It’s hard to believe that it has already been four whole weeks. Truthfully, this first month of marriage has flown by for both of us. As you read in the last blog, or may have heard Charlie say (it’s his favorite story), 8 of the last 30 days were spent in Mexico, so how could it be bad?
As we have begun adjusting to this new normal, we wanted to write a blog together to share what we’ve learned thus far.
- Be INTENTIONAL—you’ve heard us say this before. Intentional was our word from the very first weekend we went on a date, and it has stuck ever since. We’ve seen it happen with friends, family, acquaintances—they begin to feel unseen, unheard, unloved…it’s a major issue in our society. Ask yourself every day, is my spouse getting the best of me, or just my leftovers?
- Keep going on dates! We’ve made it a plan to have at least one date day/night a week. No phones, just each-others undivided attention to truly communicate without distraction and to make new memories. We want to get in this habit now because we know once kids come along, this will be even harder to do, but even more important!
- Cherish each other—while we were engaged we read a book called Cherish by Gary Thomas. The little things matter—what can you be doing to show the other person you truly care? Maybe it’s coming home from a long day of work to dinner and the chores being done, or maybe it’s walking your dog in the snow while the other stays warm inside.
- Communicate early and often—have something bothering you? TALK ABOUT IT! Don’t let things build up and eat away at you until you blow up. If there is an issue, find a win-win solution—don’t let there be a winner or a loser.
- Have fun, be playful. Don’t think that just because you’re an old married couple now that you can’t flirt with each other!
We hope this blog will encourage others in their marriage, but most importantly will serve as a reminder for us in the years to come. As the years go by and the “newness” fades, we want to be able to look back to see what made our marriage so strong in the beginning.
We are obviously still very new at this marriage thing and just figuring it out, so if you have tips that you would add to the list drop them in the comments below!
We are so excited and expectant for how God is going to move in this new season. He continues to remind us on a daily basis, that He is in control, and that as long as He is our foundation, together we can move mountains.
Marriage, thirty days in. Best. Decision. Yet.
Charlie H. Brooks 