It's real now

I've heard people say many times that the first year of marriage is the hardest. I wouldn't say that our 5 1/2 months of marriage have been hard, but we have had our challenging moments.

I've mentioned the extraordinary stuff before (like Mono and living apart half the time, which is ending soon, thank goodness), but there's also been ordinary stuff, like learning to share our space. At first, D felt invaded; "his" condo became "our" condo, which took some adjusting. I, in turn, felt displaced. I had to move myself and a house full of stuff into a condo that was already full.

We have discovered new things about each other. Some have been good, like liking the same cereal, and learning each others' funny quirks, like my talking in my sleep. Some of course have been less enjoyable.
I never realized he was such a pack rat, and was startled by his resistance to give away things he never used, even though it was to make room for me and my things.
He didn't realize that I can be over-sensitive sometimes, and he was confused when I would get upset from what seemed like nothing to him.

The amazing thing, though, has been our ability to talk things out and work on them. We're still working on it, but I'm getting better at speaking up when things bother me, and he's getting used to the changes that go along it being "our" home. It makes me feel confident that we can work out any issue that comes our way.
I've been pleasantly surprised by my ability to forgive and forget. There are times I'll remember that we disagreed about something the day before, but I can't remember what it was exactly. I never been this way before, and I believe that it must be the grace that goes along with the sacrament of matrimony.

It dawned on me while I was driving a few days ago: this marriage thing feels real to me now. At our wedding, I felt like I was at someone else's wedding. The first couple months seemed like some strange, vivid dream. Somehow, the challenges have really made me feel more ready to be a wife and live out my role.