256 days of love in action

And... it's Valentine's Day again.

Thanks to me being home almost all day yesterday (with time to think about a meal), I cheated and cooked a nice Valentine's dinner a day early, complete with sparkling grape juice, marinated chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. These were probably the best mashed potatoes I've made- I left the skins on and added some cheese to the mix, and they turned out lumpier than usual, but more flavorful. The chicken, I marinated in Ken's Steakhouse Italian Dressing for 2-3 hours while I ventured to work for a little bit, then grilled on our handy-dandy George Foreman grill, and it turned out excellent as well. I usually overcook the food when I use the George Foreman grill, and therefore usually leave the grilling to my dear husband. Luckily all turned out well last night.

Admittedly, these last 256 days of marriage have taught me alot about love and life. I suppose that happens to every couple starting out.

I've learned the ordinary is the most important. In the early days- and even now- when asked "How's married life?" or "What's the best things about being married?" both of us tell them how wonderful it is just to do life together. The ordinary in life is where I've fallen more and more in love with Josh. It's the ordinary that knits our hearts together. Going on drives, cooking together, playing board games, and going on 'Arby's dates' at 10pm for fries & shakes are the things I love most.


We're perfectly compatible, but some things get lost in translation. Communication is obviously the most important part of marriage, or any relationship. Compassion and patience and grace are all qualities that I'm thankful Josh has, and I'm trying to cultivate in myself more.


"Marriage roles" aren't all bad. They don't have to be traditional roles, but, basically, we're good at different things. Everyone has stuff they prefer to do and stuff they hate. I don't mind doing dishes in the least, but I think laundry's a pain. Josh doesn't mind doing the laundry, and I don't mind folding it. Josh is good about vacuuming when I totally forget about it. Josh is fascinated and very good at managing finances and getting bills paid. I'm not as interested in that stuff, but I am interested in making sure we have a relatively healthy dinner ready at a decent hour. We go grocery shopping together. We don't do these things because that's what husbands and wives are "supposed" to do, but because that's where our interests and talents lie.


And in the end we have an ongoing love story of the best kind going on for about 3 years and 222 days. I'm glad I'm getting to live it out, and I'm sure there's lots more adventures to come!