Hello friends!

I’m back with the second part of this three-part series. You guys sent lots of great questions for Sully and I to ask and we had fun answering them! Enjoy our answers to questions about having kids, our favorite type of dates, what skills we’d steal from each other, and more. 🙂

11. What is something you wish you knew before getting married?

S&A: We wish we’d known that it takes a few months to figure everything out. You have to be patient during the first part of the journey and understand that the way things are now isn’t the way things are always going to be. There will be ups and downs, and that will be okay as long as you don’t draw straight-line projections based off of how things look in the moment. A hard situation might last a few days or (we assume) many years, but with open communication and a lot of patience and prayer, you’ll both grow in your maturity and your understanding of one another. And seriously, no trial lasts forever.

12. Your top tip for a newly engaged couple?

S: Remember that you’re probably never going to be single again, so live it up! Just kidding. But seriously, remember that this is one of your last opportunities to spend the night sleeping on your parents’ couch, go on a soul-searching trip by yourself, or do something insanely generous. If you never learned how to make the most of your life as a single, that sense of discontentment is going to follow you into marriage. I’ll be eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to dedicate my everything to God before I dedicated my heart to Allison.

A: Talking to the bride-to-be for a moment… I encourage you to slow down every once in a while in the crazy wedding-planning process, making time for friends and family as well as time with your fiancé. I know how hard it is to balance everything, but don’t let the joy and stress keep you from maintaining the relationships you’ll need and cherish after your marriage too.

13. What is your favorite kind of date? Casual, fancy, out in town, at home, etc.

S&A: We both love walking into town for supper and/or boba tea at our favorite local restaurants. We’re usually informal and spontaneous about our dates, more geared to enjoying time with each other as an ordinary way of life rather than scheduling certain outings. We do enjoy a good day trip though.

14. What are your thoughts on children in the near//distant future?

S&A: We definitely want children, more rather than fewer, and in the near(ish) future. When we first got married we agreed we wanted to wait 1-2 years if possible. We’ll see what God has in store! (No, I am not pregnant. Sully just wanted to do this pose for some reason, oh dear. :’D)

15. How similar are your music tastes?

S: Allison’s music taste is basically a subsection of my music taste, with slight areas where they do not overlap. (Don’t know what Sully’s doing here but I couldn’t delete it. XD)

16. What is a highlight of married life from each of the past four months?

A: January: Fasting (in some fashion) for 21 days with our small group and the ensuing deep conversations. February: Taking a vacation to Wytheville for a relaxing week together. March: Spending time with friends and church family, at our house or theirs. April: Celebrating Easter with our families.

17. What is a skill Sully would like to steal from Allison and vice versa?

S: I wish I were as patient as Allison. This would basically fix all of my problems, and I would become a superhero after that.

A: I wish I had the navigational skills Sully does. Mine are abysmal in comparison. :[]

18. Do y’all do Bible study together or separately?

A: Currently I do my own very short personal devotions in the morning and Sully is the leader of a “Read the Bible in a Year” challenge we’re doing with my siblings and siblings-in-law, so he takes charge of texts and reminders. We read the chapters for the day and pray together before we go to bed. And we’re in various Bible studies together and separately.

19. What do you each envision your relationship being like in five years from now?

A: Maybe we’ll have a couple of kids and live in a different house, with Sully having a different job (hopefully working from home), and me mostly being a stay-at-home mom + running my Etsy shop.

20. If you could do anything with your lives, money being no object, what would it be?

S: I would like to have more time to devote to refining my writing. I want to be influential behind-the-scenes, where my art can inspire people and make an impact without me ever having to step in the spotlight. And if money were no object, I’d like to build a castle with butlers and maids and a stable. I could live in the stable, and I’d rent the castle as an Airbnb to guests who would have to call me Lord Sully. That would be nice.

A Hey wait! Will there be room in the stable for me?? As long as I can still live with you I think that’s a good dream. We can let family and friends and strangers who need help stay there. And I can cook for them sometimes. Anyway, to be honest I don’t have very big dreams. Fixing up our own house in the country somewhere, raising kids and having lots of friends over, gardening and cooking and laughing… sharing God’s love and beauty through ordinary life is fine with me. 🙂

I’m excited for you guys to read our answers to the last set of questions – there’s some good ones coming up. 🙂 Until then, enjoy your week!

Thanks so much for reading, my friends, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

P. S. I’m wearing my favorite special dress from Baltic Born. We took these pictures with my Nikon D7200 and a 50mm lens + a remote (aff. link). Edited with Lightroom.