8 Life Lessons from the Last 8 Years

It was a “balmy” 83 degrees on this day eight years ago when KPW and I decided to tie the knot. We packed a tiny white chapel to the brim for a ceremony many years in the making that included a reference to our ‘burrito break-up’, Thanksgiving dinner at the reception, and what I would argue is best DJ in history (our friends still talk about him). An unforgettable celebration from start to finish.

When I told my best friend Grace that I was finally starting a blog, she made me promise that I would write out our whole love story from meeting in 2004 until getting married in 2012. Until I can get started on that project, and in honor of our wedding anniversary today, I thought I’d share 8 life lessons from the last 8 years:

1.     Making decisions for what will work best for our nuclear family, without influence of outside parties, has led to some of our greatest adventures and biggest growth moments. It’s hard to turn off the noise, especially when it’s coming from people you love, but ultimately, it’s so important.

2.     Sometimes Lucky Charms or a peanut butter & jelly sandwich are considered a gourmet dinner.

3.     No one else is in our exact marriage and comparison is the thief of relationship joy. KPW has sent me flowers exactly one time in our entire relationship. He also lets me hang pink curtains in our living room and understands the importance of my manicure-pedicure in our monthly budgeting. And I regularly (pre-Covid) buy flowers for the house at Trader Joes. This works out well for us.

4.     One of the greatest gifts we have given to each other is the continued effort to get to know one another. We’ve been together for 15+ years but still make efforts to learn new things about each other by asking questions, telling stories and genuinely being interested in what the other person has to say.

5.      Last one out of the bed makes the bed for the day. And yes, we make the bed every day. I promise it is worth it. There is researched proof.

6.      Time away just the two of us, post-babies, has been critical for the health of our marriage. It takes a ton of work and some very generous help from family, but we make it a priority to get away 2-3 times a year, even just for an overnight or weekend. PS: It didn’t happen for the first year+ after AGW + WPW were born.

7.     Pick your pet names carefully, as you might just watch your tiny offspring use them to get your attention. “Hoooney, can you help me.”

8.     Marriage is work but I think it’s the best kind of work. Someone used the word ‘vocation’ and that seems fitting. I think people often equate ‘work’ with hard or bad. I think it means ‘requires effort’, which I would argue is critical to any relationship – marriage, friendship, family, children, etc.

Dear KPW, thanks for these last 8 years and here’s to 8×8 more.

Have your own lessons? Feel free to share them in the comments below <3

Love,

KNW

PS: If you haven’t seen it before, you can take a walk down memory lane of our wedding day over on Southern Weddings.