Important Things I've Learned in the Second Year of Marriage

Yesterday was me and JT's 2nd wedding anniversary! I can't believe it has already been two years since our Florida Keys wedding! I remember every detail like it was yesterday. I wanted to do a post like this last year, but truthfully I didn't really feel like I learned that much in the first year of marriage. It was our second year of marriage and the pandemic that really made me more mindful of our relationship quirks, so I figured I would share what I've learned! It should be noted that our marriage is NOT perfect. We bicker, we annoy the sh*t out of each other sometimes, and we don't always see eye to eye. But, at the end of the day we will always choose each other and we are always making an effort to better our relationship and that's part of what makes us so strong.

Important things I've learned this year:

Spending time together and spending quality time together are different. I'm sure we can all relate to this after spending a lot of extra time with our significant others during the pandemic. Sometimes you have to be intentional and put extra effort into your time together to make it feel special. Our favorite thing to do is go on trips together, but we also love driving down the street to the beach for sunset.

Being mindful of each others differences + accepting them. JT and I are different people which can make our relationship difficult at times. He's analytical, I'm intuitive. He can be a pessimist, I'm more of an optimist. He's a realist, I'm an idealist and I've realized it is so important to understand this about each other. Ultimately, this is why we are good together - we balance each other out and I love that about us.

Build each other up. We all have times when our self confidence is low and we're in a negative mindset. I think it's super important to recognize when your significant other is feeling down and to try your best to build them back up. JT is the best at this. He is super encouraging when I'm feeling down and always hypes me up.

The most important part of communication is tone + delivery. This is something I struggle with because if you know me you know I can be sassy and straightforward. Although I don't mean it, my tone can come off condescending at times and that's obviously not how I want to be. I try not to be too reactive by taking a step back and thinking about how I am going to respond in a positive way.

Communication is everything. This is a given and something I pride myself on. It is SO important to be open + willing to talk things through with your significant other. If you don’t talk about it, you can’t fix it, so open communication is KEY.

To sum it all up, I really do believe that mindfulness is a huge part of a successful marriage. Being able take a step back and really think about your actions and the way they impact your partner is so important. It's something JT and I will continuously work on throughout our marriage. We're not perfect, but we're dedicated to each other and building a beautiful life for ourselves and I am so grateful for that!

Happy Anniversary to the best teammate a wife could ask for. I wouldn't want to do life with anyone else. I love you so much JT Castner. I am beyond proud to be your wife!