tried lots of new recipes, burned a few of those new recipes, traveled all over, photographed dozens of weddings and engagement sessions, spent time with both our families, moved unexpectedly, celebrated holidays, messed up, made our little place into a home, been challenged and frustrated, developed new relationships, asked for lots of forgiveness, ignored loads of laundry, realized how stubborn we BOTH are, laughed a whole lot, eaten way too much ice cream, and fallen in love with each other all over again.
I can’t even fully describe what these past few months have been like or what they’ve meant to me, but I do know that the gift of being Luke’s wife is something special that can only be from the Lord.
We fall short every day, and it’s only because of the love and grace of God in our lives that we’re able to work to love each other better day in and day out. Marriage has this crazy way of showing you NOT how imperfect your spouse is, but how broken YOU are as a person and how in need of grace YOU are. Our life is so not perfect, guys. But, we’re loved perfectly by the God who brought us together in the first place, and that makes up the difference. It never fails us. And it’s only because of Jesus that we can be good spouses to each other… it certainly isn’t by our own strength, let me tell you ????
We wanted to share our wedding video with y’all today, and Luke and I also wanted to close out with five of the biggest things we’ve learned about marriage since June 18th. Xoxo, and thanks for always being a support and encouragement to us!
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Communication is everything. Learning to communicate the way your spouse does naturally, and giving LOTS of grace, is so beneficial.
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We need God more than we need each other. When we put Him first- in our time, our minds, etcetera- everything else falls into place.
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It’s soo important to keep dating when you’re married. It takes more effort than when you’re actually dating, so making it a priority is key.
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Somebody doesn’t always have to be RIGHT or WIN all the time. The perspective that we’re on the same side is so life-changing!
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It’s one thing to SAY you should put the other person first, and another thing entirely to actually do it. You have to be each other’s first priority after Jesus!
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BONUS: Ice cream, impromptu trips, and dancing in the kitchen are always good ideas!
PHOTO CREDIT: JESSICA LAUREN // VIDEO CREDIT: NOAH OEHLER
