Happy Fri-yay!

Hi mamas! Happy Friday!

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary, and I put together some things I’ve learned over the past 5 years being married to the most amazing human. I’ll try to keep them brief!

1. Being right isn’t always “worth it” - There have been times when all I wanted was to hold onto being right. I wasn’t willing to consider that there was another way of looking at it, or that my belief about what being right was could have been clouded by my own life experiences and feelings rather than facts. Being right wasn’t worth not being open to another perspective, and often it turned out that me wanting to “be right” was really about something else entirely.

2. I can’t be heard if I’m not communicating- This is a lesson I learned mostly within the past 2.5 years of being a mom. I can’t just assume that Gabe knows what is on my mind, especially when I am typically the one to shrug things off. If I am struggling, if I need more time to myself, even if I don’t know what it is that I need but I know I need something, I have to speak up. This year, I have done more to work on my communication skills than I have our entire relationship, and I can honestly say that by putting that effort in, I see a drastic improvement in the level of our conversations.

3. Healthy relationships take constant effort- You’ve heard that saying, “do what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”? It’s proving to be false on all accounts. Doing something you’re passionate about takes effort, commitment, and intention. The same is true for your relationships. We have been encouraged by our friends that have been happily married for longer than we have to always strive to be the one to put more effort in. If you’re both constantly trying to put an effort into your relationship, I don’t see how you drift apart.

4. Being vulnerable is key- I think it can be really uncomfortable for any of us to be truly vulnerable with another person, or maybe I am just speaking for myself when I say that I struggled with this at first in our marriage. I could be surface level vulnerable, but the really deep shit was locked away and I didn’t access it until we were about to have our first baby. Being fully vulnerable allowed me to actually be fully loved by my husband and that was the real blessing.

5. If you’re not laughing together, you’re missing something- One of our family’s core values is “Make it fun”. This is because if you’re not laughing and being silly together, you’re missing out on major bonding moments. Gabe is my best friend. I genuinely love spending time together, whether we are in the gym goofing off between sets, running around the playground with our kids, or blasting music in the kitchen for a dance party. We keep it light and fun, and this has helped us change the chemistry in our home.

If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading 🙂 . Most of these are lessons that I have learned both from our own marriage and also the marriages of people and couples that I admire. By no means do I claim to be perfect, or that our marriage is perfect. We are all flawed. But I love my husband, and I love our life together, so I have to believe that by doing some of these things it has helped us create this beautiful life.

Thanks for reading! Below I’m giving some other updates, and sharing some more things I’m loving lately!

So it turns out I am hooked on perfecting gluten-free sourdough, and I have now ordered a different flour as well as psyllium husk, which is supposed to help absorb some moisture. I have accepted that GF sourdough will always be slightly different than the gluten-full alternative, but I am not giving up on it! Mostly because I am really over buying store-bought gf bread. I ordered this psyllium husk in case you needed a rec!

I fell off my routine of taking my supplements daily for literally the past 3 months (I told you, I’m not perfect). I recently started taking them daily again, and I can honestly say I do feel a difference in my overall feelings of well-being. I feel less achy, a little more clear-headed, and I do notice a little bit more energy. I have been taking my staples from GutPersonal: Omegas, the Prenatal, and the Miracle Worker (Magnesium). You can find them all HERE, along with a quiz to find out which supplements might be best for you! You can also reply to this email and I can help you there!

If you’re not already in the Mom’s Training Club, WYD?! The Booty, Core & Pelvic Floor Program is up and ready to be added into YOUR program! 🍑 

See you in two weeks, same time same place.

Xoxo,

Arielle