It’s official; Isaac and I have made it out of the hardest two years of marriage… so they say. I don’t know who “they” is, but these last two years have been some of the absolute best. That’s not to say that things haven’t been tough, but I couldn’t imagine going through life with anyone else.
October 3, 2020 was definitely in the top three moments of my life, but since then here are a few things we’ve celebrated together in our marriage:
- The birth of our son, James.
- Our amazing trip to Ireland. I never did write a blog about it, so this one is littered with photos from that trip. Since I had graduated college and we were pregnant, Isaac and I never got to go on a honeymoon right after the wedding. Instead, this last May, we finally took the plunge and traveled across the ocean together. Fun fact: Isaac and I had never flown together before this trip!
- We found out we are expecting again. Baby Grassel #2 coming January 2023!
- Isaac was promoted.
- Isaac’s promotion came with a new job title and a new unit in our favorite place – Spearfish.
- With the promotion…. we are selling our first home together and are under contract with the dream house in Sturgis! (More on that soon.)
It may sound like our first year was pretty quiet, because honestly most of what we’ve celebrated together has happened in the last six months… but the first year was navigating parenthood and remaining sane! Not exactly an easy feat to tackle.
My 3 Pieces of Personal Advice for Marriage
Don’t read into these too much. I am by no means a marriage professional, but here’s what I’ve learned in the last two years!
- Happy spouse, happy house. I hate the other phrase, honestly. It takes two for a marriage to be successful, so make sure you are both happy.
- Part of ensuring that happiness – being completely open and honest with one another. Don’t be afraid to sit down when a conversation needs to be had.
- Remember to date each other. Keep the love alive. Dating doesn’t mean going out once a week or even monthly, it just means to schedule in time to do something you love together. Go for a hike, watch your TV show. This became more important to remember when we became parents.
