Jul 6, 2022 3 min read

This column marks a milestone: The first time I am writing it as a married woman. We tied the knot last month and took a long, wonderful honeymoon. Now, we’re settling into married life as newlyweds, and I have to say that – so far – it’s going swimmingly! Neither of us had been married before or had kids, so this was a real first.

I’ve been a confirmed bachelorette for decades and always loved the single life and living alone. The problem with that is it makes you selfish, as there’s no one else around to consider, to consult about what’s for dinner or to complain if you leave dirty dishes in the sink. I actually felt a tad bit anxious over the cohabitation venture, wondering how both of us would adjust. Would we drive each other crazy by leaving the toothpaste cap off all of the time? Would we crowd each other in the kitchen or bathroom? Would I still be able to binge watch my ridiculous reality television shows about overseas fiancés?

I can joke about these things because they’re just the small stuff, and I know that we have already tackled all of the big stuff like finances, life philosophies and plans for the future. We’re on the same page with all of it, so the fact that instead of watching sappy Hallmark movies since he moved in, I actually watched some of the NBA finals (and enjoyed them!). Those of you who know me know my lawn care is a big deal. I won’t let just anyone mow the grass, so that was a big step. We’ve been taking turns mowing and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate his help and what a great job he does. While I would still give myself the edge for precision cutting, he takes the prize for speed.

I’m an extremely lucky woman to have landed him and I know that. One of his talents is that he is a fantastic cook and loves doing it. I, on the other hand, am not and do not. He keeps telling me that my food is good, but we both know who the real chef in the family is. The best part about him loving to cook is that he also works from home. He’ll often start dinner in between client meetings and conference calls, which means I arrive home from work with a delicious dinner already prepared! I should have married this man years ago.

We’re taking turns doing the laundry and grocery shopping (I prefer ordering online and popping the trunk for pickup while he enjoys browsing the aisles in person). So far, we haven’t run into any big obstacles.

I’m guessing that’s probably because the house has two bathrooms.

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.