Camp Gaulke

Monday, January 26, 2009

Weekend in a Treehouse (Part 2)

Yes...we DID come back from vacation...although it was beyond tempting to stay...forever.

It was all that I had hoped for...

It was all that we NEEDED.

We switched back and forth between calling it our 2H.M. and our 8M.E.

2HM= Second Honeymoon

8ME= Eighth Month Evaluation

Evaluation of course meaning on our marriage

It was soo nice just to sit and ask each other tons of questions pertaining to this VERY important entity...

like: What am I doing well at? What do I suck at? (be gentle) Overall, are you happy? Has marriage been easier or harder than you expected? What do you wish I would do more of? What area of my life do you wish I was more vulnerable with you? When can we have kids? (ok that one was from left field and obviously I asked that one...)...etc.

We didn't like write any questions down or pick up a cheesy marriage book at B&N on our way...

We just made time to sit ...look at each other...and stir up some conversation to evaluate/improve our beloved unity.

I knew we needed some time away from the city..but I didn't realize how much we maybe simply needed a thought provoking convo...sometimes its hard to sit still enough to think about the good and the bad...sometimes the bad gets swept under the living room rug while we deal with the hustle and bustle of life...and honestly...dirt under a rug is disgusting....just cause you can't see it...doesn't mean it isn't filth!..and I'm not even a germaphobe...

So the results of this fabulous 8M.E...are: we are very encouraged with this little...who am I kidding...HUGE blessing we call 'marriage' and we decided to keep going...haha for all those who were at the edge of your seats..

Honestly, sometimes when older married couples ask me how Hunter and I are liking marriage..I always feel like their faces are ready for us to say "It's awful!"..or when our answer is not negative at all..their faces change to "Just wait"...that's just not right!! Are our views of marriage and our expectations so distorted??

I am 100% sure that it will not be peachy fuzzy warm and sweet for the next 50+ years...meaning...we will probably go through LIFE...the ups and downs...births...deaths..financial tension...who knows..maybe some spiritual tension...but for some reason..our first 8 months have been shockingly easier than we expected and flippin FUN!

That boy cracks me up...

Ok quick story...

We have kinda a tradition started that on Mondays...we go get a doughnut at Shipleys (YES! the one we go to is open til like 9pm!) and then we go to Starbucks to read...and check up on Carl (a middle age follower of Christ who works up at Starbucks and struck up a convo with me after seeing me read the Bible..)

So tonight I wasn't feelin like leaving the house (we got a new couch! I will post all bout it!)...so the novelty of the couch is still fresh and I wanted to stay here and sit on it and blog :).. So I told Hunter, when he inevitably asked if I wanted to go get a doughnut...that I wasn't feelin it...but that he was free to go by himself ..and he ..paused for just a second...(I literally saw a light bulb go off in his brain) and he, with all the 3yr old he had mustered up inside, said... "Does that mean I can have two doughnuts??!"

How flippin cute...

2 comments:

valerie said...

hey! how are you?
i definitely know what you mean about how older couples sometimes say stuff like..."oh, you're still a newlywed! that stuff fades!" someone even told me the other day... WHy is that?? good to know i'm not the only one hearing those remarks! i'm so glad yall had a weekend getaway, i'm a little jealous! hope you guys are doing well!!your blog is such an encouragement! take care ashleigh!

Danielle said...

YAY a new couch!!! i'm so excited.

and i love both posts on the vacay. glad the 8me went well! i wasn't worried...

then again i wasn't worried with brian and jessica's 5me but i guess when there's not love and akjghalkghlakhg then it might not go as well! ;)

miss you loml