It’s been one year since Matt and I stood in front of our closest friends and family, and made a vow to stand by each other for the rest of our lives. So much has happened between now and then, part of me can’t believe it’s only been one year. But, on the other hand, that day, so full of joy and love seems like it was just yesterday.
For anyone getting married this summer or in the months to follow, cherish it. You will likely never again have an occasion where so many important people in your life will be together in one place. I know planning a wedding can be stressful, and wrought with expectation, but when the day arrives, leave all that behind and just be there with all the people who have come out to celebrate with you. At the end of the day, it won’t be the table decorations, the signature cocktail or place settings that you, or your guests will remember. It will be the time you get to spend talking, dancing and laughing with the people who have showed up to support you as you take this big and exciting step with the person you love.
In the same way, I try to remind myself that this lesson is something I can apply to my daily life as well. In the midst of busy schedules and day to day responsibilities, it’s easy to let life fly by without taking the time to slow down and appreciate all the little things along the way. So today, though part of me is tempted to just let this anniversary pass by like any other day, I wanted to take some time to look back on some of my favorite memories of our first year of marriage.
The wedding itself was an incredible start to what turned out to be a year full of change. The fact that we are now living so far from friends and family makes these memories all the more sweet.
A week after the wedding we set off on a short honeymoon to Banff in Alberta Canada, where we drove, hiked and hammock-ed our way through Banff National Park.
In the months that followed the wedding, we settled back into day to day life. We got to see friends experience exciting milestones as we celebrated their engagements, weddings and baby announcements.
While on the honeymoon, we received news that I had been invited to a conference that would be held in the UK in October, and with vacation time to spare we decided to tack on a week and travel through France and Spain. We made our way from London to Paris, through the South of France and finally to Barcelona, sight seeing and eating our way through some beautiful cities and small towns.
When we got back to the states, I finally received a final offer for a 2 year assignment in Santiago, Chile. Though we had been interested in moving overseas for quite awhile, it was hard to believe it was actually a real option. We took a deep breath, signed the contract and began to prepare to move our lives 5000 miles south.
In the meantime, we enjoyed the time we had left in Cincinnati, the city that had become our home. We spent as much time as we could with friends and family before we finally had to say goodbye.
We packed up our belongings in boxes and suitcases, posted items on craigslist and ebay and made lots and lots of trips to goodwill.
Finally, the time came for us to head to the airport. Together, we waved goodbye to my parents and to the lives we had come to know in the United States. We were excited and scared, but it was easier knowing we weren’t doing it alone.
In February, we landed in our new home…
…we found our first apartment…
…and we started to explore a new city and country together.
We took trips to the beach…
…and the mountains…
…and the vineyards.
We visited Buenos Aires…
…and Easter Island.
And in between we enjoyed a lot of small, boring moments, that made this first year of marriage fun and difficult and exciting and frustrating all at the same time. A big thanks to everyone who has supported us throughout our relationship, and an even bigger thanks to my husband, who has loved me every single day, whether that looks like relaxing together on a beautiful beach or comforting me when I’m sad and homesick. Here’s to many, many more years to come!