Justin+Kelly:
Marriage
In Focus

Relationship advice from married couples

Justin and Kelly have been married for almost 4 years and they now have a daughter as a result of their sweet love. Below is my interview with them both. By the way, I absolutely love their date ideas at the end. Hope you enjoy!

Q. How many years have you been married? When is your anniversary?

A. It will be four years come August 8th.

Q. How did the two of you meet?

A. The very, very first time we met was at Rock Lobster (a bar) in Indianapolis. We had a mutual friend who invited both of us out that night. We were both dating other people, so we didn’t start dating each other until about a year later, even though we both liked each other. Unfortunately, our mutual friend told Kelly that I would never be interested in her (which obviously was not true). That kept us from pursuing each other even longer.

The first time we ever hung out and got to really know each other was at the Def Leopard/Journey concert in Indianapolis. After that, I went away to the Secret Service training academy. We wouldn’t go on our first official date until I got back.

Q. What is one thing you wish you would have known before you got married? Possibly something you learned the first few years of marriage that could help another couple out.

A. Don’t sweat the small stuff! We both have things that annoy the crap out of each other. At first, we spent too much time pointing out those “problems” and making a big deal about them. Eventually we learned that neither of us is perfect and that we are definitely going to have things that annoy each other. Unless it’s something big, we just deal with it!

Also, some good advice was given to us….”never go to bed angry with each other”

Q. What’s been a favorite date of yours whether while you were dating or now that you’re married with children?

A. Kelly: Justin surprised me on Christmas Eve last year (I was super pregnant & due any day), with a nice night in the city. We had dinner at Tadich Grill, took a ride on a street car trolley looking at Christmas lights (I had not done this yet after living in the area for over 6 years), attended midnight mass at St. Mary’s (this is the church we had our premarital counseling at), and then spent the night at the Fairmont. He then surprised me with my re-sized wedding band and engagement ring with a new engraving. It was our last night out on the town before Lilly arrived so it was an extra special evening, our last Christmas that would be just the two of us.

A. Justin: we went on a weekend getaway down to Hearst Castle for one night. It was great road tripping, stopping at all the beaches along the way. We had a great tour of the castle and then a great dinner in Cambria. The next day we took our time getting back to the Bay Area, stopping in Carmel along the way.

7 Years of Love and Laughter

Today Vitaliy and I are celebrating our 7 year wedding anniversary.

The other night I was flipping through the latest Real Simple magazine and came across a spread titled Live Long and Prosper. Each person being interviewed were 100 years or older. They were giving their advice on aging gracefully. One gentleman’s response stood out to me amongst the rest. In his photo, he sits looking completely relaxed with the biggest grin on his face. At first glance you don’t notice it because the image is black and white, but sitting right above his smile is a beautiful white mustache perfectly groomed.

This is his answer as to how he made it to be 100:

“I think I’ve lived so long and been so healthy because I worked so hard. I was an electrician until I was 80, and I have stayed busy since my retirement, going to ball games, movies, the theater, and the opera. My wife, Bertie, and I just celebrated our 80th wedding anniversary, and she does all these activities with me – she’s 102. She still looks wonderful. We hold hands and enjoy our life together very much.”

I thought to myself, if Vitaliy still thinks I look wonderful after 80 years of marriage, if he still wants to hold my hand and go on dates with me, I will be a blessed woman. But right now, we are at 7 years, not 80, and he still thinks I look wonderful and he still grabs my hand to hold every day. For that I am thankful. And I consider myself blessed.

This is one of my favorite pictures from our trip to Ukraine. It was taken by our brother-in-law Vasily in Chernivtsi, Vitaliy’s hometown and the place where I fell even more in love with my husband.

7 Years of Love and Laughter

Breakfast in Bed
Anniversary Edition

Vitaliy and I are only days away from our 7 year wedding anniversary.

My mind has been racing with ideas of how to celebrate. Some years we’ve done elaborate celebrations and other years we’ve kept things simple. We had originally planned to have a big party with family and friends for our 7 year anniversary. But this year has been such an adventure in itself we’ve decided to save that for another time.

Our plans for the special day are still in the works, but we’re thinking of doing something simple and meaningful. Something in line with this breakfast in bed idea that we had the pleasure of photographing for Style Smaller. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t enjoy being pampered first thing in the morning. But what makes this idea so special is the chain link love note that goes along with the meal. Everyone learns how to make a paper chain link in kindergarten so this can be executed by anyone. Kate, who designed this idea, recommends writing something you love about the person on each link. I love your smile. I love how hard you work. I love your kisses.

Anniversaries can come with a lot of expectations. Communicating ahead of time to manage those will help the day go perfect for everyone. But most importantly, just be sure to celebrate. No matter how elaborate or how simple. Every year is worth a celebration.

These photos were taken in collaboration with Kate from Style Smaller. Be sure to check out her blog for more lifestyle inspiration.

Anniversary date idea for breakfast in bed with chain link notes of what the person loves about the other.Tray with breakfast food for anniversary date ideaHandmade chain links with love notes on them.