Celebrating Down Memory Lane

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Noi Tran  |  noitran.com

” I wanted to pass along this lifestyle session of a sweet couple who will be celebrating their 5th anniversary this coming October. They recently purchased their first home together last year and have been working on making it their very own. Sarah and Travis enjoy traveling together and just being with one another, no matter if it’s home, work and away. Since they have had the opportunity to travel more, Sarah purchased a vintage scratch off map that will be framed and put up in one of her rooms. They decided to go ahead and scratch off some of the places they’ve visited 🙂 We also incorporated into the session ice cream as their first memory together from their wedding day which was so much fun! I really wanted to highlight their relationship and how marriage comes along after the newlywed stages. Here is more of Sarah and Travis’ story ” – Noi

Travis and I will be married for five years this coming October, but we’ve known each other for almost 16 years. 🙂 I met Travis in 2003, my freshman year of college. I worked as an administrative assistant for a small software company in my hometown during my first year of school. My boss informed me that since I would be transferring to an out of state college in the Fall, I was being replaced, and that I would have to train my replacement. UGH. I was all set to dislike this guy, but then this guy was Travis and hey! He was actually pretty great. We ended up dating very briefly that Summer before we both went back to school. Even though I dated someone else through college, we stayed in touch because he was one of my very favorite people and we really enjoyed time spent together. Whenever I came home for a break, I made sure to call him up so we could hang out.

My boyfriend and I broke up my senior year, and Travis and I ended up working at the same place together again (someone had designs on me). 😀 After being friends for so long, it was hard to think about switching gears into dating! One day, we were at the High Museum in Atlanta and he blurts out “We’re doing this!” before grabbing my hand. I haven’t let him live that down.

He proposed to me in 2010 while we were hiking at Red Top Mountain. I always told him I’d know when he was going to propose, but he caught me completely off guard! I was the one that suggested the hike so I didn’t suspect a thing. He had originally planned to propose to me on a beach trip, but I ended up having to go in for an emergency appendectomy and the trip got cancelled. I think he said he’d had plans to propose to me on three separate occasions that didn’t pan out. The day he proposed, I thought we were just going for a typical hike. He stuffed the ring box in his pocket and when we reached our stopping point (a large rock overlooking Lake Allatoona), he told me to close my eyes. “Could he be…?”… I thought. When I opened my eyes, there he was, on the rock, down on one knee with a ring box. I said, YES, of course. 😀 I joked with him that I’m glad I didn’t push him off the rock in my excitement! (I tend to give excited shoves)

Our first year was tough as it is for most couples. Living together was a big adjustment! I’m a total neat freak, and he’s not so much. I think the most important thing we learned was to kindly tell each other how we’re feeling. In the beginning of our relationship, if I got upset, I would shut down. Now, if I’m upset or anxious, I tell him and we talk about it and vice versa. No judgement. Our communication is so much better than it used to be, and that makes all the difference.

I still think one of my favorite memories from our first year was the late night/morning of our wedding day. I was nervous and excited, and he suggested an ice cream run. We went to Kroger and got a 1/2 gallon of Bluebell. As we walked back to the car, he looked at me and said, “Happy Anniversary, it’s our 0th.” I didn’t realize it was past midnight until he said that. It just reinforced to me what a sweet, wonderful guy I was marrying.

Advice to newlyweds: Don’t bottle up your feelings. Be kind and considerate. It’s so easy to be grumpy about something your partner is or isn’t doing. When you assume you know why your partner is doing something that bothers you, you don’t give them the benefit of the doubt. In the same way, they may not realize how their actions are affecting you. Communicate CONSTANTLY.

Do fun things together. It’s really easy to get caught up in the day to day mundane chores of adulthood. Life can be so stressful when bills start adding up, or the to do list gets long. Make sure you set aside time just to hang out. Get out of your normal surroundings and go somewhere new together. Have an adventure.

Realize that nobody’s marriage is perfect. It’s so easy to compare and imagine that other couples are happier or better together, but the bottom line is that you don’t know what other couples are dealing with. Marriage is hard work for any couple, and when the problems start to crop up, don’t panic. It’s all a growing process.

Creative Team
Makeup by Sarah Roper
Interior Designer: Robynn Amoth

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