Frozen Waffles of Love

Transitioning into marriage was both easier and harder than I thought it would be. It was easier because living with a man, especially one that is my very best friend, is so much easier than living with a bunch of girls. It’s easier to share space. You’re living with the roommate that you picked for forever.

It was the “mundane” things of life that made things harder. Going to work, cleaning the house, making dinner—these were things that seemed to suck on happiness. I remember reading a magazine article years ago that said newly married women became disillusioned with married life when the dull things like taking out the trash hit. I wasn’t disillusioned. I got tired of routine.

Now that I’ve been married for ten months (almost eleven!), I am happy doing those “mundane” things. I find doing dishes very relaxing and I feel great joy in cooking delicious dinners. I still get tired and hate vacuuming, but it has gotten easier. However, transitioning into interdependent life was hard for me. Dividing up housework was a struggle for us. We’re still working on it.

But I found such great joy in learning how to be married. Our first night together at our apartment was so odd and wonderful. We got back from our honeymoon at eight at night, and finally got into our apartment which we had never seen before. We starting to unpack for a few minutes when we realized there was no heating. The manager had not told us we were supposed to have called the heating company two weeks in advance to get our heating started. This also took place in the middle of January. But we continued our night in happiness with a few more sweaters on. We got out our brand new Wal-mart griddle for some waffles (pre-made, and on the griddle because we didn’t have a toaster) and realized we had no forks. So we borrowed some from our neighbors and then huddled around the griddle for warmth. Marriage started off very differently than I imagined. I didn’t think I would be shivering and cooking frozen waffles on a semi-working griddle then washing dishes in ice water. But it was wonderful. I remember going to bed under five blankets in the middle of the living room (which was about 40 degrees), and being so utterly happy.

And I don’t think the transition will every truly be over. There will always be changes like moving or new jobs at different hours or having kids. But knowing that we had a wonderful start and that we are working towards an eternal marriage makes things so much easier. The little things like who does the dishes this night or who vacuums don’t seem like big problems. They even become easier to resolve, especially when you make sure to include the Lord in your marriage.