Happy Anniversary

Jess: Well, the rest of our Christmas holidays were great. We had a wonderful time with Dad and Josiah, and had a nice relaxing end of the year. We had our first New Year's party, and I think everyone had a pretty good time. I've never had so much leftover food in my entire life!

So Saturday was our anniversary, and we had massages, reflexology, lunch, and pool/jacuzzi time at a spa, then we went to Freehold, walked around a little, and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful day, and I really enjoyed our first anniversary as a married couple.

In that spirit, we decided to make a list of some of the things we have learned about marriage during this first year. We like to consider ourselves experts at this time. First, though, Wes pointed out all of the stuff we've done over the past year, and it's a pretty extensive list:

Got married, moved cross country, started seminary, started new jobs (me twice, Wes once), moved again, hosted our first parties in our own home, cooked our first ham and turkey, hosted Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, and much, much more.

Now, for the awesome list (Wes/Jess):
1. Not picking "sides" of the bed doesn't really work out. We tried to switch off, but now we pretty much have sides unless Wes gets up first and sleeps by the alarm.
2. Eating in front of the TV is perfectly acceptable, but eating at the table and talking about our days is a wonderful way to wind down each night.
3. The best way to end the day together is by praying together.
4. Taking a walk together is a wonderful way to spend time together and exercise, whether there's an important issue to talk about or just to have fun together--as long as no one brings their cell phone. (Also, we discovered a path to Narnia).
5. The radio in the car is always controlled by Jessica, whether she's driving ("The driver gets to pick the music!") or riding ("It's dangerous for you to pay attention to the radio while you're driving!").
6. Going to bed at the same time as the other person really does make a connection--even if that other person falls asleep faster than you and snores like a polar bear (Weskimo?).
7. Having someone to come home to makes even the most stressful days bearable (ahem Starbucks...seminary...).
8. Furnishing, decorating, and organizing a house together is extremely stressful, but ridiculously rewarding (Shout out to all the people who helped our cross wall explode into awesomeness).
9. "Whatever you say, dear" is not always the best answer.
10. Even with a spouse, yard work still sucks.

Wes: That's all for now. Jess already said everything there was to say.

You stay classy, World Wide Web!

-Jess and Wes