10 years of marriage

Today marks the 10-year wedding anniversary for D and me.

It’s hard to believe that only 10 years ago, I was waking up in a hotel room, accompanied by my best friends, my cousin, and my sister, preparing for one of the best days of my life. We had breakfast, with our nails and tans already done a few days earlier, then settled in for hair and makeup.

For the first time in my life, I arrived at an event early.

“Do you want me to turn and come back?” our driver asked, watching some of our guests sprint inside, worried they were late.

“God no, he’ll think I’ve bailed! We’ll just go hide in the dairy.”

It was such an amazing day.

We got married under one of the most beautiful trees I’d ever seen, which later toppled during an intense storm on the Sunshine Coast. It’s not here anymore, but we still are.

The first time we saw the tree, we knew that was the location. We draped it with a giant cloth to make our altar. Grand decorations weren’t necessary. It was already perfect.

While we took photos, our guests played cricket, dined and drank, and then we all partied in the old dairy farm. Back then the floors were gravel, the original timber beams all exposed, and the wall was made from corrugated iron. It was rustic, and we loved it. It didn’t need any decorations either.

We kept the table designs simple. My now mother-in-law had made the cutlery sets for us from hessian and lace. We bought old photo frames from thrift shops, and spray-painted them white. The names were of all the places we had travelled together. The seating chart and wedding signs were made from old timber pallets D’s dad had salvaged from work, adorned with simple gift tags, and more decorations from thrift shops. The timber rounds on the tables came from D’s parents’ backyard.

Our wedding represented everything we are today – simple and made with love.

We did it together, with a little help from our family and friends.

The first few months of our wedded life were chaotic.

• Married in November.
• Bought a house in December.
• Moved in January.
• Fell pregnant in February.

10 years later, life is still chaos. We don’t sit still; we’re always busy, or planning the next thing.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Last night I wrote D a letter and gave it to him this morning.

Here we are, 10 years later. Could we have predicted that we would still be here, all this time later? I could. I think I knew much faster than I wanted to let on, even if you weren’t as sure. 

I’m so proud of us. We’ve had challenges, and it hasn’t been easy. Life has thrown us curveballs. We’ve had to learn a lot of lessons. How to communicate, and express our needs, to explain what was troubling us, and when to seek help. 

But through it all, our love for each other was never in doubt.

I love you more than I could ever know how to explain. 

Even if you are sitting beside me bitching about iPhones. 

Maybe if you had your Crocs on right now I’d love you a little less. 

Moving on. 

You’re my favourite thing to wake up to. I miss you when you’re gone. 

Nothing feels better than falling asleep with your arm around me. Unless it’s summer, you haven’t let me put the aircon on, and your body heat is suffocating me.

I love how you mentally challenge me. I love that you’re always ready and willing to find new ways for us to enjoy each other’s company. I love the little gifts that you leave for me. I love when I hear you call me your wife. I love when you rub my feet. 

I love that you’ve taken on the challenging responsibilities at home like cooking and budgeting, knowing that you do it because it’s for the good of the family. You protect us and you provide for us. 

You keep us safe.

And caffeinated. 

I love your drive and passion when you get excited about something new. Your conviction to always do the right thing. I love that you’re the sensible one while letting me be the definition of chaos. I love that you put aside your own conservative nature sometimes so I can live out my dreams. I love that we can be who we are, and be those same people together. I love our differences and our balance. 

The life we have built together is beyond my wildest dreams. To have this family unit, this house, this everything…

I love you. 

I am so grateful for you. 

I can’t wait to see where we are in another 10 years, and what crazy stories I’ll have to reflect on then. 

Oh and by the way, can I start planning our next overseas holiday? 

Also I bought you a present even though we said no presents. You’re welcome.

Today I’m so very grateful.