Granite City Wedding | What one year of marriage has taught me

Life, as you all know, is full of lessons. From seemingly teeny tiny things like learning how to wake up with your alarm for once (this one, many of us are still mastering) to much larger lessons like how to cope with the loss of a loved one (another sadly none of us will ever fully master) but today as my husband and I celebrate our first wedding anniversary I'd like to share with you a few little life lessons that our first year of marriage has taught me personally and hopefully uncover some of the myths that often surround life after 'I do'

Marriage changes the way other people see you, particularly if you're a woman
The inane pressure you have to settle down and make babies becomes far more apparent once that ring slides on your finger and it really shouldn't. People start cooing and awing any time they see you in any proximity of a small child or worse still a baby and cult like chants of 'you're next' become the norm, questions of when rather than if or do you want to dominate conversations, but marriage, as I'm sure the educated of you are aware doesn't equate to babies all of the time, and it's funny because my husband hasn't been subjected to such questions, quizzical looks and general torture to my knowledge.

The terms 'husband and 'wife' will never not make me squeak just a little

Not in the negative ugh I hate being someones wife or I hate having a husband, but in that it never sounds normal. Being introduced as 'my wife' or introducing my signo as 'my husband' sounds bizarre but in a very sweet, uncomfortable, odd way right? A little bit like I imagine Edward Scissorhands feels in his day to day life!

Marriage can mean anything you want it to mean, it is what you make it
Tradition dictates that marriage means a woman being under a mans thumb, the man being the sole provider and the wife acting as homemaker and quite often when people hear I am married this still conjures up images of a bored, sexless housewife, but I've got news for all you nay sayers, marriage can be anything you make it. Much as we have seen in celebrity news from Will and Jada Pinkett Smith it can be one thing for you and a something completely different to your neighbour. For us marriage means a partnership to share in lifes ups and downs and someone to have all of the experiences life can offer us together.

So guys I hope you have enjoyed this off beat anniversary post and I'd love to hear from all of you single or married how you feel about married life? Are you someone who doesn't believe in the 'institution' of marriage, I'd love to hear your thoughts, or like me are you someone who has faced bias and misconceptions about your own marriage it'd be interesting to hear your experiences. Be sure to leave your thoughts, comments and experiences below, come share your feelings with me on Twitter, or of course if you'd like to keep up with the latest Granite City Girl posts you can follow them on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, remember kids marriage is what you make it.

H.Elizabeth.