16 Months as Mrs.

Today is Chuck and my 16-Month married anniversary. Time really has been flying by! It's so hard to believe we've been married nearly a year and a half when it feels like just yesterday I was a newly engaged, crazed, wedding-planning wifey-to-be. A co-worker of mine just got engaged and I couldn't want to congratulate her when we returned to the office. It didn't even occur to me to ask her about how he popped the question or to see her ring. I just began asking questions about their actual wedding and marriage plans. I suppose this is because I thoroughly hated wedding planning. I looked forward to our married years, and I had a blast during our actual wedding weekend. But the weeks and months leading up to that day sucked. I pray to sweet baby Jesus I never have to plan a wedding again!

I feel like there's very little for me to report on at sixteen months in. There have been some small changes in the last two months, but not many. I love my husband and I'm as happy as a clam, but that's not exactly news around these parts. So this is what I can muster up about my...

money

Since I began my new job and we returned to Ohio our finances are looking so much better than they did in Pittsburgh. Although we are spending more on rent and gas, I'm also making considerably more than at my old government job. We're finally at a place where although we're pretty much still living paycheck to paycheck, we can begin to put some funds into saving for our summer vacation, a king-sized bed and a down payment on our future home. We're really looking forward to making the last payment on one of my grad school student loans this month and having an additional $400/month to put toward savings and reducing our debt. It's amazing how much less stress and turmoil we've been experiencing as of late, simply because we're not constantly worried about overdrawing on our account. I can see why money is the #1 problem for married couples!

location, location

Chuck and I are enjoying life in Ohio. He loves being so close to his family and I love having an adorable little house to be my homebody-self in. Life is good, but the fact is, we're both making 1+ hour commutes to work and have been thinking about what makes more sense for us long-term: being close to family vs. being close to our jobs. We have plenty of time to see what life has in store for us, but it's something we're putting some thought into.

together

One of the things that has been an issue for us is the fact that Chuck is much more of a social butterfly than I am. I don't expect him to stay home with me all the time when I just want some time to myself to read or watch a movie. And he doesn't expect me to go out for some beers when I just want to relax after a long work week. Although, we spend a good amount of time together, we also spend a healthy time apart. We keep being encouraged by our relationship gurus to sync up our schedules and go out together and leave together. I see the value in that, but I just keep thinking- if it's not broke, why fix it? I don't want to go out just because Chuck wants to, and I would never expect him to pass up hanging out with his family just because I would rather stay home. The jury's still out on this one...

Overall, life is simple. We're slowly making our house more of a home and looking forward to opening up Stuckert's Home Bar in the upcoming months. We're making plans for the future, and just enjoying evenings of conversation, cuddling and general togetherness. Like I tell Chuck, "I like you and I love you!"

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Check out my previous Months as Mrs.:
14 Months as Mrs.
One Year as Mrs.
10 Months as Mrs.
8 Months as Mrs.
6 Months as Mrs.
4 Months as Mrs.