What Love Is

It's been a year since I walked down the aisle to Rory Alexander. One whole year. I cannot believe all that God has done in this last year- we both have new jobs, we've moved and bought a house (!!!), and it just seems like the good times keep coming. God has given us a community of friends and family that surround us and made this first year so wonderful. We've traveled, explored, and learned so much about one another. And everyone keeps telling us that it gets better with time. I think I just might be starting to believe them.

The love we had for each other in the beginning was so bright-eyed and fun, and now I feel that our love is so much deeper. I can't wait for how I will feel when we are twenty years in with kids and so much more history between us and a family that we call our own. This little space was a place where I was able to process, and y'all were so gracious to me as we found our way. I still stand by my thoughts that I wrote just a few months into our first year- marriage isn't hard. Life is hard. But marriage is good. And life is good.

When I dreamed about being married as a little girl, I often envisioned flowers, romantic dinners, and a perfect little home. We're only a year into this, and already my perspective on what love is has changed so much.

Love is when you take out the trash when you really would rather sit on the couch.
Love is being a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold onto.
Love is when Ror makes dinner because I'm an emotional mess and just can't even.
Love is watching a movie ~~you'd rather sleep through-~~ and staying awake. (Right, babe? ;))
Love is driving during a road trip when you're tired, too.
Love is being excited when your best friend comes home from work.
Love is loading and unloading the dishwasher.
Love is making brownies just because.
Love is a card on your dashboard to wish you a good day.
Love is choosing to let it go instead of fighting to have the last word and be heard.
Love is getting dressed up for a date night and getting the appetizers and drinks, too.
Love is silly nick names that are super lame and mushy because they're just more fun that way.
Love is early morning cuddle sessions.
Love is late night prayers after a bad dream.
Love is tolerating hangry diatribes.
Love is breakfast in bed.
Love is Netflix and chill (in a fort, of course) for date night.
Love is a look across the room that needs no words.
Love is laughing until you cry and can't breathe because your stomach hurts so bad.
Love is way too much fun.
Love is being known in all the best and worst ways.
Love is hard.
Love is good.
Love is worth it.