8 weeks in

I was a miss the last time we spoke and now I'm a mrs with 8 weeks experience as a fully fledged wife. I feel quite good at it actually.

I love cooking, that makes me a great wife right?

What a whirlwind this whole experience has been. We had a truly perfect rainy wedding day, relaxing, beautiful and fun followed by an equally rainy honeymoon. They say that's good luck.

Now, 8 weeks with my new husband. 

I have loved the last 8 weeks. There were some special moments as well as some interesting times. Like when I was sick for most of our honeymoon and got back to Sydney feeling even worse. Like our first precious days together back home spent sitting in medical centres, doped up on antihistamine - just me, not Anth. We had so many plans for that week too, developing photos, organising furniture and all that fun stuff. Ah well, in sickness and in health it is.

There was Anthony's birthday where I cooked for my family and his and baked my first cake in our apartment (a landmark, truly!), monopoly with my sister and her boyfriend, dinner parties, lazy beach afternoons. There was even the 43 degree night which was the first time ever in the existence of heat waves I had to go without air-conditioning. Tough times indeed. 

I have learnt so much in 8 weeks. I've learnt about having something that's truly yours to look after. Something that you have that is so precious you want to take care of it and nurture it more than you have ever wanted to nurture something before. I'm not just talking about our cute apartment either which I have grown such a fondness for.

8 weeks is still considered the honeymoon period apparently and people like to remind us of that often, they also like to say 'you'll see' and 'just wait'. They also like to remind me of the fact we didn't live together before and how catastrophic it must be to live with someone I barely know (4 years together this month). If you're engaged or newlywed, block it out. All of it.  

I read this poem by F.Burton Howard that I have taken in to my marriage and thought of often in these first 8 weeks:  

Marriage

If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. 

You shield it and protect it.

You never abuse it.

You don't expose it to the elements. 

You don't make it common or ordinary. 

If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. 

It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by. 

Shield, protect, don't abuse, treat it differently, make it special and polish it so it stays. 

I hope if you're reading this and are married or hope to be one day, you'll take this with you. I've received fantastic advice so far and this is one of the best, you'll have this beautiful thing forever so look after it.

On another note, we're renovating soon. Knocking down walls, putting in a new kitchen and bathroom and all that so this blog may turn in to a renovators how-to or how-not-to depending on how we go. If it does go well, you'll see us on The Block next season. That's my plan anyway, I'll tell Anth soon.

Photo by John Benavente Photography