We Chose Each Other

I found this quote on Pinterest, and I love it. It's from The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie. I've never read the book, but this stuck out to me.

It reminds me of the advice my mom gave me and Andrew before we got married. At my family bridal shower, my sister made these adorable wood blocks that spell out "Welcome," and she had all the guests write down some advice. My mom wrote, "Always remember that you chose each other." And I think what she means is the same thing Alexie is saying. Andrew and I chose to marry each other, but that wasn't a one-time choice. It's a choice that we have to keep making every single day. We have to choose to remain faithful and choose to live by the covenants we made.

I personally think that one reason the divorce rate is so high is that people forget the choices they made and refuse to make the effort to keep making the same choices day in and day out. Marriage is hard work. It requires effort. A neglected marriage isn't going to last; it needs to be nurtured. Couples need to remember that they chose each other. This is a choice they made and one that they need to continue making.

I'm not trying to say I'm an expert on marriage. Far from it. Andrew and I haven't even been married a year, and I know we haven't exited the honeymoon stage yet. But when the hard times come, I am going to do my best to remember that I chose him. We chose each other. And we have to continue choosing each other every day.

One Year Ago Today . . .

This happened:

I can't believe it has already been a year since Andrew proposed. The time has gone so quickly. We've already been married for seven and a half months, which seems like both a long time and a very short time. I'm so glad to have Andrew in my life. He's so good to me, and I love him so much more now than I did a year ago. This past year has been wonderful, and I can't say enough how happy I am that I get to spend the years ahead with the love of my life.

Officially Official

As of this morning, I am now officially a Conelly.

(Yes, that's a sticky note. I didn't feel like sharing my driver's license info across the interwebs.)

On Tuesday afternoon, I took a long lunch and went over to the Social Security office, hoping against hope that I wouldn't have to wait too long. I was only there for about 40 minutes, which I think is pretty good compared to how long it could have been.

Then, after finally getting a second piece of mail as proof of my address, I went to the driver license office this morning before work. Let me tell you, getting there as close to when they open as possible is the way to go. I was in and out in less than half an hour. It was a pretty painless process. Even though they ended up not even needing my proof of address, which means I waited for no reason. Oh well.

I'm mostly just glad the most annoying name changes are done. Now I just have to figure out my credit cards and bank account, which hopefully won't be nearly as difficult. It will be nice when everything is taken care of and I don't have to figure out which name I'm using for what.

Just Married

Friends, it's official. We're married.

Which means, of course, that I have to create a blog specifically for our little family that is just barely starting. So here it is. Soon (hopefully) there will be more detailed posts about the wedding day, our open house, and our honeymoon to Hawaii. For now, though, I will start by saying welcome! I'm so excited about documenting mine and Andrew's life as a married couple.