Sorry for the lack of blogging....

Hi everyone! We have been busy bee's both at home and work and are just trying to take some time to "unplug" when we have any free time.

In the past month, we have:
-Been in North Carolina for both a mini vacation and for Megan and Mitch's wedding
-Taken a small retreat to Steamboat Springs with two of our favorite married couples
-Planned our anniversary trip to Crested Butte (will be going Oct 22-24)
-Hosted numerous friends who have been in town
-Reunited with my best friend from high school (Jill Gainey) who has just recently moved to Boulder
-Purchased the ingredients to start brewing our own beer
-Went to see Band of Horses (a favorite band) at the Fillmore (our favorite venue)

We are fast approaching our one year anniversary on Sunday! It has flown by and now we know how the rest of you feel as year after year passes in all your marriages. Here are the top 10 lessons that I've learned this past year:

1) Don't make everything a battle. I'm still working at letting things roll off my back if it's not a huge deal. Also, make sure the time is right to bring up a tough topic.

2) Take time to appreciate each other! It is easy to notice when our spouse does something wrong, but it is very important to praise each other for any little thing that they do right!

3) Make sure the house is a "safe" place. I always want Ryan to look foward to coming home to our home and to me! Fill it with love and happy memories and cherish it as a place of comfort.

4) Learn to see the full potential of your spouse and push them towards it. This is something we are currently doing--Ryan has been very unhappy with his job at Baxa and we both know it is time for him to move on. I am trying to support him to follow what we both know he has the passion for....the outdoor industry! (Please send some prayers our way as we are looking at many possibilities, including needing to relocate out of Denver if the right job comes along.)

5) Make good habits a MUST. Some of ours: pray together, eat dinner at the table instead of in front of the TV, go to bed at the same time, take walks after work, hold hands, laugh a lot, plan adventures as a couple and with friends, send emails/text messages full of "i love you's" throughout the work day, and cherish the nights at home relaxing.

6) Learn to make your spouse's priorities your priorites.

7) Set long term goals to work together towards.

8) Don't put each other down in front of others--always talk highly of your spouse to friends and family!

9) Learn their schedule: Ryan needs to sleep until 10am on weekends, get to concerts and movies early, and likes to take a half hour to watch the news and have a snack after work. If I respect these wishes of his, he is in a MUCH better mood.

10) Always respect each other's opinion, even if you don't agree with it!

Those are my thoughts! It is amazing to see how we've grown and learned so much in just this first year of marriage!

I love you all!

Kristi