My Life as a Band Wife

On Tuesday, Jay and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. It was well timed, with him coming home from tour the day before. We spent the evening sipping champagne, exchanging gifts, walking the dog, eating at our favorite restaurant and reminiscing over the last year. For those who have read the blog from the start, you know it wasn’t the easiest year. I hope that what you did get from reading My Life as a Band Wife, though, is that when you’re with the person you truly love, the hard times and the distance only make you a stronger team. I couldn’t imagine sharing my life with anyone else.

Here are a few of the photos from our wedding, courtesy of Zac Wolf.

I’m proud of the life that Jay and I have started building together. I’m proud of all of the things we have accomplished individually and the way we support eachother’s dreams and goals. Not everyone has the opportunity to marry the person that is really right for them and I consider myself lucky every single day - even when his time on the road makes time seem slow and unbearable.

This life isn’t for everyone and I’ve watched several relationships grow tense or crumble under this particular brand of pressure. What brought Jay and I together was something unquantifiable, and it is the same thing that keeps us together. For us, marriage wasn’t a fix, a thing to keep us sane through the trials and tribulations of the months apart. It was the promise to one another that we would continue to love and be dedicated, faithful, to one another throughout the rest of our days on this earth. A promise to maintain the loving, respectful relationship we had when we were dating.

It’s the best promise I have ever made, to the best man I have ever met. I wish this kind of love for each and every one of you.

For more photos from our wedding, with little insights from the day, I invite you to check out my board on Pinterest. I also welcome you to follow me on Twitter and subscribe to me on Facebook.

Growing up, we’re told that practice makes perfect and that the more you do something, the better you get.

Well, I can’t count how many times I’ve done this tour thing, and I still feel like there is a lot about it I still haven’t gotten used to or “perfected.”

1. Packing the bag - Really though, no matter how many times I have done this, I still haven’t found the way that is the most efficient. I’ve tried everything from folding and rolling to bundling. Nothing really seems to save space.

2. Drop off and goodbyes - I hate going to Logan Airport. Even if it’s because we are going somewhere together. I instantly have anxiety because the majority of my trips there involve me saying goodbye to my husband for an extended period of time. If I’m not dropping Jay off, I am still terrible at saying goodbye in the morning before I leave for work. I mean, how can you improve on that one?

3. My depressed dog - Niles spends his entire day with Jay. And he’s a smart cookie. He knows what it means when he sees the bags. It means a lot of time alone and not having his dad around. It breaks my heart, and Jay’s, to see his little weepy eyes and sad face. Ooof.

4. Sleeping alone at night - Sure, I don’t miss the snoring, but I’d take it any day over sleeping by myself. I am notoriously bad at sleeping other places when I know I could be with him. Shut up, emo kid.

5. Keeping things in order- I generally enjoy my housework. I take a lot of pride in it. But when I’m alone, a lot of it falls to the side. It’s just me. So, I’ll wait to clean that dish or that toilet…or to do the laundry.

What kind of things are you working to master when it comes to getting through or dealing with tour?