Our One Year Anniversary

Today is our one-year wedding anniversary and holy smokes did this year go by fast! It’s crazy to think that on this day last year, we were in Napa, with all of our friends and family, dancing the night away after saying “I Do”. I’m not sure what you’re supposed to accomplish during your first year of marriage, but I do have to say that I am really happy where we are and where we are going:)

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this little questionnaire! Hopefully, we can make this a tradition and do a similar one every year! I just think it would be really cool to see how our answers and lives change throughout the years.

1. You’ve been married for one year, have lived together for three years and have been together a total of eight. What still manages to surprise you?

lauren: How amazing he is at public speaking! I mean he truly has a gift! Then second, would be just how incredibly smart he is. Like I’m not kidding when I say the boy is a walking encyclopedia. He would absolutely kill it on a show like Jeopardy (which he loves to watch) and is all around the king of facts! Then lastly….. I’d have to say how sweet he can be completely out nowhere. In the least expected moments, he will do the most random act of kindness or say the sweetest thing and it always takes me back for a moment. He truly has the biggest heart. For me, for his family, his friends and everyone.

colton: Lauren surprises me every day! She is always keeping me on my toes, whether it’s current events, fashion (duh), sports or business, or anything for that matter, Lauren always seems to be in the know. Even if she isn’t exactly fond of the subject, she is usually very informative and engaging. She knows that it may mean something to me so she pays attention. No matter how boring baseball is,
she will know the Astros won last night 7-3 because I may bring it up. She will know that Pinterest is about to IPO and I should look into it. Every day she is learning and growing and inspiring.

2. Favorite trip you’ve both taken together this past year? 

lauren: Mexico City!! It was such a fun trip and was totally different from any trip that we had ever taken.

colton: Breckenridge is by far my favorite trip this year. I love to ski and we haven’t been in a while. Not only that, but we were able to see some of our best friends while we were in Denver, so it was an
added bonus to be able to spend some time with them.

3. What would you say has been the biggest change that marriage had brought your relationship? 

lauren: The biggest change would probably be the fact that we’re starting to plan for the future more. Before we got married, we really only planned or thought short term. You know, weekends, parties, brunch, vacations and etc. While we still like those things and prefer to live in the moment, be spontaneous and travel….. our future definitely plays a huge factor in a lot of our decision making these days. Especially in terms of finances! Do we want to buy a house? Do we want to stay in Houston? Where do our future kids play a role in all of this? These are all big things and questions we didn’t really talk about before that we do now.

colton: Learning to always keep in mind that Lauren and Bentley are my immediate family and that they come first.

4. What’s your best memory from the past year? 

lauren: This past December, we took a trip to Colorado to go skiing (**Full discloser, I am not the best skier in the world but I try and every year I get better!!**) and on our first day on the slopes, I killed it! I was going down harder mountains than I ever had before, I was keeping up with the guys and I never fell!! Colton was so proud of me and I was on cloud nine the whole time!! At the end of the day, on our last run, we took a super easy run that dead-ended into our hotel (it was a ski-in, ski-out resort) and since Colton was ahead of me, he was already taking his skis off by the time I got there. Anyways, as I skied up to him, I had decent momentum and went up this little bitty hump of snow that was right next to him so that I could share my finalé moment. I was raising and pumping my hands in the air (like the champion I was) and as I did that, I slowly started to move back down the baby hill I just went up…. My skies ended up getting stuck in the snow behind me and I completely fell backward. I was 100% buried in the snow and Colton had to come fish me out. While he was trying to help me, he ended up falling in the snow as well and we just laid there dying of laughter. It was so funny and was all around the perfect ending to a really great day.

colton: One of my most fond memories was when we were in Mexico City for our friends’ wedding. We ended up staying an extra night because Sunday was Lauren’s birthday and that night we went to get dinner & drinks with two friends that also stayed an extra night and ended up shutting the restaurant down. On Sunday’s everything in Mexico City shuts down at 10, so it wasn’t the party we expected and around 1030 they finally started to kick us out. As we were leaving, we ended up striking up a conversation with the bartender/owner and after about 10 minutes, he turns to Lauren and said, “screw it shut the door, we’re doing shots”!! So we did as we were told. We stayed and drank tequila and listened to music for a couple of hours until it was time to call it a night!

5. Favorite thing about being married?

lauren: Having a constant teammate and knowing that I’ll always have someone 100% on my side.

colton: Being challenged every day. Lauren brings out the best in me and holds me to the highest standard.

6. Hardest part about being married?

lauren: Communicating effectively.

colton: Putting someone else’s needs before my own. In any and every situation.

