Two Years

Matt and I celebrated 2 years of marriage yesterday. We have packed quite a bit of change into two short years. We've lived in three locations in two different cities, switched jobs and ended jobs, had a baby, and bought a house. People have asked me if I can believe it's already been two years, but really, it feels like much longer than that! It's been two years filled with adventure and uncertainty, growth, much transition, and a whole lot of learning to rely on our Savior - the only unchanging thing in this world. It has been two years filled with enormous blessings, and one we will look back on with great joy.

Little N went down just after 7, and we headed out for a little date night at a brand new restaurant in Franklin called Gray's. Dining out is one of our favorite things to do together, but unfortunately those nights are few and far between as of late. We enjoyed it all the more, though, and spent our evening recounting our adventure-filled first two years and discussing a few goals for the coming year.

Last year, we decided to exchange the traditional anniversary gifts, and year two is cotton. Matt brought a lovely bouquet home and gave me a dress to wear for the night! Between you and I, it is actually 100% polyester, but I love it all the same :). 

I, of course, tried to make a crafty keepsake and a card. It didn't turn out quite like I had envisioned, but it will be fun to look back on. And I think it's actually kind of cute :). 

In case this needs explanation...in year two, we had a baby and bought a house. 

Anyhow, on to our date night pics. We have a nice camera, but I mainly use the auto flash off setting because I haven't taken the time to learn how to use it... Matt loves to experiment with all the settings and knows more about cameras than I do so with his help I attempted to go manual. Bear with me, guys. It was dark.

I rarely drink a cocktail, but I like to try different things when we're out. This one was gin, lemon, strawberry, rhubarb with peppercorns floating on top. So different!

Shrimp & grits and black-eyed peas falafel in the background.

If you live in or are visiting Nashville, go check out Gray's! I loved their decor (everything is made from reclaimed wood), and they have a fun twist on southern food.

+, Lauren Aiken

1 Year {What I've Learned, Part II}

This post is a continuation from 1 Year {What I've Learned, Part I}.

What is your favorite part of marriage?

This is by far the most common question we are asked. I always have two answers, and I think Matt's answers are the same as well.

1. Sharing each day with my best friend. Hands down. Whether it's a good day, a boring day, or a really crappy day, I am so thankful that Matt is here to share in my joy and suffering, and that I can share life with him! I love learning new things about each other constantly, changing together, challenging each other, growing together, and just being together.

2. Being able to show the world that marriage is good. Our culture has distorted what marriage is really all about - displaying Christ's love for the church. It makes no sense to those who aren't believers, but marriage doesn't make sense apart from Jesus. The church is his bride just like I am Matt's (except Christ loves perfectly). Everything in our culture screams that marriage is a burden and something to be delayed until later. Men are often portrayed as bad leaders, and fighting poorly is the norm. 

I am so thankful that we can use our relationship to speak truth to others, to communicate that marriage is redeeming and good. Of course, we have bad moments, and in those moments we can turn from being selfish and ask God to help us serve one another with grace instead of becoming bitter or judgmental. I'm thankful for a husband that encourages me daily and is for me, not against me. Who is quick to apologize and who forgives me when I mess up. 

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 

John 15:12-13

What has God shown you more about himself in the past year?

Our Father is faithful. Throughout the past few years, God has shown me that I am not in control, even though at times I feel that I should be. This past year, specifically, I have seen God's goodness to Matt and I over and over again!

Through all of the changes - getting married, moving to Seattle, being members of different churches, making new friends, deciding to grow our family, Matt losing his job, packing up, saying goodbyes, and finally moving to Nashville - God has kept his promises to be faithful. When the questions of where next, when, why now, and how in the world will we get through this were on our mind, God stilled our hearts, quieted our cries, and has shown us that he is faithful. In all our attempts to rely on ourselves or even each other, the Lord has smiled and seen Jesus's death on the cross instead of turning to someone other than the good and righteous King.

Honestly, Matt and I have no idea why we are in Nashville. All I can say is I love it more than I imagined I could, and Matt knows we belong here even in the face of hardship. We are here, firmly planted on the Rock. We still have questions and still want answers, but we are desperately caught up in the arms of our Savior and thankful for the changes this year has brought. 

