I'm a day early, but I'm stuck on the couch with a purring Bandit on my lap, so I'm writing it now. Tomorrow will be our one-year anniversary! In the first year of marriage:

• Matthew presented at two conferences and attended a week-long seminar by invitation.


• I ran a marathon and raised $1,300 for diabetes research.


• Matthew graduated from Loyola with his MA.


• I wrote a novel and started two more.


• Matthew was admitted to, and started, a PhD program.


• I've had lots of good work moments: a fantastic performance evaluation, recognition by higher-ups, etc.

Would we have done all of that separately if we weren't married? Maybe, but I think we complement and support each other very well, and being together sure hasn't hurt our productivity.

For two people who hate traveling, we've also traveled an awful lot in the past year. Matthew went to Philadelphia twice and Hawaii once for school stuff. I went to Boston and Ann Arbor for work. Together, we went to Ohio three times, Florida once, and Santa Barbara once. And there are trips to Milwaukee. Together, it was at least twice; Matthew alone is 25+ at this point.

So, in short, it was a very good year, except for Matthew's commuting. I'm still head over heels in love. And my mom will eventually get over her disappointment that there's no grandchildren on the way yet. :P