Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Six Months

As of two days ago, my wonderful husband and I have been married for six months. SIX WHOLE MONTHS! I have no idea how time went by so quickly. It has been quite lovely, although riddled with lots of learning about him, myself, and who we are together. 

To celebrate such a momentous occasion, the husband and I took a short trip to my family's cabin in Montana. We had taken part of our honeymoon there six months ago. The difference between the two experiences was astronomical. While we had a great time on our honeymoon, our short stay yesterday was so much more relaxed. I felt like the experience was closer to what a stereotypical honeymoon is like. The difference is that on the honeymoon, we really did not know each other very well (plus all of the factors I mentioned in The Honeymoon), but on this trip, although we still have a lot more to learn about each other and marriage in general, we have lived with each other for six months and worked through many conflicts in that time, besides the fact that we have not been planning and stressing over a wedding for the past six months. Spectacular.

The trip was kind of like a mini marriage retreat with just the two of us. We brought along a book that we have been going through in the marriage small group that we are a part of, and spent lots of time getting to know each other better. We went through a lot of questions that I found on Pinterest, from lists like 26 questions to get a marriage talking and 50 questions to ask your spouse. We learned so much about each other and had an awesome time talking about a ton of things that usually do not come up in conversation. 

Thankfully, I was not in one of my "I will bite your head off if you do anything wrong" moods, as the trip certainly did not go according to plan. Our plans of going to dinner at a nice restaurant and soaking at some hot springs were thwarted by our truck getting stuck in a snowdrift. We took about two hours unsuccessfully trying to get it out ourselves and another two hours trying to find someone to tow us out without charging an arm and a leg. Waiting for the tow truck and getting pulled out took half an hour, and by then everything was closed except for a pizza place forty-five minutes away. While on our way there, the truck spun out on the highway and we very easily could have died if there had been anyone else on the road. But that is pretty typical for us. Things rarely go according to plan.

The whole trip was supposed to cost only $50 for fuel, because the cabin was free since my family owns it, and someone gave us a $100 Visa gift card for the wedding that we were going to use on food and fun. It turned out to be a $250 trip because of the towing and the extra fuel that we used trying to get unstuck.

I mention this because (as long as you do not have to pay for a tow truck) this is a fairly inexpensive trip and was so worth it that I highly recommend a six month anniversary trip for newlywed couples. An inexpensive hotel can be had for under $80 and camping is free. It is not necessary to go far. The main point is to spend time together. Save some money from your wedding gifts. Pack lunches and dinner. Bring a marriage book that someone gave you and some cards or a game. Spend time together. Get to know each other better.

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."  -Genesis 2:24 (ESV)

3 comments:

  1. Love this! This makes me really badly want to take a get-away trip with Caleb soon!

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  2. When we had been married a year, we went out to see hubby's family in Oregon. It did make for a nice little trip. :)

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  3. My husband and I went on a "second honeymoon" after a year. At the time my husband worked for American Airlines, so we got to fly for practically nothing. So we flew to Switzerland and toured Switzerland and Italy by train. We did everything on a shoe-string budget but it was the trip of a lifetime! And I'm so sorry yours turned out more expensive, Maurie. I guess, as you've said, it gives you a funny story to tell! I'm so glad you weren't hit when you spun out! Scary! And I love the questions you've provided. My husband and I use a book of questions at mealtimes and on dates. It's a great way to keep the conversation going--even after our 25 years of marriage!

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