Hardest Moments From The First Year

Well hello lovelies, just as last Wednesday, today I am teaming up with nine other June brides like myself to bring you posts about our first year of marriage with different topics of discussion every week. Last week we discussed our funniest moments from the first year, you can read ours HERE, but today the topic of discussion is: Hardest Moments From The First Year. Join in on the fun, details below!

Calling all engaged and newlywed gals! 

What would you say if I told you 10 newlywed bloggers are linking up to bring you an entire year's worth of marital advice for a one time only June series!? Whelp, get excited! 

Meet the forever newly wedded Brides!

Ashley @ It Is What You Make It // Kalyn @ Love.Laughter.HappilyEverAfter  // Mallory @ From California to Kansas // Karla @ Forever Newly Wedded // Maggie @ A Weaving of Grace 

Samantha @ Designer in Teal // Veronica @ Passion.Pink.Pearls // Kaitlyn @ Wifessionals // Emily @ Newlywed Moments // Callie @ My Something New With You

Each of the 10 Brides shown above have been married exactly one year as of June 2013. We will be posting each Wednesday during the month of June on 4 topics of marriage, while including our trials, triumphs, and all that fell in-between. The goal of this link-up series is to encourage the pursuit of love, joy, and hardships within a sacred marriage, all of which are completely worth each minute the Lord provides with our better half. 

If you are engaged, or married, we invite you to write on the topics with us and link up your posts. It doesn't matter if you are engaged and planning your big day, are a newlywed, or if you have been married 25 years... All the marital advice contributed, all the better for everyone involved! 

Visit our blogs today to meet our spouses and learn about our weddings! 

The Topics: 

June 5- Funny Moments From The First Year

June 12- Hardest Moments From The First Year

June 19- What Have You Learned From The Unexpected and How Have You Grown as a Couple During The First Year

June 26- Anniversary Celebration Recap 

We look forward to reading about your engaged, newlywed, and marriage journeys! If you have any questions feel free to email Kalyn here. 

Looking back before the "I Do's" it seemed like everyone told me how the first year would be the hardest. Honestly, I'd like to ask those people that expressed that to me then "At what point was it suppose to be considered the hardest year?". Sure we had a few set backs because of health problems I encountered which I will discuss briefly later and there were a few occasions when we simply didn't agree about something, but nothing out of the ordinary that we just couldn't work out comes to mind, only a few things that just happened to make life uneasy just for the moment. Here are a few of those moments.

In sickness and in health: The first hardest moment that comes to mind for me is my health at the very beginning of our marriage. It all started the very day of our wedding and went on throughout our honeymoon and on to a few weeks into our life at home. Being newly married, it was very hard to be close to my husband then because of these problems I was having and I even felt less of a wife for him at times because of this hardship I was facing that I knew I couldn't help. After many doctor visits and continuous prayer we decided it was time to find a new doctor, and after that things began to change. The table had finally turned just as it always does and I got better within time and haven't had a problem since. Praise God. It was such a relief to finally feel like myself again, and we both realized afterwards that we had successfully practiced the "in sickness and health" part of marriage. This moment was very testing for us, but we held on to our faith and it pulled us through. It's hard for me to understand how couples go through life without God in such trials as these, sure you have each other but together you need more than yourself, you need Him the most in a marriage I do believe.  

Heartbreak: While it may seem silly for a couple like us to weep over a missing cat, we did. If you are a long time follower of ours, you know our balinese kitty Mila. We adopted her a few weeks after we wed and she is very much apart of our lives. At the beginning, she was an inside kitty all the way but before long the cat shedding began and the husby had, had enough of white furball tumbleweeds rolling in his path so we sadly had to put her outside. Well one day we realized she was gone, we looked everywhere (even the refridgerator) but she was no where to be found. Husband skimmed every trace in the woods every day of the four days she was missing. We were heartbroken and time just stood still in that moment for us because a part of our heart was gone and we were so scared something had happened to her. We posted a many of homemade flyers on every other tree and country store with a $100 dollar reward and people thought we were just insane. The very next day we received a phone call from a dear friend of ours telling us that she had spotted her just across the road from us being chased by a poodle. Tears filled my eyes and I even giggled a little after hearing a poodle of all things was the host of our problem now. While we didn't know for sure if it would actually be our Mila she had seen, we had hope that it was. And that was plenty enough. It was getting dark and the phone rang again, it was Husby this time. His voice was high in excitement as he told me he had her in his very arms! I stood at the front door until I seen headlights coming down the drive, my arms were more than ready to hold her in my arms. We couldn't believe that we had her back home, life was finally back to the norm. Read more about this story HERE and HERE.

