I cannot believe that I have been living in Michigan for over 8 months. I feel like in some ways, it was just yesterday when we were packing up our lives, driving for 12 hours, and starting a new one here together.  We’ve only gotten lost a couple of times, thank goddness for GPS, and are learning all the quirks of a town that isn’t Lincoln Nebraska.  I know that I wouldn’t have been able to make this journey without him by my side.  Throughout the last months I have definitley learned things about myself, and the world around me; life lessons if you will.  I decided today that I would share 7 lessons that I’ve learned over the last 8 months, to give some insight into what makes me tick (in no particular order).

1. I need to have a decorated space to truly be at home.  Just a few weeks ago we finally went around the apartment and put up our photos.  We now have an awesome collage of 10 frames in our dining room and it’s become the centerpiece of our living space.  Every time I look at it I can’t stop smiling.  I never imagined that it would have such a strong effect on my happiness in this home.  Next time we move we will be doing this very soon after we arrive.

2. Becoming a real-life adult is really pretty easy.  Last year at this time I was living at home, and if we’re going to be honest, wasn’t much of an adult.  August hit, and my whole life changed.  Now the words bills, taxes, and heathcare have found their way into my vocabulary in a much more frequent rate.  I was honestly a little nervous about it all, but it really came easily.  I had bills to pay so I paid them.  We had taxes to do, so we did them.  We needed heathcare, so we figured out our best option and went with that.  It just kind of happens, which is kind of awesome.

3. Marriage is pretty wonderful. I mean, I knew that.  I knew that I was marrying the love of my life, but there is so much to it that I wasn’t expecting.  When Ben went to Chicago for a few days for a conference, he sent me videos every morning of different things.  Where he was staying, his walk to the conference, whatever.  Seeing his face and hearing his voice just made my heart swell.  Also, having someone be your true teammate in everything.  Even if I missed a package for something that is totally mine, he drove across town to get it.  Being there for each other has never felt quite like this, and it’s just so wonderful and comforting.

4. I need to stay busy.  I’ve always known that I function much better if I’m busy, but never as much as I know it now.  If I’m in motion, I stay in motion, but if I’m at rest, you’ll never pull me away from my 10 hour marathon of Dexter on Netflix.  Before things really got started for me here in the fall, I almost went crazy.  Mentally and physically I felt like I was just bleh.  I need to keep myself busy, but I also need to remember that busy can mean taking on a new hobby that is only for fun (which I did recently).  The more I do, the more I get done.

5. Weekly date night has been a wonderful thing for our marriage.  We decided before we said “I do” that we wanted to have weekly date night.  Sometimes its going out to dinner or a movie, other times it’s just catching up on our TV shows with a bowl of popcorn.  Either way, we put away the eletronics and spend an evening paying attention to each other.  Even when things have gotten hard, we know that we always have one night a week where we can be joyful together.  It reminds me that I’m in Michigan because I want so badly to support this wonderful man who is contantly making me so happy.  And when the rest of lift gets hectic, we know that we’ll have date night; we make it a big priority. I suggest any married couple get into a routine of dating each other again.  You’ll be amazed at how wonderful it is.

6. This move has really taught me how to be alone.  That sounds crazy, but it’s not something I’ve really spent that much time doing in my life.  Growing up, my grandparents were always around when my mom wasn’t.  In highschool, I was always at school busy with something.  In college, I lived in a dorm with quite a few friends and then in a sorority where there is ALWAYS someone willing to distract you from homework.  This year, I’ve spent a lot of time alone, and I’m learning how to deal.  I love people, which is one of the reasons I love photography, but there are some benifits to being alone when you know how to make the most of it.

7. Photography is not only my passion and my calling, but it is who I am at my most inner core. I had a realization a few months ago that being a photographer, specifically a wedding photographer, makes up a large part of who I am.  I’ve never really understood what having a calling truly means until now.  It’s not just something that I want to do, or love to do; I have to do it.

-Meghan