Hi!  I’m Holly, and I usually blog at scattered-words.net – but I volunteered to write a guest post for Kara while she’s busy getting married and all that jazz.   She said I could write about anything I want, and while I thought about writing about something completely random – like my love for new pens, how my son is like a bagel, or how expensive a dog really is (especially if you have one that eats hardwood floors, baseboards, books, shoes, purses, socks, and couch cushions …) – but of course, I ultimately decided to write a wedding-related post!

I’m not exactly an “old married woman” – I’ve been married for 2 years and 10 months! – but I figured I’d offer a bit of marriage advice that I wish I had followed in those early days, weeks, and months:   Try your hardest to find joy in every situation. 

I’ll be honest:  I had a hard time adjusting to married life.  I didn’t expect everything to be perfect, by any means – but I definitely didn’t expect there to be quite so many bumps in the road those first few months.  I thought we had ironed everything out during our engagement (silly me!) –  but we fought a lot at first.  Mostly about silly things, like our schedules, chore delegation, when to get a dog, what kind of dog to get, where to put the bookshelf, what day to buy groceries – but also about bigger things, like money – whether we had enough, what to invest and where, how much to save – where to live, how to celebrate holidays, how to blend our families …

I was a bit of a poop for the first few months.  I knew when we got married that we would be living in Alberta but I wanted to be with my family in New Brunswick.  I hated our condo, I hated our city, I hated my job – but I love my husband.  It took me awhile to clue in, but I eventually realized that that takes precedence.

Yeah, yeah, I know.  Shoulda figured that one out before the wedding, eh?

 Anyway … married life is full of the unexpected (like your husband revealing to you while you’re on your honeymoon that he is the world’s biggest Star Wars nerd …) – but it’s also full of the awesome.  Knowing you’re with the person you were meant to be with.  Knowing you’re going to be with that person for the rest of your life.  Imagining what your babies will look like – and actually seeing your husband hold his son for the first time.    Experiencing love in a new, deeper way; watching it grow and change.   Complete and utter happiness.   Planning life together for the next 60 or so years …

Congratulations Kara & Kyle :D  Welcome to married life …

———-