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Married life doesn't have to be boring

Married life doesn’t have to be boring

Just over a year ago, Robert and I both quit our jobs and gave up the lease on our Sydney apartment.

We moved to Hobart and stayed with my parents for 2 months, and while we were there, we got married.

Our wedding was laid back and non-traditional. We had photos taken next to some Batman-themed street art in a Hobart alleyway, our ceremony was held under an old tree in a public garden with Mt Wellington looming over us in the background, and we had our reception in an old flour mill converted to a restaurant.

Our wedding in Hobart

Our wedding in Hobart

The wedding had come and gone before we knew it, and soon after we took off for a 6-week backpacking trip though Latin America.

We hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, climbed over ancient Mayan ruins in the Mexican jungle, and stared across the vast expanse of the largest salt flats in the world in Bolivia.

We were served deliciously fresh tacos by friendly locals who didn’t speak a word of English. We caught overnight buses that drove along nothing but bumpy sand roads for hours at a time. We mountain biked down the world’s most dangerous road, and drank coca tea with alpacas staring over our shoulder.

Mexico City

Exploring Mexico City

And then, we moved to a different country.

We attempted to start a new life of adventure in New York City, but our plans fell apart the moment we arrived. So, we travelled to Barbados and applied for our visa all over again. This time, our attempt to move to New York City was successful.

The next 6 months saw us get an apartment, explore our new home city, make new friends, and use our weekends to get deep into this previously unfamiliar culture.

We learnt more about the country’s history in the nearby cities of Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Boston. We bought train tickets and head upriver to explore small towns and fruit farms perched along the Hudson. We immersed ourselves in museums, and found nearly every place to get a great view of the Manhattan skyline.

Dumbo, New York City

Exploring Dumbo, New York City

And on top of all this, we both spent time working on our careers. I’m building my Etsy shop and travel blog, and Robert is developing his skills in his new job as a product developer.

It’s been quite incredible to see the difference this city has made to how we think about work. In Australia, your job is often considered just a way to get by, but people in NYC work hard, play hard, and sleep hard.

Moving here has been crazy, interesting, frustrating, and truly wonderful. We originally wanted to use this move as a chance to travel more and experience a new and exciting lifestyle, but I don’t think either of us could have predicted how much we’d grow from it. It’s made us stronger people, and a stronger couple.

Our wedding in Hobart

Our wedding in Hobart

When we got married one year ago, we knew that this was going to be the beginning of a new adventure. Our plan was to make sure that we lived our lives with absolutely no regrets, and to do something completely different from what everyone else does when they get married.

It’s rare to find a partner who challenges you to push stereotype boundaries and challenge yourself in the best kind of way, but somehow, Robert and I have managed to find that in each other. We don’t always agree, but we can figure out how and where we need to compromise.

For us, being married doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s time to settle down to a life of kids, mortgages, and 9-5 careers.

I think we’ve proved that married life doesn’t have to be boring. Married life is what you want it to be.

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