6 Months.

We are coming up on the 6 month mark of marriage, which puts us halfway through the toughest year, if you believe all the advice well-meaning people hand out during the weeks leading up to your wedding. Like most people, I went into marriage with some preconceived notions about what would and wouldn’t change, especially since we chose not to live together until after we were married. Here’s some of what I got right, and some of what I got wrong…

Notion #1: Once we get married, I will have the time and motivation to do laundry before we run out of clothes and my husband will come home to a well-balanced, home-cooked meal every evening.

Wrong.

First of all, I rarely cook anymore. When husband doesn’t get home until 8 pm or later, we usually don’t even eat dinner together. Fast food has, unfortunately, become a staple in our lives. And laundry? Husband has asked for more clean shirts or socks more times than I envisioned in my perfect housewife scenario.

Notion #2: While I am looking forward to sharing a house with my husband, I will still need my separate bathroom space.

Correct.

In the apartment, we had separate bathrooms. Once we moved to the house, we are now sharing a bathroom, and it is a hard adjustment. We both have a lot of stuff that takes up a lot of room, and we are constantly moving the other person’s stuff out of the way to make room for our own. I miss having my own bathroom. Maybe it’s a girl thing.

Notion #3: Once we live together, we will see each other a lot more.

Kind of.

Yes, I see him more, but he’s usually sleeping. Or getting ready for work. Or running out the door as I’m coming home. So yes, we technically see each other more, but it’s not exactly quality time.

Notion #4: Being married really won’t change much about our relationship.

Pretty true.

The beauty of being together for 4 ½ years when you get married is that there aren’t that many curveballs when you move in with someone. No big surprises, no major behavior changes. Only difference is that I don’t leave at the end of the night every night! We are good about respecting the other’s space, we don’t fight over the TV or computer, and as long as I label my leftovers, he doesn’t even eat them :) Leftovers, by the way, have a 24 hour rule. I have 24 hours to eat them before they are fair game. Is there anything worse than looking forward to leftovers all day, only to get home and realize someone else already ate them? I think not.

Notion #5: Husband will learn to love the cat once she is living with him.

YEP.

He was not thrilled about my cat coming to live with him. I’ll write a whole post on that another time. But she is a lazy lap cat and he just loves giving her attention as much as she loves receiving it. It’s just presh.

Marriage is definitely a learning process and we are learning!