My living room is filled with piles of neatly stacked and folded laundry. A sign of a diligent and thoughtful husband, who is now asleep because of an early morning stocking the grocery store tomorrow.
I ran into a couple at the store this evening while I was picking up ingredients to make fish tacos. They just got married three weeks ago – such joy! I remember what it felt like because I still mostly feel that way too. It is still so sweet to just do basic life things with Corbin like getting groceries or cleaning the kitchen (which may or may not now include scraping suicidal pepperonis off the bottom of the oven).
However, after walking down to the soup aisle, I realized, in a panicky sort of way, that I couldn’t quite remember what exactly I felt like or what exactly we did during those first few precious weeks and months. Why didn’t I write more down? Why didn’t I journal more? Granted, at the time, I thought of these things, but I distinctly told myself no – I am going to enjoy this and savor it and not obsess over trying to write everything down. I’ll remember what I need to remember.
And so I have.
I remember the wonder, the surprise, the joy to wake up every morning next to my best friend and realize that it glorified God to do so. I remember putting together our home, organizing and straightening and putting away all.the.books. I remember the first times we had friends over for games, and dinner, and movies. I remember dressing up like Fred and Velma from Scooby Doo for Halloween. I remember cooking a lot together and eating homemade sourdough bread from our neighbor across the hall, perfecting my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, making a lot of iced coffee in our Keurig machine, and helping Corbin cook chicken. Arguing about putting the sponge back in the holder by the sink and using too much toilet paper and not putting the toilet paper on the “right way.” Sharing these joys at work with colleagues and reporting that marriage is a gift and so much better than I could even imagine. Praying a lot and hosting friends on Sunday mornings for livestreamed church. Getting flowers from Corbin and arranging them in vases. Endless conversations about the Lord, theology, our future, our present, work, life, worries, and laughs. So much laughter and lots of sitcoms.
Maybe I didn’t journal every little thing that happened in the beginning of my marriage. Maybe I didn’t journal much at all. I don’t want to idolize memory, but rather be able to look back and remember that we were so deliriously happy, in love with the Lord and praising Him for this good gift in each other, and sharing little joys every day. We still do, I am pleased to report.
Looking back on almost 11 months of marriage now, it really does only keep getting better. We know each other even better, we live with each other even better, and we are sharpening each other. I love Corbin, and we have only just begun! I don’t need to document it all to know and remember that.
H I G H L I G H T S as this infernal contraption dies on me and I have to act fast to get my charger:
-We are getting more adventurous with cooking because I got sick and tired of eating the same five things all the time. Tomorrow is fish tacos and we had some great Korean beef this past week, along with turkey meatballs.
-Current reads: we are going through the New City Catechism (“catechize me, Cap’n!”) and reading The Crucible out loud to each other (Corbin does the guy parts, I do the girl ones, and it’s a riot). I’m in an Agatha Christie dive. Still inchworming along through the Old Testament. Mired somewhere in Leviticus and Numbers. Send help.
-Beautiful weather and sometimes too-hot-but-whatever-I-need-to-get-outside-and-move weather means I am pulling Corbin outside to take walks with me around our little neighborhood. Usually this involved some sort of enticement in the shape of Starbucks iced coffee or weirdly colored Mountain Dew from the 7-11 down the street. We are trying to bike more on our little exercise bike.
-Fun recent dates: last Saturday, Corbin only worked til noon so we went out to get his watch fixed and ended up getting frozen yogurt and iced coffee. Good times! We have also tried a funky vegan restaurant last month. It’s down the street and was, happily, very gluten free. Note to self: don’t think too hard about vegan cheese or you’ll get really grossed out.
-Watching: Monk. Mighty Ducks movies. Mission Impossible movies. Kinda trying to finish Poldark as well. Three Musketeers (BBC) on the back burner.
-Playing: lots of Azul, Terra Mystica, and Seven Wonders. Corbin discovered Board Game Arena online recently and is mega hooked.
-Loving: waking up together every day. Being together. Cooking together, being together, talking and reading and praying together. just…together-ing.
Marriage is a blessing and a joy. The Lord is good! Here is to many more months and years and decades!
