A Year of Joy

It's hard to believe that a year ago today, THIS happened.

That's right, today is the first anniversary of our marriage! We decided to answer some questions  about our marriage, some of which you {the reader} have asked. So, without further ado...

What has brought you closer together?
Jane: We’ve faced a lot of challenges since we’ve been married, such as job searches, financial issues, car problems, and so on. Sharing our hearts and seeking solutions as we battle these “common enemies” has helped us to unite and draw us closer.

Judah: Supporting each other through a lot of stressful times. Such as job hunting, making loan payments, cars getting hit, etc.

What has surprised you most about being married?
Jane: This might sound silly, but I never comprehended the difference between a morning person and a night owl before we were married. Judah can clean the kitchen, fill out important paperwork, and all sorts of complicated things in the morning, while I struggle to wake up, and end up blabbing about the poem about bugs that I wrote in my sleep. But when evening arrives, my productivity level goes through the roof, and Judah loses his ability to construct a coherent sentence.

Judah: Change of sleeping patterns to try and get the most amount of time with each other.

What have you learned from your spouse this year?
Jane: I have learned not to be so uptight and worried about everything. Judah has taught me not to worry too much about what other people think about me, and not to freak out about what’s going to happen in the next half hour, week, month, or ten years. I can still plan for the future, but I can enjoy being me, and enjoy the moment.

Judah: Patience, the joy of crafting, crocheting, and perseverance.

What is something that made a difference in your marriage that you’d recommend to others?
Jane: Praying together every night before going to bed has been very helpful for us. Sure, we might have had our disagreements and misunderstandings, but it’s pretty close to impossible to stay mad at each other when you’re holding hands and praying to Jesus, if you really mean what you’re praying. Praying together helps us to focus on who we are, what we’re doing, and what glues our marriage together.

Judah: Good conflict resolution skills. Because even in the best of marriages conflicts happen. One thing particularly I would recommend is to always address an issue as soon as it is reasonable to do so. Don’t let negative feelings linger.

Name one activity that you enjoy doing together.
Jane: Reading! I love reading by myself, and I love reading together too! Right now, we’re reading The Fisherman’s Lady, by George MacDonald. Usually, one of us reads to the other while that person is doing something else (cooking, cleaning, crocheting, etc).

Judah: We really enjoy reading together (meaning one of us reads to the other who is working on a project such as crocheting).

What interests does your spouse have that you’ve been pulled into?
Jane: Judah has a bunch of Star Wars Lego sets that we’ve recently unpacked. I had never built a Lego set before, so Judah taught me how. We’ve had a lot of fun playing with Legos together.

Judah: Crocheting, Jane Austen novels, and cake decorating.

What has it been like moving to another state and starting a new life together all at once?
Jane: It’s been a challenge, because we didn’t really know anyone. We had to find new doctors, mechanics, the best grocery store (and all sorts of little things that you never think about) without the help of family members. But it’s also been a huge blessing! We have truly been able to “leave and cleave.” Because we’ve only had each other to rely on in our day-to-day struggles, we were able to establish ourselves as an independent family unit and made our relationship our #1 priority.

Judah: Really hard but really worth it! I am very glad that we were able to start our life together in a new place where we were able to establish an identity as a couple.