Labor Day weekend served as the perfect opportunity to kick-off the new month and begin the celebration of our sixth wedding anniversary. The actual date is September 28th but you know I celebrate major milestones (birthday and anniversary) for an entire month. This practice ensures that I am able to spend quality time and make memories with all of the people I love the most.
During the course of our weekend getaway to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, we focused on five areas as we commemorate the completion of another year together as a unit.
1)rest- with hectic schedules, travel demands, community engagements and two little ones, life is full! We literally rested a good portion of the weekend. We both slept in, took naps, went to bed at fairly early times in the evening and limited our use with technology. This allowed us to feel fully refreshed and rejuvenated when we returned home to the kiddos and our life and work responsibilities.
2)relaxed- one of the best parts of the trip was sitting on the porch in the rocking chairs while watching the rain fall between the trees. That’s literally the sound that people pay for and listen to while relaxing in a spa, during yoga or while going to sleep. Taking the time to just enjoy nature, ride through the mountains and spot animals were indeed a beautiful moments to experience together.
3)reflected- my husband and I agree that it’s important to be intentional about evaluating the past year of our relationship when we reach an anniversary milestone. We reflect on the good and bad of the year, what we learned and how we want to improve on it moving into our new year as a married couple. This process acknowledges that we aren’t perfect but that we are committed to being perfect for each other.
4)goal setting- often times people develop goals for themselves and/or their careers. We take time to map out our goals for the upcoming year for ourselves individually, our unit as a couple, our children, and our family. We determine what we want to achieve and how we are going to work the plan for the upcoming year. We also evaluate the goals that were set the previous year and identify whether they are complete, if they are still in progress, if they are beneficial to the family, and next steps for accomplishing them. This keeps us accountable to each other and ensures that we work together to achieve the best for our girls, ourselves and our family overall.
5)renew our love- holding hands, taking walks, long talks, listening to our favorite songs, hugs, kisses, cuddles, fun activities and delicious meals are all ways we show our love. Our trip was full of these moments that renewed our love and reminded us of the reasons why we became one.
Building the life and relationship that you want takes work and effort. Using the milestone of our anniversary as an annual checkpoint with touch points throughout the year allows us to strengthen our relationship and work together as a team. Our celebration isn’t over. Stay tuned for our upcoming anniversary activities.
Until then,
Xoxo