Loss: Seeing anyone in pain over losing a loved one is bad enough, but seeing your best friend, your soul sister whom you had grown up with as a child having to bury her daddy, who was likewise a father figure to you.. is the worst. Out of all the circumstances we had been through together: our first menstrual cycles, our first crushes, first jobs, high school then college and so on.. I never thought I would have to help her through this, and I could never have prepared myself for it. It was hard. Harder to watch. And even though she is now miles away from me, I think about her everyday and what she's going through and that is the hardest. I can't imagine. From the day I received her text saying that her daddy had died, I was useless to this world. My hands were tied from all the things among me in that moment, and all I wanted to do was cry for her. I did my best to be there for her, and at the same time still be the wife I needed to be to Garrett. I was so overwhelmed with emotion but I found strength through my husband. He knew exactly what she was going through unlike myself and he was able to tell me how to be there for her in ways that wouldn't be too smothering. Read more into this story HERE and HERE, just be sure to have Kleenex's near and a paddle because it gets deep!

Well Friends, I'm at ease to say this is all of them.. We are blessed to have no more than these. I can't imagine what hard moments the years to come will bring, but I pray we continue to lift each other up just as we have this year. I know we will. I'm so proud of our marriage, when raging waters come our way we always stand strong until the storm has passed, and that is worth much more than anything the world could ever offer. What were some of your hardest moments from the first year? And how did you get pass them? Let me hear them!

Funny Moments From The First Year

Hi Friends, today along with every Wednesday in the month of June, I will be teaming up with nine other June brides like myself to bring you posts about our first year of marriage with a range of many topics. I absolutely LOVE today's topic which is: Funny Moments From The First Year. If you haven't already, join in on this fun. (details below).

Calling all engaged and newlywed gals! 

What would you say if I told you 10 newlywed bloggers are linking up to bring you an entire year's worth of marital advice for a one time only June series!? Whelp, get excited! 

Meet the forever newly wedded Brides!

Ashley @ It Is What You Make It // Kalyn @ Love.Laughter.HappilyEverAfter  // Mallory @ From California to Kansas // Karla @ Forever Newly Wedded // Maggie @ A Weaving of Grace 

Samantha @ Designer in Teal // Veronica @ Passion.Pink.Pearls // Kaitlyn @ Wifessionals // Emily @ Newlywed Moments // Callie @ My Something New With You

Each of the 10 Brides shown above have been married exactly one year as of June 2013. We will be posting each Wednesday during the month of June on 4 topics of marriage, while including our trials, triumphs, and all that fell in-between. The goal of this link-up series is to encourage the pursuit of love, joy, and hardships within a sacred marriage, all of which are completely worth each minute the Lord provides with our better half. 

If you are engaged, or married, we invite you to write on the topics with us and link up your posts. It doesn't matter if you are engaged and planning your big day, are a newlywed, or if you have been married 25 years... All the marital advice contributed, all the better for everyone involved! 

Visit our blogs today to meet our spouses and learn about our weddings! 

The Topics: 

June 5- Funny Moments From The First Year

June 12- Hardest Moments From The First Year

June 19- What Have You Learned From The Unexpected and How Have You Grown as a Couple During The First Year

June 26- Anniversary Celebration Recap 

We look forward to reading about your engaged, newlywed, and marriage journeys! If you have any questions feel free to email Kalyn here. 

While it's hard to believe we've already been wed a whole year, we've had a many of laughs learning the ropes of marriage. You know that saying, "You think you know someone, until you live with them". Well, I'm here to tell you that is a pretty true statement. For instance, I've always know Garrett loved to snack in his spare time while watching t.v., but I never knew he could eat a whole box of Chips Ahoy cookies in just one sitting until I married him. I was flabbergasted, like really?! I am so jealous right now. I guess I can't really say much though, because he never knew my true love of peanut butter until he saw that  I could empty the whole jar alone in just two weeks. I could go on and on, about the little things that we have learned about each other but today I picked out a few of our funniest moments of our first year together, the others are mine all mine. I can't tell you everything, now can I!?

