One Year In.
“I do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses.”
Tomorrow, I will have been married to my best friend for one year. Its funny the way that time works, so that the wedding feels like yesterday and a million years ago all at once. I would not be understating myself, however, if I called it the best year of my life so far.
I found it hard to understand what people meant when they told me how difficult the first year of marriage would be. I am glad to look back and still find that statement difficult to understand. This year, although it has had it's trials, has been the easiest, most natural step I have taken. Living with my best friend day in and day out is the most exciting adventure yet. James is a person who makes those around him grow and this is especially true for me. This time last year I would never have contemplated the idea that I would be able to have my own business, I know that being with James is the reason I have been able to take the steps I have to have a business and, in turn, a job that I adore. It seemed only right, for that reason, to put a few words on here about how it feels to be one year in to forever.
This year has been a year of changes, a year of big decisions and a year of adventure. We have laughed until we cried and had a good balance of exploring and Netflix marathons. James taught me to snowboard, a feat I am incredibly proud of. If you know me, you know about my coordination (or the lack of). We went to Scotland and saw snow on the sand around the lochs and stared at mountains. We visited cities and discovered new places on our doorstep. We started to understand the challenges of owning a home, like setting a thermostat timer and trying to get a sieve clean (Who knew it was so hard?!). I discovered that James is an excellent cook and takes over even when I try to cook for him. We found the joys of days out to Ikea and Home Sense and the importance of not leaving our food shopping until the last minute. I found out that James not being a morning person is extremely contagious and snoozed my alarm for two whole hours. We learned the importance of masking off with masking tape and that double sided sticky tape is NOT a good alternative. We played Zelda, Mariokart and Smash Bros until the early hours of the morning. We ate freshly caught fish on the beaches of the Dominican Republic. We danced to Jimmy Eat World in the kitchen. I cried over badly made cakes and James didn't once laugh at me. I think that the main thing I discovered in the last year is that it really is the simple things that matter and that learning how to do life as an adult is so much more fun when you're with your best friend. It's the fresh roses whenever my old ones start to look a little rough around the edges. It's the cups of tea in bed and the slices of cake because 'It was so nice I had to buy you some as well!'. It's the hand that holds mine when I feel I can't keep going. It's the kiss on the forehead when I kept going anyway.
It's James.
I cannot wait for year two.