Remind yourself this week. Jesus is faithful! Read Acts and see that he is faithful.

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:9-14

+, Lauren Aiken

1 Year {What I've Learned, Part I}

Thank you so much for your comments this week, as they have helped me to reflect on the past year! As I began answering them, I realized that had fairly lengthy responses to some of them. So today, I'll answer a few questions, and I'll be answering a couple next week as well. 

How did you know you would marry Matt after such a short time?

Matt and I dated, got engaged, planned a wedding, and got married within exactly 5 months of meeting. Yes, it is fast. And unconventional in today's world. You can read more of our story here. I knew I wanted to marry Matt within a week of our first date. I knew that was God's plan for us a couple of months later when Matt proposed.

By the end of our first date, which was basically an entire day, I knew these things:

1. Matt loves Jesus with all his heart.

2. Family is very important to him.

3. He has a heart for people, for loving and serving them.

4. I enjoyed being around him immensely.

While making the decision to marry someone is not this simple, these 4 things were an answer to many prayers and enough information that I was willing to get to know him more, even if that meant he was moving away in about a month.

This photo was taken on our first date at the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC.

Is there anything you would have done differently on your big day?

If we had been engaged for longer than three months, I would have loved to add more DIY elements. For instance, making pretty centerpieces would have been really fun! With a limited amount of time, I chose to arrange simple pillar candles on mirrors.

What was your favorite memory from your wedding day?

Can I have two?? My favorite moment of the ceremony was walking down the aisle, looking Matt in the eye, and realizing that most of our family and friends from different stages of life were in the same place at the same time, which will probably never happen again! My favorite memory of the reception was the moment the dance floor opened. We played Dance Until The World Ends by Brittany Spears because we had listened to it in the car on our first date. Matt, his roommate, and his (now) wife were all dancing to this song, while I just sat awkwardly in the front seat... Dancing the entire night was a blast!

Sunset Hills Vineyard in Purcellville, VA

How do you keep your relationship fun once you've gotten into a routine of living together?

Matt and I are best friends but have pretty different interests :). Matt could watch a movie every night, while I can hardly keep my eyes open for 30 minutes. I love to walk around and window shop, and Matt couldn't care less about wandering stores - he is on a mission when he shops! So we've had to really try to find a few things that we both enjoy together. Both of us love food. One of our favorite things is going out and trying a new restaurant, and once we find some we like, we tend to go there often! We also like going on walks together. We end up talking more if we're walking than when we're just sitting on the couch trying to think of things to talk about. For us, finding mutual interests has been integral to continuing to grow our friendship and have fun together. I'd say that taking interest in the other person's hobbies even if they are not our personal favorite thing to do has been equally important. For example, Matt certainly does not sit around and craft with me, but he will ask about what I'm working on and compliment my results. And for a month, we played a video game together for an hour every Saturday.

"Date night" is another fun thing we do together. We try to set aside one night each week to focus on each other, whether that means going out on a date or staying in and watching a movie together. Honestly, the majority of nights this first year have been spent together, apart from Matt traveling for work or the occasional couple hours we will spend with a friend. However, we decided it was important to make "date night" a routine now since a growing family will demand more divided attention down the road. So each week, we designate a date night and try to make it a little more special than the other nights of the week. I know it is something we will grow to treasure later on!

Even though we've been together most nights, we don't always want to do the same thing. We recently set up an area in our apartment where Matt can work/play games on his computer and I can craft/blog. Our desks are set up back to back so we can talk and enjoy each other while still working on our own hobbies. We spend a lot of time here on Saturdays when we aren't out doing something.

Finally, I just have to say that our days now are way more fun than the first few months of marriage! Yes, it exciting figuring out how to live together, but it is also a challenge! Everyone brings preconceived notions of how living together works, who will have certain responsibilities, how much time will be spent face to face, etc. And figuring all of that out takes some time. Once we were in more of a routine, I think we both were more relaxed and able to just enjoy each other :). Overall, as time passes, we seem to appreciate and enjoy each other more and more. It's so much fun being married to my best friend!

I'm so sorry that I didn't get to all of your questions today. I'll answer the next two questions early next week:

What is your favorite part of marriage?

What has God taught you more about himself in the past year?

+, Lauren Aiken