Today's Thoughts on Love are brought to you from Mallory at Mal's Miles. Mallory is another sorority sister from college (Go Kappa! Go Gamecocks!). Although we haven't seen each other in a bit, she motivates me each day to work out and eat right! She is such an inspiration. She motivated me to try BodyPump and I'm so proud that she's completed her BodyPump certification! Congrats, Mal! Here are her thoughts on love.
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Being engaged is enchanting. You are hopelessly in love with your future husband and focused on planning the perfect wedding. Your wedding day is even better than you could have imagined and followed by a relaxing honeymoon. Then what? We overlook that life goes on and your marriage begins after the wedding. DLW & I have been married for 10 months today. I can’t say that our married life is all that different than before but we have certainly learned a lot since we said, “I do” on April 7, 2012.
L: Life. Married life together begins when the honeymoon ends you fall back into your normal routine. Work is always busy, DLW attends evening classes at a local college, and we have an obligation almost every weekend. To make sure life doesn’t get in the way of our marriage, we have a standing date night every Friday. It gives us something to look forward to all week and we often go with friends to be social. Nobody likes the newlyweds who hole up in their love shack and their friends.
O: Openhearted. To be openhearted is to freely express emotions and opinions. Openly communicating your emotions and opinions is essential to a healthy relationship… even if your spouse might not agree with you. Any disagreement DLW & I have had has sprung from a tiny issue that we kept inside until we couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe your husband gives the dog too many table scraps or your wife’s hairs end up all over the shower. You are learning to live together and working out the kinks. Respectfully initiate the conversation and suggest an alternative.
V: Vows. Whether you wrote your own vows or stuck with the traditional set, you said them because they mean something to you and you should live your vows daily. I spent hours writing our vows to include our love, values, and commitment. I often ask myself if I am living the line, “I will strive to make our life good and easy.” How can I make DLW’s life easier? What can I do to reduce his stress level? Making our life good and easy is as simple as washing his uniform or taking the dogs out in the early morning so he can get a little extra sleep. Our vows are the most important promises we make to our spouse. Ask yourself what you can do this week to live your vows.
E: Encouragement. You are your husband’s biggest fan and he is yours. DLW’s endless support has helped me reach several goals over the past year. He is either cheering on the sidelines or running next to me during my races and he always has encouraging words when I need them the most. Be there for your husband and he will be there for you. Encourage him to set goals and support him to reach those goals.
Finding the love in your everyday married life isn’t always easy. Keep an open heart, live your vows, and encourage each other. The best is yet to come.
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Happy 10 Month Anniversary! Make sure to follow Mallory at Mal's Miles! She has the cutest pups, plus great ideas for staying healthy and in shape. Thanks, Mallory!
xoxo,
Alex
I love this post! Great advice, Mal! Adam & I will say "WE DO" in 107 days (but who is counting?!) so this post really rings true for us. You included a lot of topics that we have been discussing lately.
ReplyDeleteWho knew we had so many EK bloggers?! I guess we all have a lot to say! Thanks for posting this, Alex! It was fun to write and think about what love means after you say "I do."
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