1. Sleep Talking.

My mother in law and sister in law always warned me that I would witness it after living with him, but I never imagined how vocal he would really be in his sleep. His tone of voice isn't slurry at all, it's as if he is talking to one of the guys, so it really stunned me the first time I heard him babbling about four wheeler parts and such. But the funniest part of hearing him sleep talk, is he actually answers back if I all the sudden chime into the imaginary conversation. 

2. Burning Our First Breakfast.

Every new bride is known for burning her first few meals, right? Well I never thought I would actually fall into that category until I burned our first ever breakfast. While I like to blame it on the cast iron skillet, it was indeed a disaster from the start. It was one of our first mornings together and I woke up early just so I could impress my new husband with an awesome breakfast. The plan was to make pancakes, scrambled eggs and sausage. You know you really burn something bad when the smell of burnt pancakes wakes your other half up right? True story. Even worst it set the smoke alarm off. True story.

3. Animal Training.

If your a long time follower of ours, you have met our fur baby Mila. We adopted her a few weeks after we were married and she has brought us so much joy ever since. Well in an effort to keep her from scratching on furniture and biting Husbands toes, we bought a neon pink water gun and blasted her with it every time she attempted to try us. It not only worked as a training method, but it soon turned into a game for us. We couldn't wait to see her bite at our toes so that we could gun her good! Read about that funny in this post HERE.

4. Losing Mila In The Refridgerator.

How do you lose a cat in the fridge you ask? Let me just tell you, it is possible my deary. In those days, I tended to feed Mila food that wasn't exactly healthy for her, being a cat and all ya know. I would let her lick the bowl after mixing up ingredients for supper and she automatically knew the sound of the fridge door opening, it was her note to self to run toward it in hopes of human food, food she loved. Well one day I lost her, she wasn't anywhere to be found and we looked everywhere, except the fridge of course. All of the sudden I heard her meow, I looked in the cabinets under the sink but she wasn't there. She was right under my nose but I could not place her, I even checked the oven in panic by the way. I looked at the fridge, and thought "there is no way", to my surprise that was exactly where she was. Read about that funny in this post HERE.

5. Our First Cook (Burn) Out and That Time I Lost My Birth Control Pill

Read about them in the highlighted links above.

So those are just a few of our newlywed funnies.

They melt my heart thinking back to those moments

I'm thankful for all the love and laughter we've shared together

this year one

and I pray we make even more funnies so that I can share

them with you all.

I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I've enjoyed digging up memories from my newlywed funny stash!

Be sure to link up with us newlyweds every wednesday and join in on the fun! I'd love to hear about your first year!

Looking Back: The Reception

There we were, now Husband and Wife. What a feeling! We weren't just simply walking down those front porch steps after being pronounced our very own, we were walking down a new path together, a new journey, as one. Love had branched off into a new direction from then on, and we were standing right at the beginning of our story.

As soon as we reached the end of our wedding march, we were greeted with a many congratulations and beautiful best wishes and such, but the photographers quickly swept us back up for the last pictures of the day. We took pictures with our wedding party full of life-long friends who had just stood beside us and witnessed our new beginning, grandparents, parents, siblings, nieces and nephews and finally solo pictures of just the two of us , which harps my heart real good just thinking of us during that moment. We were so happy after becoming man and wife that the photographers really had no need to instruct us on how we should pose or "look happy in love with goo goo eyes". It just seemed to come naturally of course from then on, we were indeed happy and could have easily forgotten the camera was snapping a few times. I am so very thankful for every emotion we felt that day, because they marked our photographs so well, when I look at our pictures together I see teary eyes full of happiness, I see so much love in our eyes and for that they are my favorite recollection of that day. And they inspire us to keep what we have so close and dear every time we look at them sitting pretty in a frame in our home. 

