On Marriage

At the risk of sounding sappy, romantic, and a little heartsick, Justin and I are about to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary and it's amazing to me how fast the time has gone! As I was telling my parents when they were here, we are going through a very stressful time and because we have chosen to uproot our lives and move 3,300 miles away from our home and friends here in Boston, and our family in Georgia. It's a huge step and we didn't make the decision lightly. However, it has really brought us closer (although ironically, geographically we are much further apart for now), our marriage is stronger than ever. I think daily to myself that there is no one else on this planet that I would rather be married to, or going through this time with, than Justin.

Our first dance at our wedding was to a song that was very special to us: "Better Together" by Jack Johnson. It described our life at the time (graduating, moving to Boston, leaving everyone dear to us):

There's no combination of words
that I could put on the back of a postcard.
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart.
Our dreams; they are made out of real things,
Like a shoebox of photographs
With sepiatone loving.
Love is the answer
At least for most of the questions in my heart ,
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy,
And sometimes life can be deceiving,
But I'll tell you one thing,
its always better when we're together.

I believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleep
Hey now, and when, and when I wake up,
You look so pretty sleeping next to me
But there is not enough time,
And there is no, no song I could sing
And there is no combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thing,
We're better together.


Marriage is a funny thing. I feel like we've done it long enough now to know that it has ups and downs, highs and lows. You get really tired and irritated with the other person, and sometimes you just need a break. But it's times like these, when we are apart and things are exciting and new and stressful, that I am very thankful for what we have.
 
There is a new song out (well maybe not so new, but I just heard it for the first time a few days ago.) It has beautiful words and it reminds me of Justin and that warm May day when we said our vows. I can only hope that our next 5, 10, 20, 50 years are this good!
 
Forever can never be long enough for me
To feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do
Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way
Marry Me
Today and every day
Marry Me
If I ever get the nerve to say
Hello in this cafe
Say you will

Together can never be close enough for me
To feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you
And you're beautiful
Now that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown her my way
Marry me
Today and every day
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say
Hello in this cafe
Say you will