"You Don't Understand Yet"

Recently, someone asked if I was married. I replied, "No". Since this was someone I couldn't go into personal details with, I couldn't reply with my usual "No, but we've been dating almost 7 years, lived together 5 of those years" so I left it at that. To which the person tells me "you don't understand yet- you will when you get married".

Wait a minute. What don't I understand? It really got me thinking. Sure, we aren't married yet- I get that. There is a whole other level of commitment and I don't mean to devalue marriage in any way. But to assume I don't "understand it"? I'm not sure what that means. 

photo credit: Michael Maiatico

So, here's what I do understand.

I understand faithfulness and loyalty. 

I understand making my boyfriend a priority.

I understand the need for communication.

I understand compromise.

I understand caring for each other when one is sick.

I understand the balance of spending time together vs. spending time with others.

I understand the difficulties of managing several households on holidays.

I understand having inside jokes that no one else in the world would ever understand. 

I understand the desire to want to start a family with this person.

I understand wanting to be with this person for the rest of my life.

I understand being so mad at someone and loving them so much at the same time.

I understand what it's like to go through some of the most difficult times imaginable and have this person by my side, supporting me no matter what. I understand that I do the same for him.

I'm sure I (we) have a lot to learn. I know marriage will open up a whole new set of doors. 

But I would say that I think I understand pretty well.

Thankful Thursday

I realize I spend a lot of time complaining, being anxious, and worrying about things in my life.
This is okay sometimes, everyone does it and I'm human.
I'm plenty thankful for everything in my life, but I don't consciously think about this or write about it too much.
Enter Sarah Grace's link-up. I love her positive outlook and couldn't resist joining in this week!

I'm thankful for...
waking up this morning
my warm cheetah pajamas (I must have mentioned these a thousand times this week. obsessed.)
being able to turn on heat when it was 66 degrees in the house on this chilly morning
taking a week off between jobs and being able to afford to do so
having an amazing new job to start next week
my career, license, and education
my incredible boyfriend, who never ceases to amaze me with his kindness
my loving family, and a great lunch with my dad yesterday
Starbucks K-cups and pumpkin spice creamer. incredible combination.
our new, spacious, quiet apartment
that Channing Tatum was named Sexiest Man Alive. Good call, People.com. "Agreed", said every woman ever.

An update...

Happy Monday! 

I hope those of you who had today off had a great day.

I was lucky to have a long weekend but got super sick today and was pretty much out of it all day! Ick.

This weekend was full of productivity! 

Chris and I were both off work on Friday. It was so nice!

We brought both of our cars in to get some needed work done, got my emissions done, and saw Finding Nemo in 3D! I love that movie and it was totally worth it to see the 3D version.

Gotta love those styling glasses.

We also got word that we'll be able to move into a different apartment next weekend (we're been dealing with these nightmare neighbors if you don't remember). So, we started packing. It looked something like this.

Then today, we get word that it's not a final thing. In fact, we might not be able to move at all. Insane. This whole ordeal has been going on since February and we're so tired of it. Hopefully we'll be able to get things straightened out tomorrow but in the meantime the place is a mess!

I also wanted to say thank you for all your supportive comments on Friday! 

It's tough to write about the tough times, especially when you're like me. I tend to act like things are going well, even when they aren't. It's a coping mechanism and one that's worked for a long, long time.

I'm not doing that anymore. I'm not afraid to put things out there, to seek support from loved ones, blog friends, and strangers who may read this if they so choose. 

I'm sick of pretending that everything is always okay when it's not. Although I can't reveal details all the time, I really want to be as transparent as possible.

We're going through several "life transitions" at this point, and although things aren't great I'm certainly thankful for the things that are: our family, friends, and health.

Life isn't perfect, but how boring would it be if it were?

I'm a strong believer that everything happens for a reason.

And no, I'm not just saying that. Even during tough times, I always have believed that.

So if I can help someone by revealing my feelings and how I've dealt with things, it'll be worth it.

We've all got our own struggles, but we also have a lot in common.

The past few months have been trying and a huge learning experience. 

I started to write about it in this post... and mentioning it today certainly won't be the last.

So, the point of today's post really wasn't to talk about my unexciting (but nice) weekend. I'm not linking up anywhere. I just wanted to get that all out there :)

I hope everyone has a GREAT week!