love being married, not so sure about being a grown up!

The title says it all... I think Matt and I are both still getting used to this whole "grown up" thing. (On a side note, will we ever??) There are bills to pay, groceries to buy, cooking, home and car maintenance and upkeep, and chores to bed done... usually something in each of these categories to do each day. Add on top of that school for Matt and full time jobs for both of us, and we can be pretty busy! I cannot image how much things will change and how busy we will be one day when we add children to the mix! (emphasis on the "one day" in that sentence for my mom who might be reading this!) Being married is by far the most awesome part of being a grown up. Having someone who shares the good and the bad, in life and in chores, is a blessing. I love working with my husband to keep our house in good shape, to solve the everyday problems, and get things done. I love learning more about him and myself each day as we grow together. I know most people in the United States get married at an older age than we chose to get married, but I love learning and growing with my spouse.

The reason for my reflection on my short (so far, we're in it for the long haul!) marriage is that my little brother got married this past weekend. Maybe it's the big sister in me, but sometimes I worry about them- will they be able to handle the pressures of real life and still like, love, and respect each other? Do they know what they are getting themselves in to? Of course, my brother is older than I was when I got married and has been on his own longer than I had, and I'm sure they will do just fine and grow and figure things out together just as Matt and I did, but that concern was still there. I finally chalked it up to the question "do they really know what marriage is", but then I realized that I don't think you can know what it will be like until you experience it for yourself. You can be mentally prepared to be selfless, work hard for what is best for both of you, love and respect someone, but doing these things on a daily basis is what a marriage really is, and until you have to do it daily, I don't think you can be fully prepared. I have been and will be praying for them as they start out their lives together and learn how to work together as a couple. I am so happy for them as they start out on this new journey in their life, and I pray that their marriage will be a very happy and joyful one because I love them both very much! My advice: enjoy the wonderful parts and learn to work together on the not so wonderful parts of being a grown up!