We made it!

(Yes, that is my mom's hand reaching out to give me bunny ears. Bless her heart...ruining the best picture Justin and I have together.)

January 17th was our first anniversary. To celebrate, Justin took me to Ruth's Chris in Crystal City, the same place we went the night he proposed, way back in October 2008. It was fun to relive that memory and talk about this past year.

What a year it's been! It's been hard, but it's been great. In fact, whenever anybody asks me about married life, I'm pretty honest. I've cried a lot, (not because Justin's a bad guy...he's soooo far from that) and I've laughed a lot. I think I've been so emotional because this is the first time I've ever been in love. Thankfully Justin is patient with my rollercoaster of emotions, as I try to figure everything out. (Yes, I realize this is what girls usually go through at the age of 16, but I've always been a late bloomer.)

I think anything great takes work and may be difficult at times, but it is so worth it in the end. I know it's only been a year, but I've learned so much, and I feel so much more for Justin now than I did a year ago. I've heard my mom (and many others) say that she didn't really understand love when she first married my dad. In my 12 months of marriage, I am starting to get that.

So to clarify, married life has been a great experience. I love my husband, and I'm so so glad/grateful/relieved that he's the one I get to go through all this with.