7. What was your most recent argument about, and how did you resolve it?

lauren: I can’t think of an exact argument, but we have had multiple little ones recently all stemming from miscommunication. Whether it was a tone taken a wrong way, plans/ ideas/ or even feelings not being communicated efficiently…. all of our arguments tend to have a common denominator. When it comes to resolving them though, it’s always different.  We’ve gotten really good at admitting when we’re in the wrong and saying I’m sorry. It may take us an hour of space but I will always apologize if it’s my fault & Colton always does the same. Although we’ve learned it’s important for both of us to say we’re sorry because, at the end of the day, it takes two to tango. In our relationship, one person may have been more at fault than the other in the cause of the argument, but at the end of the day, we both played equal parts.

colton: Honestly, I think it was about something as stupid as a parking spot. Little tiffs like that can happen at any moment but at the end of the day, we have to remind ourselves that it’s just not worth it and to move on. I think that most of our arguments stem from a lack of communication. We very much see eye to eye on almost everything, but a lot of times things get misconstrued, misinterpreted or taken the wrong way, which can lead to arguments. Which in turn leads to one of us becoming defensive.

8. When you look back on your wedding day, which moment do you remember most vividly? 

lauren: Ok, sorry, I have two! The first would have to be our first dance. We chose “Everything” by Michael Bublé as our song, (bc it’s the same song that Colton sang to me at a karaoke bar in Austin on my 20th Birthday) and we just sang along to every word, danced like nobody was watching and had fun with the whole thing. Then the second moment would have to be the thirty seconds I took to myself to step back and soak in everything, right before the sun went down. All of our closest friends and family were there, in Napa, to celebrate us, dancing their hearts out on the dance floor and it was so incredible to witness. I just remember feeling so completely and genuinely happy in those two moments and I think that’s why they stick out the way they do.

colton: Lauren walking down the aisle obviously! Gave me all the feels and my adrenaline started to pump. The anticipation was killing me because I could see the top of her veil above the bushes but that was all. And it looked like she had stopped just before she was about to walk down the aisle, so I was very confused. I sorta glanced at my dad with a puzzled look, as I was just so ready to get the
ceremony on and to marry her!! It ends up the wind carried her veil onto a nearby branch and it was momentarily stuck! She finally appeared as she started down the aisle and looked so stunningly beautiful! After that, time seemed to rapidly speed up, and next thing I know, we were dancing.

9. What was your favorite part of the wedding? Besides your vows, first dance, first look and etc…..

lauren: Our band!!!! Okay actually, a combination of our band and the venue. Both were just over the top incredible.

colton: Being able to enjoy our celebration with all of our family and friends and seeing them all interact was amazing. Everyone was dancing with everyone and really enjoying themselves and having a great time.

10. What are a few things that the other could not live without?

lauren: His phone, his Xbox, his second monitor (for work) Bentley, his hairspray (lol) and his Adidas flipflops.

colton: The gym, Bentley, red wine, lulu leggings, listening to Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish (new development) on repeat. All day, every day. The outdoors, almond butter and dark chocolate.

11. What are some of your favorite activities that you do with each other when you share time together?

lauren: Taking Bentley for walks!! I love those moments because we are completely disconnected from our phones, we talk about a lot of stuff and we get to spend time with Bentley!!

colton: We love going to brunch on Saturday’s with Bentley. Listening to music on our patio with a glass of wine and talking about our day. Being active in general, whether it’s running the park, or taking Bentley on a walk around the apartment, we enjoy being outdoors!

12. Is this what you expected marriage to be like? What surprises you the most?

lauren: Yes and no. I mean, we have been together for eight years and had already lived with each other, three out of those eight. I do have to say though, I think what has surprised me the most is just how much Colton has stepped up in every single aspect and how he’s really taken on the role as my husband. I’ve gone through a lot this year (mainly pertaining to personal family things) and the way he has been there for me has been absolutely incredible. All in all, he’s just really stepped up in ways that I never thought he would/could and…well…..he has.

colton: What has surprised me the most is how much we have lived for ourselves the past year. Not conforming to the normal qualms of marriage like having kids immediately, buying a house, not being able to travel because of other responsibilities and etc. That is how I expected marriage to be but what I realized is that our marriage is a reflection of us. Our love is unique and I love knowing that I have someone to make my own rules throughout life with.

13. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received about being married?

lauren: (1) Put God first, then each other, then everything else. (2) Never go to bed angry (3) Never lose your childlike and playful instincts.

colton: Happy wife happy life. LOL. But really…..

14. What’s your favorite dish that the other person makes? 

lauren: Colton has been making this roasted bell pepper with ground turkey dish and it’s honestly to die for!

colton: Lauren makes BOMB enchiladas! They’re a healthy variety (DUH) but they are so so good. It’s almost like a lasagna with layers of tortillas and chicken with a little pico mixed in! It’s definitely one of my favorites.

15. What do you think your lives will be like 5 years from now? 

lauren: Five year from now…… so 32? Yikes – lol. Honestly, who knows where life will take us, but I like to think/hope that we’ll be more settled. Maybe in our first home and starting a family? That sounds like a good plan to me 🙂

colton: I think we will be much more grounded or more rooted and have a house of our own. Maybe even get Bentley and a buddy to play with. Who knows! Maybe even have a little one running around!

xo,

Lauren & Colton

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