The photographers followed us down to the tent where humbly sat our wedding cake ready to be cut. The Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun" came on just as I had requested as we cut into our cake. I chose the song not only for it's cheery sound but mostly because I wanted a song that would sort of say, "At the end of the day, love always comes back around.. through ups and downs, turn arounds, trials, broken heartedness and loss.. I guess you could say I chose it for my new husband, even though he thinks of "The Bee Movie" theme song every time he hears it. I chose it for him in a way that I wanted him to know that it was going to alright, I would always be there and so would our love, a new page was beginning to turn and I wanted him to feel my hands grasping tightly to his as we would now travel down this new walk of life together, and that it was going to be just fine. 

We shared our First Dance at last to a song that had become "ours" while we were dating, Brad Paisleys " I Thought I Loved You Then". It just seemed to outline our love story right down to it! I couldn't have written it better myself, honestly. While Garrett isn't much of a dancer, I'm glad he agreed to a First Dance. The verses, " I can just see you with a baby on the way", " I can just see you when your hair is turning gray" just seemed to fall right onto the pages during that moment and we cried, again. 

I knew after choosing the song, "My Little Girl" by Tim Mcgraw tears would most definately fly past the handle bars and a huge lump would build up in my throat on that day, but it's the only song I felt I could hear my daddy's voice in and I knew it would be right. He believed in me, my talents, the person I would grow up to be, and even though our relationship shifted, I would always be his little girl, singing on the back porch to Patty Loveless in a poodle skirt. The young girl on the radio singing Patsy Cline, when Britney Spears was way cooler and a girl who had his stubborn ways alike. I hadn't danced with him like this since my senior prom, and I don't know about him but I felt like our relationship was rebinding itself that day, I just felt at peace and I think he did too.

As emotional as my Dad and I's dance was, so too was my new husbands and his mother. They danced to Bryan Adams "Never Let Go", a song Garrett had chosen because of what a impact his moms strength and determination to live life to her fullest even though life had taken away someone so precious to them, A Father, A Husband.  They were legends that day and this very day, as the song sings and their courage to keep going inspires me every time I'm around them. Not many families now a days make it during such hardships, but they are making it day by day, and Garrett and I plan to keep that strong bond going in our  home, and our little family to come one day as well.

It was time to throw the bouquet and the garter, so the DJ rounded up all the single ladies and men folk. To our surprise, a little couple in our family both caught the bouquet and garter and would soon say their I Do's in this same location as we had. 

We had enjoyed all the company with friends and family, but it was time to leave to go on our honeymoon now. My mom walked behind me with my dress gathered up beside her as we made our way upstairs to the bedroom where I would change into my "going away" dress she had helped me pick out. My feet felt the long-ness of beautiful day after shedding my shoes and it was so nice to finally feel the weight of my dress fall down past my waist toward the floor. My mom helped me gather my "going away" bag and called off every item to make sure I had it packed. We shared a "Mother and Daughter" quick moment and a few extra tears to go along before I took my now husbands hand and made it past the handfuls of bird seeds to our decorated vehicle. Everyone waved goodbye and have fun and even threw a few more handfuls of bird seeds until we finally got away along the driveway. To our surprise, my brother in law had snuck in the backseat of our car in an attempt to go with us, clever one, but we just couldn't take him along with us so we kicked him out shortly.

It was honeymoon time!

We ate our picnic basket full of BBQ sandwiches

that were packed for us from the wedding 

And took each others hand along the road

As Husby and Wife, for life.

Read about our Honeymoon Adventures HERE
And HERE
Oh, and HERE.

Looking Back: The Ceremony

The guest were steady taking their seats as the clock kept time and we were all still playing "hide the bride" but the moment the prelude music began to start I knew it was time, time to pee... no seriously after hours of getting all dolled up/taking pictures and being what seemed like being vaccum sealed nice and tight in a Ziploc baggie, it was in that very moment in time, my bladder decided I had to pee.. What is this a funny Hollywood wedding film, I thought?!  It's really funny though thinking back to that moment because I knew for certain my sister in law would always be there for me  no matter what after she non-hesitatingly took charge of the situation and grabbed up several yards of my gown just so I could  pee, thanks sil. Whew, now it was time.

