6 Things I’ve Learned in 6 Years of Marriage

I cannot believe I’ve been married for 6 years (as of Saturday!). Who let a little 22 year old get married? What were my parents thinking? What were Chris and I thinking?! No, our kids cannot get married that young :)

My marriage is something I am proud of. For this day and age I can confidently say that Chris and I ‘do’ marriage really well. Do we fight? YES. Sometimes they are simple arguments and sometimes major tears are shed, but that is always bound to happen when a lot of love and passion is involved. What I’m proud of is that we know we are in this TOGETHER, for life. At the end of the day, we are family and there are always ups and downs, but family is family and that is so important to us.

Getting married fresh out of college, Chris and I have been through many stages of life together. We have grown up together. We have matured together (although men never fully mature…). I think we surround ourselves with other strong couples who encourage our marriage and that is a major blessing. We have now successfully parented for two years together and life just couldn’t get any sweeter having Chris by my side.

We also have two sets of parents who have over 60 years of combined marriage experience. Neither of our parents have ever told us marriage would be easy. We’ve witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly from both sets of parents, but they have never been anything short of loving and encouraging and the best examples for us.

Although 6 years isn’t long to some, I feel like we’ve learned a lot in six years of marriage.

1. Saying sorry is the best thing you can do. Sorry goes a long way and, as stubborn as you may be, saying sorry can really help heal the situation.
2. Do not assume your husband can read your mind. When you are glaring at them because they are relaxing and you’re doing the dishes, they seriously see nothing wrong with that situation. If you want help, ask. 99% of the time Chris will do or help with whatever I ask of him. My passive aggressive suggestions of him helping never get us anywhere. I’ve learned to ask and don’t assume he knows what you’re thinking.
3. It doesn’t matter how long you’re together, having kids changes things. Chris and I have been together 9 years and had Graham after being married for almost four years and things changed. Not necessarily good change or bad change, but things change. You go from life being easy and carefree to all of a sudden sharing attention and affection and it can be hard. But, I’ve learned that is just a season and, although things will never return to how they were, things are feeling more “normal” as we have adjusted to having a child.
4. Don’t compare your marriage to anyone else's. That couple looks happy and soooo in love. Good for them! But, you never know what people are going through and the best thing to do is worry about your marriage and know that each marriage is unique in its own way.
5. Allow girl-time and boy-time. Yes, your spouse is your best friend, but it is SO important to have friends outside of just you and your spouse. Aside from being a wife and mom, I am a friend to many girls who I love and care about. It is so important  for both Chris and I to get time with our own friends. Guys need guy time and girls need girl time and there is nothing wrong with that.
6. Listen. This one is HARD. Y’all, so hard. Everyone always wants to “win” an argument, but marriage is not about winning because you’re on the SAME TEAM!!! Chris and I are FAR from perfect, but we try to tell the other person when we need to be heard. Listening to what the other person says and needs is vital in keeping a marriage strong.

What is your marriage advice? What is the hardest advice to follow? It is number six for me!!

Maui: Days 3 + 4

Happy Tuesday, friends! I am trying to crank out these Maui recap posts so I don't forget how amazing this trip was! I still haven't had time to download all our pictures, but I am making due with iPhone pictures!

Day 3:

Monday morning was our third morning in Maui and I had read all about these Brekkie bowls. I have had one acai bowl here in the Dallas area and it was to die for, so I was excited to try one in Maui. No one else in my family had had one before and we all agreed they were okay. Honestly, the one from The Juice Bar in my absolute favorite! 

After powering up on acai, the boys headed out to golf and the girls were on a walk on the boardwalk. My mother in law wanted to see the other resorts next to ours (The Grand Wailea) and the best way to see them is from the boardwalk.

The weather was still hit or miss, so after our walk we decided to go explore some towns around Wailea. I had a list of pie places we needed to try and Maui Pie did NOT disappoint. We tried four different flavors and they were all some of the best pie we have ever had! If you're in Maui, this is a must stop!

That night we stayed in, packed our bags, and prepared to move to a different resort on a different part of the island.

Day 4:

A few months before we left for Maui we all decided that, instead of staying in Wailea at the Grand Wailea the whole week (like we had originally planned), we should split it up to see another part of the island. Now that it is all said and done, we wish we would have stayed at the Grand Wailea the whole week, but we are glad we got to experience South and West Maui. 

