365 Days.  365 wonderful, fun, loving, incredible, exciting days.  I’ve been a wife for 365 days.  How is that even possible?!

In these last 365 days I have learned so much.  I’ve learned things that I thought i’d learn, and realized things that I had no idea would ever come to light.

So here’s what I learned in the last 365 days being a Wife to a very incredible Husband.

Never buy anything white, unless you plan on buying stock in bleach.  I’m not talking clothes, i’m talking goodies are the house.  Shower curtains, sheets, towels, throw pillows.  I say this because Joshua is a WORKING man.  He rolls around in grease for fun.  When we bought our house, the previous owners painted the doors and trim white to make it look more updated.  Well weekly i’m taking my Mr. Clean magic eraser and wiping down anything Joshua would touch after work, before a shower.  So Wives, save yourself some time, avoid anything white! 😉

Once a Fiancé becomes a Husband, they’re not going to learn to aim better.  They’re still going to leave dirty clothes on the floor, they’re going to still leave lights on, and they’re not going to get better with money over night.  These things take time.  If your Husband lived on his own for several years before the two of you moved in together, his cleaning habits could be drastically different than your own.  Luckily for Joshua and I, we lived together for five years before we got married.  Two of those years were with roommates, and they were the hardest years of our relationship, because everyone in the house had a different definition of clean.  In the last two years, since we’ve bought our House, through COMMUNICATION, Joshua and I have started defining “clean” similarly.

You spend every month wishing you were pregnant, but not wishing you were pregnant.  You’re literally at odds with yourself.  Every. Month.  Every bone in my body once to be a mother; I have had one helluva role model, why wouldn’t I want to follow in her footsteps?  Because it’s terrifying.  It’s time consuming, and it’ll break anyone’s bank.  Because my business is growing, LEAPS AND BOUNDS.  Because we have bills I want to pay off first.  There’s so many excuses why it’s not the right time for a baby, but there’s SO MANY DAMN GOOD ONES!  So ladies, be prepared to hold your breath each month, wishing for it to happen, and wishing it to wait for at least one more month.  It’s a consistent struggle.

When you ask your husband what he wants for dinner, his answer isn’t going to change from the dating answer of “Whatever you want”.  I had this hope that once the marriage license was filed, and it was official, Josh’s answer would finally turn into something concrete.  Who was I kidding.  I’m still left surfing Pinterest in hopes to find something new, and delicious.

You can’t stop dating each other.  You HAVE to make time for your spouse.  It’s critical to staying happy and in love.  During our engagement, I read the Five Love Languages and Josh and I speak different languages.  I’m very much a Quality Time language, and Josh is Touch.  So we make sure that at least once a week, our languages are being spoken.  Once a week we’re sitting on the the couch, unplugged from technology, cuddling and watching a movie.  If you haven’t read the Five Love Languages, I highly suggest doing so.  Reading that book changed the way I looked at our relationship.

As a Husband/Wife team, you have to learn to be effective communicators.  When I need my love language spoken, I have to tell Joshua.  I have come to the realization that my Husband is not a mind reader. If he was, he’d know I hate being told “Whatever you want” for dinner each night.

You gotta dream together. Dream big, too friends.  Josh and I have this “Five Year Plan”.  This plan includes BIG dreams.  Dreams of being debt free.  No credit cards, no car loans, no MORTGAGE, and no student loans (which really will probably be more like 10 years out…).  We have this plan of living off just my income and banking his so we can build our forever home.  We’ve both agreed if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right.  We want this house to be the Hosting House.  We envision our home being filled with laughter, cousins chasing each other, and holiday music playing through the house.  There is something so heartwarming when you talk about those plans, and you both want the same things.

There’s so much more that goes into a marriage then a simple “I love you”, but saying it MORE than once a day goes a long way.  Hugs should be given both morning, noon and night, and an opportunity for a kiss should never be missed.  These are all things I’ve learned in the first year of marriage with Joshua.  I count my lucky stars every night that he walked into my life and loved me for me.  Every flaw I have, and for every benefit there is.

If you have not found the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, don’t give up.  They’re out there somewhere.

If you’re a newlywed, never forget how you felt on your wedding day.  Have something that reminds you daily of those butterflies, you’re going to need those on dark days.

If you’re struggling in your marriage, take one day to DATE.  Find a way to fall back in love with the person that you promised forever with. For better or for worse.

“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.” —Corinthians 13:7

Once again, a HUGE thank you to Kaitlin Noel Photography for capturing these precious memories for not just Josh and I, but for our future children.  It means the world to me that they will have beautiful photos to cherish, as well.