Marriage: A Work-in-Progress

Well, our first wedding anniversary is in the books.  This year (and the many years to come) can be labeled as a "work-in-progress." We celebrated the day by reminiscing about all of the shenanigans at our wedding.  On Sunday, our Pastor mentioned the moment of panic at the beginning of the ceremony when one of our spring-loaded candles popped out of the holder (already lit, mind you) and rolled under her seat near the altar.  My younger brother mentioned having another infamous "wine dance" at our house on Monday evening to help us relive moments from our wedding dance.  He was unsuccessful in recruiting more party-goers to the event.  My husband and I indulged in frozen wedding cake while sitting near the light of one of our sparkling Christmas trees which adorned the auditorium for the occasion.  The year started out for us immediately as a work-in-progress as we lived apart for two weeks after the wedding until we could close on our first home together.  Many of you have followed our journey of home remodeling throughout the year.  I must say, it is a testament to any marriage that makes it through a complete home remodel, but more on that later as we approach the one year anniversary of that project as well.

Looking back at our time together, it is hard to believe how quickly this year has gone.  It makes me appreciate the idea of having a place to call "home" where we can relax and unwind.  There is comfort in hearing the sound of the garage door open each night when Tim arrives home from work while I plug away at a load of laundry or the dirty dishes in the sink or as I sit on the living room floor grading papers for my part-time gig at the college.  Many evenings, I'm on the phone trying to tie up some loose ends for the day while he waits patiently to gauge what kind of conversation he should be making.  He usually has a way of knowing what to say and how to say it once he knows the mood of the house.  This, too, has been a work-in-progress for us.  Learning when it is time to close up shop and just be home together is something we have both worked on throughout the year.

Overall, I must say it has been a pretty wonderful year.  Even though we are both stubbornly set in our ways, we seem to have adapted to married life, homeownership, work commutes, and, in general, each other quite well.  I was able to convince Tim to climb on our roof to string Christmas lights for the first time this year, and he regularly quizzes me about tractor and combine specs to make sure I know the difference in horsepower and transmission styles (and to make sure I'm listening to him ramble on over supper each night about equipment). Our lives, personal and professional, will always be labeled as a "work-in-progress."  No matter where we are at, there is always one more project to finish, one more job to do, or one more person to think about.  Even though some days seem like we are progressing backwards, the important thing for us to remember is that we must always look for some sort of progress, no matter how minute, in our relationship, our professional lives, our family, and our home.  Cheers to another wonderful year ahead!  Welcome Home.