Tuesday morning we woke up and walked down to the pool one more time. The weather was still not total pool weather, but we didn't care! We LOVED staying at Ho'olei at the Grand Wailea. If you're traveling with your family, this is the BEST place!

The flowers on the walk smelled amazing. WE wanted the best ocean views which meant we were the very back row of condos. We got our workout in just walking to and from the pool. 

The time came and we had to say goodbye to our beautiful condo! We all agreed that we WILL be coming back!

On the way up to Kaanapali and Lahaina we had to stop at the famous pie place, Leoda's. I am a banana cream pie lover and this was so good! And, yes, I did eat the entire thing in one sitting by myself :)

I spy with my little eye my spray tan rubbing off. Allll the heart eyes (not!). 

We stopped in Lahaina to check out the Banyan Trees and eat at Paia Fish Market. We did some shopping and killed some time before our check-in time at the next resort. 

We made it to our resort, Honua Kai, and were taken away with how beautiful the beach was. The beaches on this side of the island are definitely better, but NOTHING beats the Grand Wailea. 

We got settled in, went to the pool, and then decided to walk along the board walk before the sunset. 

 

We ended the night eating at Duke's, which has my most favorite dessert in the world, Hula Pie!

And that concludes days 3 + 4! Hopefully I can squeeze days 5 + 6 into one more post!

New House Update: Master Bathroom + Fireplace

Happy Monday, friends! This weekend was a fun one! Chris and I got to attend an adult birthday party for one of our best friends on Saturday and then Sunday was spent running errands and going to the pool with friends!

Today, I want to give another house update! This blog is a journal that I love to look back on, so I want to make sure to remember this process.

This week's big hold up was our shower flooring in the master bathroom (pictured below). I don't know what we were thinking when we chose our shower floor. The only way I can describe it is if you were buying a Range Rover with cloth seats. LIKE WHO DOES THAT? No one, the answer is no one. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

See? Terrible. The floors remind me of a locker room shower. Just terrible. In my head I thought the tiles would have the appearance of concrete, but I was, so, so wrong. The sample I chose from was also a 2x2 inch tile, so I blame that as well. Our builder told us to go buy what we want and be on standby for when the tile guy returns. I am SO EXCITED for what we chose. It will be so much better!

In the store I wasn't sure how the hexagons tiles would work alongside the bigger hexagons, but I think they compliment each other perfectly!

Updated: It looks SO MUCH BETTER!

Now onto the next mess up. Obviously the guys installing our shiplap don't know Joanna Gaines. I don't hate the vertical look, but I prefer the horizontal. I WILL be incorporating vertical shiplap in the house, but you'll have the wait and see where that will be!

I am also obsessed with the subway tile surround on the fireplace!! It looks amazing!

The house is supposed to be done in August, and we can't wait! We will be doing a bunch of renovations (some things the builder wouldn't do) and work on the backyard once we close, so I am eager to get moved in and start decorating!

Happy Monday!

Eyelash Extensions: Yay or Nay?

Hi friends! Happy Friday! This week has been a busy one, but I am excited for a weekend with my boys and our friends!

Today I want to talk about eyelash extensions. In all the picture above I am wearing no eye makeup!

A few months back I got eyelash extensions in preparation for our trip to Maui. I love having eyelash extensions because it cuts back on the time it takes to get ready. Plus, on vacation I hardly wear any makeup, so at least my eyes look awake!

The initial appointment to get the eyelashes out on takes almost two hours. Y'ALL, TWO HOURS. I am not an A.D.D. person, but I was so fidgety. And, this wasn't even my first time getting them! Then, you have to go back and get them filled every 2-3 weeks. I went back and got them filled right before we left for Maui and, Y'ALL, that took well over an hour! Like, I just don't have time for that! 

Most moms would say, "Enjoy the time to relax," but all I kept thinking was how much time I was losing away from Graham and how many other things I could be doing. And, if I am being honest, if every other week I get two hours of free time, that is not what I want to be doing.

Now, I am saying this from my personal experience. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE eyelash extensions! Please don't misunderstand me. But, I just had to stop going because I couldn't sit still that long and I felt like it was a waste of time. I can put my makeup on in less than 10 minutes, so it wasn't really saving me a whole lot of time.

Fast forward to when they started falling out and, holy cow, I was left with no eyelashes. Everyday (weeks after I got them filled) I would have tons of fake eyelashes fall off and take with them a real eyelash. It was so sad when they all fell off because I used to have great, real eyelashes and I feel like I am left with nothing.

