Wow,
To describe an entire year of marriage into a blog...what can I truly say?! Kevin and I are truly happier than we have ever been, that is for sure. We experienced so much in this last year; some good, some bad.
I keep looking back and am trying to remember what we were doing exactly this time last year. As most of you know, we are teachers so going on a "normal" Honeymoon was out of the question. We ended up waiting and going on our Honeymoon during Spring Break. We are doing the same this year in celebrating our 1 year anniversary. We are headed back to the place we first met, the place we shared our first traveling memories, and back to the place we truly call home: Seattle, WA.
I have to say that the first year of marriage is the greatest gift and the greatest challenge. God tests your ability to live with someone else for the first time. Now, I have lived with other females and males throughout college and my first years as a teacher but I have never had to live with someone in the exact same "space" as me. Mainly I mean, my BED! I have to admit, this is the largest challenge. Anyone who knows me, knows I have about ten pillows on my bed and I have this blanket that Kevin now refers to affectionately as "Fort Knox". Basically, it is a queen size down comforter that can swallow me up and surround me in warmth. It is not something I share! He has made so many jokes about this blanket that he now has his own. We have definitely realized that after our first year of marriage, we need a bigger bed! We thought about going old school, a bed for him and a bed for me! But, he is my own personal heater, so I think I will keep him.
We have had a wonderful first year together. There are so many memories and laughs as we moved to our new home and begin sharing it more frequently with friends and family. We had our first New Year's dinner in this house and it went exceptionally well. We have grown together, fallen in love over and over, and can say today that we are happily in love.
I will say truthfully, however, that marriage is not all roses and flowers. We have also had our struggles. There were moments this year where we questioned our ability as husband and wife. God never said marriage was an easy partnership, A woman traditionally was expected to give up her family and life back home, move in with a man and his family, and start anew. Not only does this sound challenging but on top of this, she typically didn't know the man very well before marrying him. You want to talk about challenging. I know Kevin so well and yet I still struggle to connect on certain matters with him.
This year I have found myself on my knees asking God to show me His way. I have fallen, taken twenty steps back, attempted to leap forward, and fallen on my knees back in his embrace. Being married is the greatest gift God has given me so far and while I understand it has only been 1 year, I truly believe the institution of Marriage was designed beautifully by God to embrace and challenge us.
As the Denton's move into our 2nd year of marriage, I ask for prayers and blessings. We have found each other through all the darkness and discouragement of this world. We have fought through this darkness, to continually find the light. We have challenged each other to be better people who follow God with all their hearts. We have accepted God's Grace when we have fallen short.
I thank the Lord every day that I wake up and still have a heartbeat, that I still have the ability to get up and go to work, that I smile every day at my students, and that I share my evenings with a loving Husband. My head is weary sometimes because I am still trying to control certain aspects of my life and being led astray by the darkness but I am grateful for God, who constantly finds a way to shine the light and remind me where my next step is to lead me back home.
