first anniversary

Zinni asked me the other day: “Shel, are you used to Daddy?” I said, “Yes, very used to him!” She said, “I’m used to Shel and Daddy.” 

People told us the first year would be hard - we’d find out things about each other we hadn’t expected, the honeymoon phase would wear off, and real life would set in. 

Well, they were right and wrong. 

Was the first year hard? Yes at times, but Nate was my rock through those times, not the reason. 

Did we find out things we hadn’t expected? Yes, I discovered I didn’t just marry my best friend, I married what has to be one of the best men in the world. 

Did the honeymoon phase wear off? I guess so? But it meant discovering that real life with my person is just a magical as it was in the beginning. 

We have so many more years to go, and I can’t wait. But this first has been everything I dreamed it would be, because of him. I am the luckiest. 

And it’s also been a year of stepmom-ing. Words can’t contain the range of emotions and experiences our days have brought. I will never take for granted the honor it is to hold this place of such influence in their lives. And at this one year mark, I am grateful for how they have so loved and welcomed me too. I prepared myself for the worst: hard transitions, times of being unwanted, low levels of trust, etc. And yes, any of that could still come. But right now, I can look back and be amazed by how naturally we’ve grown together, by how many tough moments we’ve gotten through together, and by how willingly they’ve trusted and wanted me. 

Yes, and again, I am the luckiest.