Happy Anniversary!

Happy 3rd Anniversary to my wonderful hubby!

We have had a great 3 years of marriage and 7 years together before that! I can't believe how fast the time has gone.

It feels like just yesterday that we were two high schoolers meeting for the first time in a friend's basement!

You make me the happiest woman in the world!

I can't wait to see what the future holds for us!

I love you, D!

Marriage and the Military

I read a post the other day that got me thinking.

Everyone always says that the first year of marriage is the hardest.

I was pondering this statement and I came to the realization that our first year of marriage was hard, but I wondered if it "counted." You see, D was deployed for most of our first year of marriage. We had our wedding May 17 and he left for Iraq a month later.

So obviously, that first year was hard. It was hard in ways that don't even compare to what most couples go through in their first year of marriage. But would it have been hard if we had been together?

I decided that our first year didn't count, since we were 7,500 miles apart. I decided to take a look at our second year of marriage. Yes, it was a hard year for us. Looking back on it, though, we were going through a lot of the reintegration issues that are common among military families after a deployment. Oh, we also moved, found out we were pregnant and had a baby. Can you say stressful? But would it have been hard if I hadn't just spent a year wondering if my husband would come home to me?

I suppose the second year of our marriage was a lot like what most couples go through that first year, but intensified. I mean, we all have to adjust to another person's habits and quirks, but I think that for military families, its different. We spend a year (or sometimes more) worrying about the safety of our loved ones and then one day, they're back in our house, unloading the dishwasher wrong or messing up our routines.

In a way, I think that D and I are really just starting our first year of marriage, in the sense that we're in the same country, living in the same house, and we're not dealing with lingering issues from his all-expenses-paid, year long trip to Iraq. I just wonder if it will be as hard as they say it is.

Who's the Adult in Your House?

Because in our house its not me.

;)

The following is an actual conversation that took place last night.

D: Wow, that's a long blog post.
Me: You're a long blog post.
D: I guess I am.

Oh, and don't worry, the long blog post he was referring to was one I was reading, not writing!

There are a lot more reasons that D continues to be the adult in our house, but I just thought you'd like a glimpse into our otherwise mundane (and over-run by moving) lives.

You may continue on with your day now.

The Stagecoach Inn

So today we are going to a marriage retreat that is being put on by the BN. It is being held at the historic Stagecoach Inn in Salado. I have never been there, but everyone I've talked to says that it is really cool. We are excited about staying in a hotel and getting away from home for a few days, but unsure about the whole "marriage retreat" part of it. We decided that our best course of action is to bring wine in case we find ourselves bored with the regularly scheduled activities.

This weekend will be especially fun because Sunday is our official First Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe that it has already been a year since our wedding. I feel like the deployment flew by and now the time state-side is flying too! Pretty soon we will be up at Fort Lewis, enjoying the rain! We are really excited about moving up there, both to live there and experience something new, but also for the move itself. SLS, WPT and JAG are coming down here to make the 2,500 mile drive with us, our dog and both of our cars. It should be an interesting 4th of July!

I'm off to Salado now!