Q. What’s the best thing that has happened to you as a couple since you’ve been married?

A. I got my dream job and Z is loving medical school, so our material life is pretty amazing – more blessings than we could ask for. We’ve found an incredible community in San Francisco and our families (for the most part) are close by, so it really feels like home. Neither of us really expected to fall in love with this city, but we really have…

Emotionally/Spritually, the realization of how selfish I am has been really incredible (in a great way). It’s like taking the impurities out of a metal – it burns, but makes it stronger. Because of my wife and our marriage, I’m constantly challenged and strengthened in my faith. I’m confident I’m a better man because of her.

One of the coolest parts of being married has been being able to celebrate the other person’s successes and to mourn with them in their defeats. Garrett has been an incredible support during a very difficult year of school, and he has been a steady rock through the highs and the lows. Garrett has had an incredible year at work, and I have gotten to see and support an incredibly ambitious side of him. I believe we were in love when we got married (as I hope most people are when they get married…), but the love that has grown between us this year has been different than anything I have ever experienced. It has grown to more than the “can’t eat, can’t sleep, reach for the fence, over the starts, world series kind of love”, to a “hey, I know that I’m selfish sometimes and that you’re selfish sometimes, but I love you more today than I ever have and I always” kind of love.

A. She eats skittles in the shower! They supposedly taste better or have a better texture?

Garrett takes 10 minute naps in the bathroom in the morning with the shower running and the towel over his head.

A. For how much travel we do, we haven’t gone far together! We went to Portland for my brother’s wedding which was incredible. Watching your spouse become part of your family is one of the most beautiful parts of marriage.

Garrett Skypes me from his adventures in India and Nepal, but other than that medical school has sort of put a damper on traveling. A few weeks after we got married, we watched two of our friends get married in Boston. In January, we saw Garrett’s brother Jeff and my new sister Kate get married. Kate had already been a part of the Spiegel family for many years, but it was so awesome to officially call her my sister.

Q. What is the biggest piece of advice you can offer newly weds?

A. Be selfless with your time, because it’s not your own anymore. It’s a really humbling and awesome realization and the more you prepare for it, the easier the transition will be. I still struggle with this a lot, especially since Z is a medical student with near-zero control over her schedule. But what I’ve realized is that if we’re willing to sacrifice our flexibility and prioritize our marriage, the energy and renewal that pours out of our marriage relationship will make our work life, our friendships, and our faith stronger than ever.

Be real. This is actually something that Joe and Kelly taught us. Be real to each other and to the people around you. You don’t have to pretend like you are perfect individuals that make a perfect married couple in a perfect home where no one ever gets upset or fights or wants to quit. We are pretty new at this, but we are slowly learning that the best thing we can do for our marriage and for the people watching our marriage is to be vulnerable and real. People need that, and we need that. We’re not perfect. And that’s kind of the point…

Be sure and relive their sweet day here.