What We’ve Learned After Being Married for Five Years

Last Friday, Scott and I celebrated our 5^th wedding anniversary- and nearly 11 years of knowing each other! I cannot believe how fast time has flown by and I started thinking about the last few years and I wanted to share our love story and what I have learned as a married couple.

Our Story

Scott and I met on Valentine’s Day 2008. We were freshmen at the University of Tennessee and Scott’s fraternity was throwing a ‘Single’s Only’ party at their fraternity house. Most of my girlfriends were going- I mean who wasn’t looking for love on Valentine’s Day?! HAHA! Once we got there, one of my friends from high school (he was in the fraternity) approached me and said that one of his buddies wanted to meet me. He walked me over to Scott and we were introduced…and basically the rest is history. No no no….jk! We started dating and had our ups and downs in college, but I knew he was the one. *As a side note, the fraternity would make us come back to the annual Valentine’s Party to show everyone that you really could find love at the ‘Single’s Only Party.’ RIDICULOUS.

After college, I moved to Memphis, TN to work as a nurse and Scott moved to Oklahoma for officer training for the Army. We were dating long distance for about 6 months and then Scott proposed on December 24, 2011. Scott and I moved to Clarksville, TN, as he was stationed at Fort Campbell, and he was deployed in September 2012 for 9 months. We ended up having nearly a two year engagement because I wanted to wait until he got home and settled back into his normal routine; I didn’t want to rush and get married before he left only to spend our entire first year as a married couple apart. Scott came home in June 2013 and we were married on November 2, 2013.

By no means are we marriage experts, but I do think we have learned a few things over the last few years that have made our marriage that much better!

Marriage is Work

This may be a little confusing- I mean, if you’re married to someone you love things should be sooo easy, right?! Well yes, but after you get married sometimes you can forget to “date” your significant other. You must put in an effort to show them that you are thinking of them. For instance, I will sometimes leave post-its on the coffee maker or in Scott’s lunch- they are just sweet little notes that I hope bring a smile to his day. I want him to know that I am thinking of him! On the weekends, Scott usually gets up before me and cooks breakfast. He typically brings me a cup of coffee in bed- I don’t know how routine started, but I love it and think it is so sweet.

It can be so easy to get in a routine where you forget to work at your marriage. Work gets busy, things start piling up, and those little things you used to do for your significant other can fall by the wayside. Don’t let this happen- always put the effort into showing your significant other how much you care and love them.

Make Time for One Another

I cannot stress this enough. Scott and I both have very busy work schedules- Scott often leaves by 5 AM in the morning and usually doesn’t get home until 5-6 PM at night. He’s usually in bed by 8:30-9 PM at night, so I will typically only see him a few hours each evening. Although I work part-time as a NP, I obviously also manage this blog as well. Oftentimes, I attend events in Nashville and travel, so sometimes Scott and I can go a few days without actually seeing each other.

By no means am I complaining- Scott and I spent over 9 months apart when he was deployed to Afghanistan. Now THAT was difficult- but we made it through and I was so grateful to him for serving our country.

We always make it a point to have at least one date night per week- this can be cooking together at home or going out. It doesn’t really matter what we do, just as long as we are together.

Don’t Ever Stop Falling in Love with Each Other

Again, I think it is so easy to settle into a routine once you have been dating/married for a while. Wake up, work, come home, dinner, bed…this cycle repeats every single day. Scott and I try so hard not to fall into this routine by mixing things up- we will go out to dinner and try new restaurants, hang out with friends, and go to the movies! 

For those of you that are single- don’t stress. Enjoy your life- have fun! Take time to focus on yourself and the things that interest you. Travel! Have fun with friends! Above all, do not worry- God has a plan for you and someone will come along who was made for you!

I hope you all enjoyed this post- I know it was a little different than what I normally share! I loved giving you guys a look into our life and sharing our story! -A