Saturday, April 2, 2016

{ YEAR ONE }

(Given in half advice giving mode and half personal experience mode)

FOOD:

- Ground Turkey does not taste the same in spaghetti sauce as Ground Beef. I spent several spaghetti sauce making months before discovering why mine didn't taste like my mom's. Ground Turkey, though healthier, just doesn't cut it.
- You cannot eat the same food over and over again or else you will not want to eat it ever again. In the first 6 months of marriage we ate a LOT of PB&J sandwiches and a LOT of chicken breast. Let me tell you, while we still eat those things, it is not in near the abundance we once could. If you like something, eat it sparingly.
- You have to watch foods as they boil or else all the water will burn away and you will ruin your pots.
- Meal planning is KEY. All the weeks that I have gone to the grocery store and just bought food without a purpose, we have run out of food like two days into the week.


HOUSEHOLD:
- I've said it once (or twelve times) and i'll say it again: DISHWASHERS. Two months into our marriage, our neighbor was moving and asked us if we would like to purchase for 100$ their portable dishwasher. We thought "Oh, our kitchen is so small already, it will take up too much space. We can just wash our dishes! We don't need it." Wrong choice. If it is between an apartment with the dishwasher and one without, choose the dishwasher, every time.
- Clean the house up before bed. While we are not great about this all the time, it is so nice to wake up to a clean space instead of dishes and clothes and clutter.
- Kyle's brother, Brad, gave some good advice in an interview I did for a class and said about marriage "If there is something to be done, just do it. If the trash needs to be taken out, take it out. Don't think ' but it is so in so's turn. Just do it." We both thought that was fabulous advice that we have tried to apply better since. 
- Oh finances. We've learned the importance of discussing and understanding expectations, in all aspects of our marriage, but finances is a big one.  


SPOUSES :
- Some of the hardest things that you will have to deal with in life are watching your spouse deal with really hard things. Watching them hurt and not being able to resolve it is one of the harder things in life.
- Setting aside time to talk about conflicts is contrary to nature. People naturally want to talk/fight it out right in the heat of the moment. But, instead saying "Let's talk about this tomorrow at 3", or whatever, is so much more productive in actually coming to conclusions and solutions than just airing frustrations and hurting feelings.
-Share concerns, hopes, dreams, fears, goals, etc. first with your spouse
- Hold hands
- Marriage, at least our marriage, makes us feel so secure, safe and confident. Pure trust in another human being with every single aspect of your life is *cliche* a beautiful thing. 

CHURCH:
- This year of marriage really taught us to lean on each other when the going gets rough. Our branch, as I have mentioned here many times, is the BEST, but I struggled in the first few months. We both did. We found such comfort in knowing we had each other to hold onto when it seemed like everything else felt crumbly.
- Attend the temple. Seek answers together. 
-Praying together and for each other is so important. Some of my favorite times of day are right in the morning and right before bed. Kyle has taught me to be more "perfect in prayer." I love him. 











2 comments:

  1. Oh, Alivia -- I just LOVE you!!!

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  2. I didn't know you had a blog. My day is now complete. Amen to everything you shared. I love you. Happy 1 year cuties.

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