Nathan and I recently celebrated our first year of marriage! We have accomplished a lot in this year; we traveled through Europe, we visited St. Martin, moved to Austin, Texas, got new jobs, and finally got our first pet together - a puppy we named Thomas! These are the things I have found important to make our marriage good.

Roles:

To me, this is the most important part of marriage. You must establish your roles from the get go! Nathan and I have been together for almost seven years, so we both understand each other's strengths and weaknesses. If you both do your part there is no room for resentment. For example, I love to cook, I make dinner mostly every night because it is my strength. Nathan always does the dishes without question, that is his role. He goes to work and I go to work, I come home and provide the meal while he cleans it. This creates balance and both of us provided for each other in ways we could! This should be the common theme in your relationship: selflessly providing what you can for the other. If you are both contributing, it makes you happy to do your part!

Traditions:

I love traditions! Nathan and I get coffee together every weekend morning, generally somewhere new each time. Having a tradition or routine together that is fun gets you excited when Saturday morning rolls around because you know you are going to do something fun TOGETHER! It is so important to have dates like this regularly. When the weather gets cold, Nathan and I love to grab coffee and browse Anthropologie; we have done this for years and it is so fun because it brings comforting familiarity and is an easy way to get out of the house. These little familiar routines are special things only you can do together and there is something sweet about that.

Thoughtfulness:

It is crucial to do things for one another JUST BECAUSE! Whether it is a thoughtful note, flowers, baked goods, even just texts throughout the day - it doesn't matter what it is, it is the act that reminds the other they are special to you! Never stop doing these things! Nathan always texts me he loves me and why throughout the day. This makes my day that much more special and makes me excited to see him at the end of the day!