The music to be played during the ceremony was a major detail for me, above the shoes, the special somethings, the cake and so on, because my heart was born embedded near it ever since I can remember, I really wanted my guests to feel my hearts inner core through the music that I chose for each portion of the ceremony and I pray they felt it at it's very best. The sweet soulful solo harp version of Ave Maria had just began to play in the distance, which meant our grandparents were just being seated. While it is more of a catholic worshiping tune, I have always adored it's beautiful sound, and I couldn't think of a more beautiful song for our grandparents to walk down to.

I wasn't around to watch as my groom to be, his mother and dear sister lit the memory candle for his Daddy but I can only imagine what that moment felt like for them. It also was a major detail, I do hope Garrett felt his daddys reassuring presence beside him that sweet day. After the memory candle was lit it was time to seat our Mothers and then on to the bridal party. Clair De Lune was this moments song, it is a song that sends chill bumps down my very spine every time I hear that first note played smoothly, it is pure poetry but without a need for any words, and even the adjective: beautiful does it's title no justice. I had originally planned to walk down the aisle to this song because of the great impact on my heart it does, but I decided I would use it for my girls to walk down to. The idea then was perfect, why had I not thought of this before?! It's simple softness would capture them so well, it would be as if they were walking on Heavens stepping stones, I had visioned it's imagery in my mind and I also prayed it was as beautiful as a moment as I had imagined.

 At this point I was standing beside my Daddy waiting for the notion to move forward. I was beginning to get teary eyed already thinking of how my Dad must feel giving his last daughter away. Our relationship had, regretfully had it's days and we were not completely mended but everything was fine. I knew he was happy with my choice to marry Garrett that day. Inner intuition has it's way of easing the soul. I chose the Canon in D harp solo version for my presentation. There's just something about the sound of the harp, it's so angelic there's just nothing like it for me, anyway. I held my daddys arm as we rounded the corner to my concrete aisle. I saw numerous smiles and sweet gestures noting that I was in that moment, but I hadn't yet seen Garrett. Everyone stood at once as I made it to the beginning of my special walk, I lifted my head to my destination and there he was. I had seen a many of his smiles, but his smile was one of a kind that day and I could already see that he had a glitter to his eyes as well. Everything seemed so quiet during that walk toward him, the world seemed to drift back from us and all I saw was him, and all I felt was love, Gods love surrounding us. We took each others hands and listened as the preacher gave Gods word to us, to everyone. We did our best to repeat each vow that was expressed, but emotions overtook our hearts. And as you will see in pictures to come, tears were overflowing so that I had to wipe my eyes during our vows but I just let them go because I felt that was how they were meant to fall. It was the most emotional moment I had ever lived so far, many told us afterwards it was the most heart felt wedding they had ever witnessed, I'm proud to say that our hearts were open even past it's inner lining that day.

    

We took each others token of love along our fingers and listened to the song I had pre-recorded for Garrett. I have always wanted to sing in my wedding, I had sang in numerous weddings before but it was my turn now and this was my hearts desire to sing to my groom. I chose the song "It Feels Like Home" by Chantal Kreviazuk because I just knew as soon as we were pronounced "Husband and Wife" it would be a feeling of home like no other. And it was, We were now one, Praise God what a feeling, the comfort in that title now expressed was so much a "Home" as I had previously sang to my Groom.

We took each others hands and made our way down the porch steps, past our crowd of friends and family, and I don't know about Garrett but a deep breeze came right over me as we reached the end of our wedding march. After six months of planning such an event, this beautiful feeling was the end result. I couldn't possibly feel a feeling no greater than if I had climbed to the top of the tallest mountain, I was so high above the clouds in love. It's true. Love had grown even deeper in my heart than before, my valves were rooted to it's ultimate potential now and I could not wait to see what life had in store for us.

Want to hear this bride sing to her groom?

Listen below and Enjoy!

