If I Could Go Back And Tell Myself One Thing On My Wedding Day...

This month marks five years since Parker and I said "I do". Five! Seriously, how is that possible? We are still scratching our heads on how the time passed so quickly, but low and behold, here we are almost five years later. 

With our anniversary coming up next weekend, I've been a huge sap lately reflecting on the journey and all of the life that has happened in five years. In some ways, the years look exactly how I expected, and in others, absolutely nothing like I expected. I suppose that's life for ya!

Looking back at our marriage, I can honestly say I have no regrets. Of course, there are fights I picked for no good reason and words that should have been prayed about before they were said, but that's all part of the journey. And I don't regret the journey. Marriage is messy, but it's a beautiful mess. 

If I could go back and give that bright-eyed 22 year old getting ready in the bridal salon one piece of advice, it would be simple: enjoy the ride.

There have been moments where I wanted to hurry time up (babies) and moments where I wanted to freeze frame time (gearing up for deployment). Wishing time away or begging time to stay hasn't worked for me yet, and learning to just appreciate each stage for what it is has been one of my biggest takeaways over the last five years. Each stage has been a blessing in some form or fashion!

So that's it. Simple stuff, really. To the bright-eyed bride-to-be or to the brand new wife, enjoy the ride. Marriage is, without a doubt, the most beautiful ride!