one year anniversary...pt. 1

WE'VE BEEN HITCHED FOR ONE YEAR! Ah! So stoked. And you wanna know something awesome? I got Zac to write a guest post in honor of today! We both made a list of 5 things we learned about each other since getting married last June. :) Here you go!

When asked to guest write for this post, Chelsea asked me to write 5 things I've learned about her since we've been married (since it's, like, our anniversary or something). I found it to be a lot harder than I thought. You see, unlike almost any other couple, I had the the opportunity to actively and passive-aggressively dislike Chelsea before I even considered being her friend. During this period, I was able to very successfully see the things in her I didn't like. Soon, I was forcing myself to see things in her I liked, and that list became so long and amazing that it made the things I thought I didn't like about her either turn into things I now adore or they were just trivialized in the grand scheme of things.

And then we dated for a year.

Despite our pre-marriage history, I keep discovering new things about her. In this list, I won't include sappy, cop-out things like "She has such a kind spirit!" or "I found out she was super funny," because I already knew those things. Hence, the marriage. So here are Five things I've learned about Chelsea:

1. She is a writer through and through - There are plenty of people who blog and write, but Chelsea is one of those that lives writing. At least twice a day she says "Ooh! That would be a good scene for a play!" Or "That would make really good dialogue in a book." The other day, she woke up at 8:30 and bolted out the bedroom, just saying "I need to write!" When inspiration hits, she doesn't ignore it. I love that about her.

2. She loves kids - She loves to hold and hug and cuddle with little kids. Nursery is a good fit for her. She's always nervous around kids, but once she gets over her "They might not like me" fear, she's great. She'll be a good mom someday. =]

3. She hates the phone - She will refuse to call anyone on the phone unless it's family. We'll be trying to organize something with some friends and she would rather text and be confused for 20 minutes than call and have everything sorted out in 5. She is absolutely terrified. And knocking on someone's door? NO FREAKING WAY.

4. She has very high expectations for herself - This is both good and bad. This makes her excel at pretty much anything she really tries, but when she falls short of anything, she gets very upset with herself. 

5. We are meant to be together - Okay, so I know I said I wouldn't be sappy, but I couldn't help it here. This I found out pretty soon after we got married (or it was solidified, anyway). I guess I knew it when I proposed, but I think it finally became official for me when I stopped regretting returning home from my mission. I didn't exactly have much of a choice, medical things brought me home, but I always wanted to go back. When I found out that wasn't in the cards, I would get mad at myself for being weak and coming home and getting married instead of sticking it out and getting married after my full two years were served. When I finally realized that I was supposed to come home so we could be together and be married and that feeling was repeatedly confirmed, I knew that everything worked out like it was supposed to. In short, we were meant to be together. I love her.

1) I didn’t realize how much Zac was into stand up comedy and comedy sketches until I married him. He introduced me to Louis C.K., his all time favorite comedian. He is also a huge fan of Jake and Amir…which he looks forward to watching every Tuesday and Thursday on College Humor. He loves anything with a vibrant, clever, wordy, and smart sense of humor—and spends a lot of time on Reddit. Ah, my nerd.

2) He is an oddball. Now, this one kind of made itself manifest while we were friends and dating, but marriage has really brought out his quirkiness. He can be so strange sometimes—and I find it incredibly hilarious and attractive. It’s like he’s so confident, he just lets his bizarre adorableness shine. His clever mannerisms and my outbursts of joy usually remain between the two of us—at home where we can’t be embarrassed. When other people are around, I’d like to think we seem normal enough. Sometimes though…we have moments at work when he throws a cheese stick at my head and I try unsuccessfully to stifle my giggles while on the phone. ><

3) He thinks of his future as our future—and is quite frugal. He wants to get into med school and become a doctor to take care of me and our future family, as well as both of our parents and families. Just as a side note, he’s INCREDIBLE with kids. I never knew that before I dated him and met his family. He loves to play with them, talk with them, and rough house with them. Sigh. Boys.

4) He is pretty accident prone—and VERY ridiculous when it comes to navigation. He got lost at church today when he went to find the bathroom. Not four days into our marriage, he hit his head on the edge of the pool while doing a back flip—we had to get him to the ER. Oh gosh. Scariest day of my life. The next day, he stepped on a sea urchin. Go figure. :)

5) He’s still my best friend—and a complete sweetheart. He doesn’t show that very often when we’re out and about, but he’s excellent at being a gentleman. It doesn’t feel like we’re people with “MR.” and “MRS.” signs hanging over our heads—we’re just best friends, hanging out, watching movies, and punching each other…while being in love. :)