Looking Back: Getting Ready To Say "I Do"

Looking back I can truly express it was a morning like no other, I had counted down the months and weeks to this very day and it was finally here. So there I was, that beautiful Saturday morning, on my parents front porch swing while one of my bridesmaids being one of my best friends since I can remember was still asleep. We had camped out in each others company for one last sleepover. Some may mock "some bachelorette party you had!" but I honestly didn't have a care in the world for such a tradition, it was like we were teenagers again and I would never trade that moment in for the world. I know for certain I kept her up almost all night long because I was so anxious about what the next day held, her company was truly just what I needed, but I also needed my quiet time, my space, I needed a few moments with my God, and looking back that front porch swing has always been the place where I went to be with Him. For some reason, that swing comforted my spirit and my mind could just release any anxiety, poetry from the depths of my soul, feelings of any kind, so that is where I was, again. My parents were already at the place where I would soon be in just a few hours doing some last minute decorating, so I breathed in the minutes and prayed to God to ease any nerves that would soon arise. I prayed that our wedding would be just as He had already pre-planned it and I prayed for His presence during the entire ceremony, I prayed for the weather, I prayed for every emotion, I even prayed for tears as long as they were happy tears, I prayed for our marriage mostly, and I prayed for our life as husband and wife. Soon my other best friend would arrive at my home and I just couldn't wait to hug her neck, she drove a good distance just to be in our wedding and she doesn't know how much that meant to me, I needed her that day also. It wasn't quite time after she arrived to meet the stylist upstairs at the home where I would soon be getting married at but we decided to leave a little early, so we grabbed a couple of my daddys button up t-shirts and made our way to our vehicles, but before I left I couldn't help but glance back at my home, my family home, the home I had been raised in for so many years, this back out of the driveway would be my last as a single woman. I couldn't help but think of how it was going to feel coming back to this place as a married woman and leaving to go back home,  to my new home. 

The long driveway leading up to "the wedding" was so dawning for me, it got real, and quick too, as soon as I saw white tents with tables underneath for the celebration, empty white chairs that would soon be filled with our loved ones and friends, beautiful floral arrangements for different settings that I had been solely apart of creating for such a day, and there it was: the concrete aisle- sunlight beaming upon it just as I had pictured- I would soon walk along it's path to meet my groom. I could not wait, throw the dress over my head and lets get to the good part I thought who needs shoes! But then God in his own way somehow reminded me that I needed to be patient, this was a very special day, this would soon be a memory I thought so I did my best to stay calm.

I watched each one of my girls get dolled up for our special day until it was finally my turn. The nerves were beginning to set in but pictures were next so there was no room for any worries, we had to get these pictures taken before the guys, most importantly, my groom made their way around the same long driveway we had just came down before. So into my dress I stepped with the help of my mother in law to be and one of my best friends. It was in that moment that I became the bride, and boy was it a feeling like no other. I was center square with my two best friends, my soon to be sister in law and my sister who had always been there from the beginning. This wedding was about to happen guys, it was that don't wake me up if i'm dreaming kind of moment! The last few photographs were shots of me and my parents and soon single shots of only me, I think I was so mesmerized by all of the emotions of the moment the photographers had to remind me to smile.They kept chanting "Smile,Callie!", "C'mon I know you can smile bigger!"almost in a child-like manner which got to be a little annoying after a while because at that moment in time I truly thought I was smiling my natural smile. Looking back at my photo album now, I didn't truly smile until I saw Garrett.

Near the end of the first round of shots snapped, it was time to "hide the bride", someone had spotted the guys coming down the long driveway, it was their turn to get ready, so into the house we went, my girls crowded around me doing their best to cover me. It was all starting to come together, my groom was just outside, I could only imagine what emotions were playing in his mind and what this day felt like to him as well. Was he nervous? Was he excited? Please Lord, no cold feet,i thought, mine are perfectly warm inside these shoes I'm wearing. The minutes were passing by so quickly now, as I pulled the blind down peering at the numerous white chairs outside facing me, I saw that a few guests had already arrived, the groomsmen were taking last shots with my soon to be husband. This is it, I thought.

  

Be calm. Breathe. Believe this day has already been taken care of by His hands.

Keep reading Friends, I'm just getting to the good part!
[The Ceremony]

A Memorial Day Cook [Burn] Out With The Newlys

Monday we had our very first cookout as Newlyweds in honor of Memorial Day. We spent the first half of the day getting the yard spruced up, gathering up chairs and tables, icing down drinks and such and blowing up as many rug rat floaties as we could find, which ended up being way too many, considering we are childless at the moment. Believe me, had a cheese wagon full of kindersnappers came whipping down our driveway that evening, we smithy's were fully capable of gearing them all up with floatation devices for every extremity. 

