Six Months In.. What I've Learned {Thoughts for Thursday} + Giveaway!!

I feel like our one year wedding anniversary will be here before we know it!

As much as I loved being a bride, I really love being a newlywed.

I love doing life with my husband.

Running errands. Taking the dog to the vet.  Driving in the car.  Cuddling on the couch.

I love doing it all with him.

Looking back to the weeks after our honeymoon; we've already grown a ton.  

I know we will continue to grow as well.  

We learn from our problems and mistakes, work on things and better ourselves as a couple.

None of these are huge things.  

It's the little things that I love and sometimes the little things that can be important.

{Put your family first}

When you say I do, the two of you become your own little family.  Put your intentions above anyone else's. Live to make yourselves happy and each other happy.  Spend a weekend the way you both want to.  Spend each holiday how you both want and where you both want to be.  

We've really put an emphasis on making choices that make us happy first and foremost.

{Say, Don't Yell}

 In the beginning it was easy to get worked up easily about adjustment issues, compromise, meddling people, those little quirks and instead of just having a conversation just yell.  After about two conversations like this - we vowed to both work on it and when a "problem" arrises, it's now a calm conversation of talking instead of yelling over each other.  Usually we end up joking through the "issue" and go back on our merry way.

{Continue Dating}

Just because your not "dating" anymore doesn't mean not to date anymore.  Make sense?  

We go on a date night (or date breakfast, date lunch, date activity, whatever) at least once a week and it's still just as fun as it was when we were just "dating."  

I so enjoy dates with my husband, dressed up nice, out of our house and somewhere fun (and he enjoys them too!).  I enjoy planning the date night, I enjoy looking forward to it,
I enjoy the laughs, talks, flirting and special time together.

{Common Hobbies}

Make it a priority to have a couple hobbies that you jointly enjoy (you should have plenty, right?!)

For us this is going to church, TV watching time, traveling, watching sports and going for walks to name a few.

It's nice to keep the common interests a priority.

{Appreciate}

Say thank you. Notice when a nice gesture is done.

When Derek makes the bed or unloads the dishwasher or wakes up at the crack of dawn to take the dog out after staying up late to take her out the night before - I like to make a point to thank him for doing that for us.

When I come home with groceries or do a big house clean or do loads and loads of laundry - he always praises it and lets me know I'm doing a good job.

Either of us would do any of the chores not expecting or needing praise, but it's nice to hear you're appreciated sometimes.

{Get in Each Other's Shoes}

Try out things that your spouse likes to do.

Derek is my favorite person to do anything with.  I  love to shop with him (He's even been offered beer at Lilly.  More than once.) He also now loves coming along for pedicures (I've created a monster).

In return I've tested out the driving range (and have fun shooting off some golf balls every now and then) and made some bowling alley trips for him.

It's fun to do activities each of you like individually with each other sometimes.

{Compliments}

I'm Derek's biggest fan and vice versa.

I don't always think super highly of myself.  Derek's little compliments can make me feel perfect.

I love telling him he looks handsome.  I love telling him he's funny or he did great at something.  I love being his biggest supporter.

I love knowing how much he loves me just by the way he acts.

I love doing all the same for him, too.

{Make your own traditions}

As we put an emphasis on our family it's nice to come up with our own traditions.

Things that just the two of us do together.

Brunches after church, Holiday activities, anything to make memories, together.

{Weekends Away}

Together.  It's nice to travel (we love to!) and it's nice to also do quick little weekend getaways.  Traveling brought us so much closer when we were dating and it still does now!  There's something special about it.

Separate. We're both content spending time apart for each other for a weekend (not all the time!) and doing our own thing for a day sometimes.  

{Let Yourself Adjust}

It might not click right away.  Derek and I didn't live together before we got married (different topic for a different post) so after the honeymoon, it took a week or so to get used to our life.  

That is normal.

I was out of my parent's house for good for the first time, every other time, I knew I was coming back.

I had a little home-sick breakdown every day for probably a week or so and cried.  Not because I wasn't happy just because I was adjusting to the change.

Instead of letting it upset him or get mad, Derek supported me, loved me, helped me.  He made it better.

I live 15 minutes from my parents, ha! could you imagine if I had to move across country.  I still get homesick every now and again and we just try to laugh about it and make a joke.

We took time to learn each others living quirks, habits that we may or may not have liked and took time to adjust and settle in.  We were always happy as we settled in but we didn't jump on each other if clothes were on the floor or dishes were on the sink.

It's okay to adjust.

{Say I Love You}

This one should go without saying.

I think it's important to say I Love You as many times a day as possible.  (and we do quite a few!)

Yes, I know Derek loves me and he knows I love him but it's great and beautiful to say it out loud.

When we wake up, when he leaves for work, when he gets home from work, Before bed, at the end of a phone call.. and my favorite, just because.

What have you learned through your marriage?
What are some of your favorite special things you do together?

Linking up here and here for Thought for Thursday

Enter below for a $25 Bauble Bar gift card!!  With the weather heating up, it's the perfect time to treat yourself to a new piece of jewelry! The winner will be announced next Thursday, so be sure to check back then :)

 

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