So I am a divorced mother of a teenage daughter and I don't know what the hell I am doing with my life. I left home at 18 with the entire world within my reach or so I thought. I went to college and met who I thought was the man of my dreams! He was 7 years my senior and simply put, FINE AS HELL! Which is an absolute weakness of mine. We had a whirlwind romance and became inseparable. People would even say we looked and talked alike. He had just gotten out of the military and was about to graduate and after he did, moved me to his hometown.

Once very recently, I was hiking with my two dogs, Stirling and Thistle, in the mountains of North Carolina. As we traveled along, seeing many beautiful sights. from rock formations and powerful waterfalls to wonderous valleys viewed from splendorous mountains, we happened upon a rock bridge that appeared to be natural, but was indeed man-made, but blended in very well with the surrounding area.

First off, let me start by saying I am the wife, and I am very happily married. My husband and I have been married for about a year (which I know is not very long); however, everyday feels unique, and I fall in love more and more. That is not to say it hasn't come with its challenges like most wives would say. And I know for a fact I am not the only new wife out there discovering new and unexpected things about their husbands or themselves for that matter in such a committed relationship. I grew up in the South, where getting married is just something people do at a certain point in their life. I also haven't known many healthy relationships and haven't seen many successful marriages around me, but I had heard of them and believed in them and it never discouraged me from longing for that dreamy wedding and the idea of that handsome beau holding flowers in his hands to take me to dinner. I knew one thing and one thing only: anyone whom I have ever seen that is happy and successful are emotionally stable, live for more than just themselves and they eventually get married. I wanted to be this person. So I could tell you the short and dreamy way I met him, but I'll keep it simple. In short, we met at work (wouldn't recommend doing that however it happens), started to hang out and a few months later he proposed. We took a marriage class because, like I said before, I have never really seen a successful marriage in action...only heard of them. It was obviously very insightful with things that you kind of learn as you become an adult like communication is important, be respectful of the other's point of view, how you both are with money, how to deal with merging family, etc. So with my short time of being married to the most wonderful human being who is my husband, here are the top 5 things I didn't know before I got married.

I have a confession to make.

Relationships take work, and that is especially true in a marriage. When you have decided to spend the rest of your life with someone else, there are likely some sacrifices and compromises that need to be made. There are several keys that can help improve your relationship, and keep both you and your spouse happy. Here are some things to keep in mind when entering into a marriage.

The wedding was spectacular, the honeymoon was bliss, and now we’re settling into our “lovers nest” to set off on the grand adventure of life together as husband and wife.

Sunday September 29th, 2019 12 PM:

What if you didn’t have love? What would you do? Would you give up on the world and everyone in it, or would you keep looking until you found it? These are questions that Anna asked herself over and over for many years. Yes, years—not days, weeks or months. She felt like the loneliest married person alive.

I admit it: I am a huge fan of the show My 90 Day Fiancé, and so is my husband. Every Sunday and Monday nights, we are hooked on this show. The rest of the week, we like to mimic and make fun of the cast couples. It entertains us so much that we even watch the reruns on Fridays.

Ok so, I have had some crazy shit happen to me in my love life, hence why over the years my very closest friends have continuously insisted I tell my stories. So here is my first.

There is something that women do in relationships that can be very annoying. When they are having problems with their spouse, they will tell someone close to them that this is it, and they are leaving or are going to put their husband out. The next thing you know, everything is just fine and they are saying how good the relationship is. Time passes; and when something goes wrong, such as the husband staying out all night, falling off the wagon, or cheating again, the wife is ready to end the marriage once more.

We cast off, delighted to be moving. She spreads the navigation chart out in front of them and begins plotting a course for Fulfilment. He opens his copy of Yachting Monthly. She points at their shiny new copy of Sailing for Dummies. "I'll take a look in a moment," he says, biting into a sandwich.