While we thought we went somewhat a little overboard on supplies and such, we were kind of worried about what kind of turn out we were going to have with all of the many cookouts and get togethers that were going about, but to our surprise we had plenty of friends and family show up and we just had a blast with all of the company. It was so nice to have both sides of our family there with us along with great friends too. 

But let me just make plain that thought, first of all word to wise: a hamburger patty is not always a [great] hamburger patty, that is if it's cheap. So we had a little well big.. bad combination while in the grilling process of cooking hamburgers. The first one being that I, wifey bought the most cheapest pack of hamburger patties I could possibly find in an act of pleasing the Husby with my mean savings skills. A hamburger patty is a hamburger patty, right? Wrong! Lesson learned #1. Second, Husby had the grill rocking and smoking at a whopping 700 degrees. Our burgers were so burn't up the dogs wouldn't even touch their tongue to it. Husby was getting pretty embarrassed and Wifey was feeling pretty dumb for penny pinching on patties but looking back it was worth every penny that was wasted. You just can't put a price on a good laugh and an unforgettable memorial day cookout! Lesson learned #2. A hamburger patty may not always be a good hamburger patty, but a good laugh is a good laugh, right?

You didn't think this moment passed life's existence without being recorded did you!?? I like to call it "The Hamburger Massacre". Check it out, and feel sorry for us if you want or maybe just point and laugh. 

It's Newlywed Time!

June is right at the tip of my nose and just before my very toes Friends! I have been waiting for this month to arrive for too long, I just couldn't wait to start gooeifying the month of June for all of you with recollections of our wedding day bliss and our newlywed stories of the big Year One! By the way, starting tomorrow I will begin unraveling "our wedding day story" post by post along with tid bits from our honeymoon and finally a few of our favorite photographs from our One Year photo shoot just recently taken so be sure to check it out and grab your Klennex box just in case, I may cause an unexpected tear jerker with all my "inner deepness" as Husby calls it. 

Through blogging, I have had the privilege to meet some pretty amazing gals and we have become such good friends, life-long friends, not to mention a lot of which we share the same exact anniversary day. And some may call it "odd" to form a friendship through blogging and find it hard to understand, believe me if I wasn't so into blogging myself, I would think it was pretty crazy too, but I consider these girls to be just as close as any of my other friends I see face to face on a daily basis. It's just a fact, Jack as Si would say on Duck Dynasty. 

Anyway, we have had so much fun swapping newlywed life stories and such throughout this year that we decided to compact all of our journeys of bliss into a Newlywed Blogging Series every Wednesday during the month of June!  Are you a June bride yourself? Been married for 25 plus years? How about engaged to be married? Link up your posts and join in on the fun guys! Here's how to get started:

Calling all engaged and newlywed gals! 

What would you say if I told you 10 newlywed bloggers are linking up to bring you an entire year's worth of marital advice for a one time only June series!? Whelp, get excited! 

Meet the forever newly wedded Brides!

Ashley @ It Is What You Make It // Kalyn @ Love.Laughter.HappilyEverAfter  // Mallory @ From California to Kansas // Karla @ Forever Newly Wedded // Maggie @ A Weaving of Grace 

Samantha @ Designer in Teal // Veronica @ Passion.Pink.Pearls // Kaitlyn @ Wifessionals // Emily @ Newlywed Moments // Callie @ My Something New With You

Each of the 10 Brides shown above have been married exactly one year as of June 2013. We will be posting each Wednesday during the month of June on 4 topics of marriage, while including our trials, triumphs, and all that fell in-between. The goal of this link-up series is to encourage the pursuit of love, joy, and hardships within a sacred marriage, all of which are completely worth each minute the Lord provides with our better half. 

If you are engaged, or married, we invite you to write on the topics with us and link up your posts. It doesn't matter if you are engaged and planning your big day, are a newlywed, or if you have been married 25 years... All the marital advice contributed, all the better for everyone involved! 

Visit our blogs today to meet our spouses and learn about our weddings! 

The Topics: 

June 5- Funny Moments From The First Year

June 12- Hardest Moments From The First Year

June 19- What Have You Learned From The Unexpected and How Have You Grown as a Couple During The First Year

June 26- Anniversary Celebration Recap 

We look forward to reading about your engaged, newlywed, and marriage journeys! If you have any questions feel free to email Kalyn here.