So, all-in-all, I don't hate them, but I don't think I will get them again anytime soon. I can't sit still for that long and I can't handle being left with no eyelashes.

What's is your experience with eyelash extensions?! Do you love them?

Also, does anyone with contacts recommend a great eyelash serum? I have tried a few different kinds, but they irritate my eyes really bad!

Have a great weekend!

Tips For Traveling Abroad

Chris and I had an amazing opportunity to go to Germany for eight days in April. It was really unexpected as his work told him last minute that he needed to attend a conference. His company is the absolute best and always makes sure the wives/spouses feel included, so, lucky me, I got to tag along!

We had less than two weeks from the time we found out to the time we left. Neither of us had ever been to Europe, so we were as prepared as we could be after scrambling to find people to watch G and pack all the things you need to travel across the world!

Here are my tips for travelling abroad:

1. Get to your gate ASAP. Do not just get to the airport, but get to your GATE as soon as you can. We almost missed two flights because we didn’t realize there were additional passport checks AFTER you get through security, but before you get to your gate. Us and about 100 other people didn’t realize this leaving Germany and it almost made us miss our flight! We had been at an airport cafe for over an hour just drinking coffee and reading our books when we decided to go sit at our gate. Little did we know we had to wait in a HUGE line (that an hour before wasn’t there!) just to get to our gate!

2. All you need to pack is tennis shoes, jeans, and a tee shirts. Seriously. Europe is SO casual and they were tennis shoes with everything! Dress? Tennis shoes. Suit? Fancy tennis shoes. Hardly anyone does their hair and women wear very little makeup. It was so nice to be so casual, even though I feel like I am pretty casual anyways.
3. Always have cash (in their currency) on you. You never know when your card will be accepted and a lot of places only accept cash. Also, it is very common for your credit card to require a pin number, so if you know you’ll be traveling abroad, call your credit card company and request a card with a pin. We didn’t have time to do that before we left, so we kept cash on us.
4. Get an adapter plug, but don’t assume you can use everything! Yes, you can plug things in, but European wattages/Hertz and American wattages/Hertz are VERY different, so powering your American styling tools will burn them up over there! We travel with a fan and Chris plugged it in the first night. Right away it was HUMMING on low and we thought, “This is awesome! It is going so fast!” After about 30 seconds I started to smell something burning. Ya, the motor was not made to handle the wattage, so our fan was close to catching on fire! I didn't even bring my straightener to Europe because my MIL had told me it wouldn’t work. Plus, I didn’t care about my hair. I was in Europe! So, just be prepared to charge your small electronics and that is it.
5. Know that you may have to pay to use the restroom. In Amsterdam, you had to pay to use every public restroom. I didn't know this and I had walked about a quarter a mile to go to the bathroom and when I got there, I didn’t have any money on me! In London, you could use a bathroom in a pub or restaurant, but not every place had a restroom, so just don’t wait until the last second!
6. Don’t expect your meal to come with free water, or much water at all. You have to pay for water and you hardly ever get ice. Being from Texas, we LOVE our water and ice. Since I was paying for a drink I mostly ordered wine or Coke :) They drink sparkling water, so if you want “regular” water you have to as for flat, tap, or water with “no gas.” Every country and restaurant called “regular” water something different, so I would just go down the list to try to get some non-carbonated water!
7. Don’t bring any valuables and wear a backpack instead of a purse. We hardly saw anyone carrying a purse. Most girls and guys wear backpacks. If they were carrying a purse, it was as very small cross body worn at the very front of their body. I also left my wedding rings in Texas and we Brought nothing with us that had really any value. All around London there are signs about pickpockets, so we didn’t even take a chance.
8. Be open to trying new things! Since we planned this trip so quickly, I didn’t get to do my usual itinerary. Instead, we did everything on a whim and it was fun! One day we up and went to Amsterdam without a plan. Another day we explored Cologne without a plan. We were open to trying new foods and half the time we ordered off a menu and we didn’t know what we were ordering. Just keep an open mind and be flexible!
9. Make a copy of your passports and keep that copy on you. If, for some terrible reason something were to happen, at least you’d have that form of identification on you. Chris bought this necklace thing and kept our passports in that and tucked it under his shirt as we walked around.
10. Always have an external battery charger for your phone. Being in a foreign place, we relied heavily on our phones for directions and translations. If our phones died, it would have not been good. Luckily, we each could always recharge our phones while we were out and about.