Being married to a traveling man isn’t always fun. This week Luke is in San Francisco working on a project that will likely keep him on the road for several weeks. It’s the first time we’ve been apart since getting married, and I don’t like it one bit!

I joke that Luke tricked me into falling for him. See, the first year we were together he didn’t travel once. I thought I had a great guy who would always be around whenever I wanted to hang out.

That was until he smacked me with the news that he was put on a job in….TEL AVIV, ISRAEL and would be gone for two months straight. Waaaaa??? Say it isn’t so!

I was really worried about what would happen to our relationship while he was gone, but it ended up being a good thing because it forced us to evaluate how we felt about each other and talk about how committed we wanted to be to our relationship.

Luckily we both felt the same way and decided to stay together while he was gone. Right before he left, we said “I love you” for the first time.

While it can be hard when Luke is gone traveling for work, it’s helped me become independent and more sociable with friends. I know how important it is for me to maintain interests and hobbies to keep me busy and happy while he’s away.

I think maintaining a full life with friends and activities, some of which we share and some we do alone, is what makes us both happy and ultimately attracted to each other. I think our friends appreciate that we’re not tied to each other all the time too. Sometimes you just need to hang with the girls!

Of course, when he walks in the door on Friday I’ll have a weeks worth of hugs saved up for him. :)

How do you guys maintain your independence in relationships?

This year’s wedding season came and went for us rather quickly. We had three weddings from March-June and now, sadly, they’re over! I really love going to weddings, but I will also enjoy not having to travel this summer.

The two most recent wedding I attended were here in Chicago for two of my girlfriends. First was Erin’s. Erin is a college friend of mine who also happens to work with Luke…she even introduced us at her birthday party three years ago!

Erin made a gorgeous, elegant and very classic bride. Her reception followed suit too! It was held at the Union League Social Club, which really embodies old-world Chicago with the dark wood, chandeliers and amazing artwork.

They had a live band that got everyone dancing…

Luke and I loved the slow songs…

My favorite part of Erin’s reception was when her father-in-law took the stage to play some traditional Irish music. Brian, Erin’s husband, and his family took center-stage to show off their Irish step dancing skills.

Everything about Erin’s wedding was gorgeous, classy and fun! – just like Erin herself :)

I must say, one special moment of the evening for me was when Erin’s mom stopped me (we’ve never met) to tell me she is a abattylife reader! That was pretty cool.

Mrs. Fitzgerald and Erin…you put on an amazing wedding! Thanks for inviting us.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a recap of the other wedding I attended recently- black tie and the Four Seasons, ooh lala!

When Luke and I got engaged, I was  lucky to have my friends and family surround me with excitement and support. Looking back, those first couple weeks were probably when I needed them the most – having a new ring  on your finger and starting the wedding journey can be  a little bit intimidating!

I remember one friend in particular sent me a little congratulations gift, which I LOVED and use every single day. It was a tiny, silver elephant whose trunk was used as a ring holder. I remember it meant a lot to me that she had gone out of her way to help me feel special.

I was on Etsy the other day and came across these adorable personalized ring holders, that I had to share with you.

How cute are these? Any newly-engaged girl would probably just love this little, personalized home for her new bling, right?

Now will one of my friends PLEASE get engaged so I can buy this for them??

Just the other day I was reading through some old emails and came across one to a friend of mine. I was telling her about my weekend, “I met this guy named Batman….no joke. lol! He took my number, so let’s see where this one takes me…” Little did I know that it would take me on three years of adventure filled with laughter, fun and of course hugs and kisses. The day I wrote this email, I certainly did not know what amazing things were in store for us. 

Since you’ve come into my life, everyone close to me has agreed that I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I thought I had a complete life before I met you- I had great friends, family, a career and my own interests and hobbies. I had no idea how the addition of someone to share it with would make everything seem 10x fuller, happier and complete.

I prayed to God many times to guide me to a man who was smart, kind and handsome. He’s blessed me with much more than I ever could imagine. Your patience, thoughtfulness, intelligence and confidence amaze me. I thank God every day for bringing us together.

Thank you for loving me for exactly who I am. You celebrate my talents & triumphs and are patient and understanding when I may not be at my best. We laugh together every day and have the best conversations, which is more than I could have asked for.

Today, I hope you know that I love you with all my heart and I can’t wait to be your wife.

Love always and forever,

Liz