Have you ever stopped to think just how much can happen in one week, one month… one year?

This past week I turned twenty-one. In some ways, it feels like a looong time since my twentieth birthday. That’s because so much has happened since then. On my twentieth birthday, Adam and I were still discussing when to begin an official courtship. I was still living at home, babysitting full-time and keeping fairly busy. Now just a year later, I have been married for one month, marveling at all the many (and wonderful) changes that took place in just one year. A courtship, a full-time job change, an engagement, a wedding, and now…. I’m a happy wife. Wow.

Let me just say, one month in… I never dreamed marriage could be this. much. fun! We’ve been adjusting incredibly well. So far – no major surprises… except who knew that just two people could make so many dirty dishes and dirty laundry? Oh well.

None of our food has been burned (yet). And the whole meal planning/grocery shopping thing is a whole lot easier than I expected. (Thanks, Mom for making me cook supper twice a week!). It’s so much fun to page through my recipe books and cards, making old favorites and experimenting with new ones. It’s such a satisfying thing to look at my stocked up pantry, knowing that soon, the contents will be used to make many shared meals and delicious treats. Now I know why left-overs are great, and why my mom was always glad when they were finally eaten too.

We love our “new” house. Most of the boxes are emptied and stored away in the attic, and this big old house is looking like a home. Sure, there are still some empty picture frames and windows waiting to be curtained… and the spare bedrooms still need to be organized. All the strange bumps and noises during the day and night sometimes give me the willies, and the noisy street traffic often wakes us up at night. But for the two of us, for now, this is home. Every few days, while we sit in our living room relaxing, I look around and say, “I love our house.” And that is so true!

The two of us are having so much fun. We laugh more than ever before. We love exploring our new town, eating breakfast, (sometimes) lunch, and supper together. We eat too many chocolate chips. We share everything except toothbrushes. We make a mess at supper time and clean it up together. We stay up way too late -watching movies, talking, and laughing about the goofiest things. We love those special times of reading Proverbs and praying together before bed. Our goodbyes are long, and our hellos are even longer. It’s a joy to be able to say goodnight at the end of the day instead of goodbye. Weekly dates are still a priority, and we look forward to them. On Sundays, we love going to church and coming home for a spaghetti lunch and a long nap.

Little things like receiving mail is such a simple pleasure. To see “Mr. and Mrs.” written on the envelope by a familiar hand – what joy.

Now that wedding plans are over, I can relax. Little things don’t stress me out, and it’s nice not to discuss wedding details all the time. I love to sit and just look at our wedding pictures – they make me so happy.

Decisions still need to be made… but now they can be discussed and prayed about together – in person. Long phone conversations are no longer needed.

Some days feel long and quiet. Others are filled with lots of activity. Sometimes we successfully follow the day’s carefully crafted plan… and still others get rearranged and turned all around.

And yet, in the midst of our fun and happiness… life still happens. Poison ivy and miserable head colds. Dog poop in the house and dirt on white pillows. Little accidents and spilled food all over the kitchen floor. These things happen too.

But God has been so good to us. We often talk about how blessed we have been, and how much better this first month of marriage has been – so much better than we even thought it could be. We are one month in to our lifetime together… I can’t wait to see what the future holds! I know time flies… life is short, and every moment is worth cherishing.

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Psalm 90:12