How's Married Life?

As most of you know, on January 2nd my life and my name changed (well, the name thing is still getting legally all changed over... it's a long process to get it changed everywhere that needs to change it!).

Since then, I've been asked how married life is. The easiest answer is "good" and most people smile and move on after that. But what does my married life actually mean in reality?

It means living with a boy who's not my brother or father. This leads to more clutter with my clutter (though I will admit his is a lot more contained), full dressers, a stinkier bathroom (sometimes), and about three times as much laundry. It leads to men's soap and shampoo in my... er, our... shower. It leads to big comfy bathrobes, sweatshirts, and flannel shirts that smell like boy that I steal for brief periods... and unlike my brother he hardly argues (kisses, puppy dog eyes, and smiles get me a lot farther with the hubby than the brother...).

It means having loud music on while I work... oh wait, that happened in the dorms, too.

It means discussing weird habits and not judging each other... too much.

It means having someone to rub my shoulders and back while I work. Or while I watch movies. Or while I sleep because I was so relaxed from him rubbing my back while I watched movies (he doesn't really like that I fall asleep during just about any and all movies when he's holding me... I can't help that he has magic arms!).

It means cooking three times as much food, though I did start doing that back in October.

It means running out of drinks and food way faster. Why can't one of us despise pop or Oreos so the other can savor them longer?

It means having someone to go somewhere with and no longer feel lame for going somewhere, like a restaurant or event, alone.

It means having weird quirks to get used to... on both our parts.

It means learning that they way I've always done it, and always seen everyone around me do it, isn't the way that all  people, least of all my husband, do it.

It means dreaming about our future lake house but also bragging about how good our little apartment is for us now.

It means having someone to flirt with on a daily basis. And as a teacher that can mean weirding my students out... although they did set up mistletoe for us and one sixth grader, upon meeting him, simply looked at us and demanded we kiss. Then she cheered. So maybe they aren't as weirded out as expected. But it does mean that, unlike during dating while around malleable minds at camp, I can feel okay holding hands with him or sitting near him when we're around my kids because we're married - and married couples should be setting that example of a healthy, close relationship.

It means taking random slow dance breaks because a good song came on.

It means laying on his chest while he talks about the dreams he had or I talk about what happened at school.

It means walking into church with someone, ring on the finger, grins on our faces. It means going to the "Future Family" Bible study with my family at my side.

It means going to sleep quite a bit quicker and quite a bit warmer.

It means belting worship music together while I blog about how amazing he is.

It means I have someone to come home to every day. It means spending every hour that we aren't at work - waking and sleeping - together. And loving that relationship above everything besides my love for God.

It means sharing God is doing in my or his life, without holding back. It means having someone right there experiencing the very same moving of God.

It means a lot of growing, a lot of learning to let things go, but a lot of love, a lot of laughter, a lot of passion, and a whole lot of seeing just how much God loves me through whom He gave to me to show me an inkling of that unconditional, deep love.

I love being Mrs. Koning.