Cheers to 4 Years of Marriage

July 5, 2017
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Expat Life
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By the Numbers: 1461 Days · 5 continents · 28 countries · 1 home · 1 pup

I am feeling grateful today. So, so grateful.

I get to see my family pretty infrequently. Usually once or twice a year we’ll plan a trip together, and in between we make a concerted effort to stay in touch via Skype and by phone. Despite our distance, my parents always confide that while they selfishly want us closer to them, they feel utterly content in knowing that I’m happy and that I’ve found someone who is the perfect partner for me. After all, they emphasize, isn’t that what parents ultimately want for their children? Their happiness, success, and ability to find their place in the world?

It’s true. Before getting married, I often wondered about the idea of getting married and ‘creating your own family’. I have a family – a wonderful family, at that – that I was born into and that I love. How could I create a family?

Then I met Scott, and I understood what it could be to create your own family; at least a new branch of a family with someone who you’re able to incorporate into something even greater. I know that no matter where we go, where we live, and what comes our way, we have each other, and that’s something pretty special. They say that it is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages, and I can see how that’s true.

I honestly feel that above all, friendship and mutual respect create the core of our relationship. There’s no one in the world that I’d rather go through life with, and I wake up every day very grateful for that truth.

You can see images and a post from last year when we celebrated three years of marriage! Since then, we’ve kept the adventures rolling:

07.05.2016 – 07.05.2017

Nikki Beach St. Barths — Celebrating our 3rd anniversary in St. Barths!

A Day in St. Barths — Celebrating a friend’s birthday in St. Barths – Aug 2016

Museum of Islamic Art, Layover in Doha — Off to Africa, with a night in Qatar to explore Doha – September 2016

Kigali Genocide Memorial, Kigali — In Kigali at the Genocide Memorial – September 2016

Nyungwe Forest Canopy Walkway Tour — In Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest – September 2016

Crossing Lake Kivu - The Wanderlust Effect — Crossing Lake Kivu, one of our scarier experiences to date! – September 2016

Nyiragongo Hike, Virunga National Park, DRC — Heading out for gorilla trekking in the DRC – September 2016

Mt. Nyiragongo Hike, DRC - The Wanderlust Effect — Successfully climbing Mt. Nyiragongo in the DRC – we rocked it! – September 2016

Kazinga Channel Cruise, Uganda — Cruising on the Kazinga Channel in Uganda – September 2016

Bwama Island, Lake Bunyonyi — Touring the church + school at Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda. – September 2016

The Blue Train, South Africa - The Wanderlust Effect — Aboard the Blue Train from Jo’burg to Cape Town – September 2016

DREAM DESTINATION: Birkenhead House in Hermanus, South Africa — Finding one of our favorite places in the world: the Birkenhead House in Hermanus – Sept 2016

Cape of Good Hope, South Africa — Driving to the Cape of Good Hope – September 2016

A Perfect Day in Cape Town - The Wanderlust Effect — Plus, spending a few days in sunny Cape Town. – October 2016

Cape Winelands Experiences, Segway Tour Stellenbosch — A Segway tour wine tasting in Stellenbosch, South Africa – October 2016

Quartier Petit Champlain, Christmas in Quebec City — Celebrating Christmas in Quebec City! – December 2016

Hamilton Estate, Funky Monkey Tours, Nevis — Exploring ruins and history with Funky Monkey Tours in Nevis. – February 2017

Jost Van Dyke, White Bay — Kicking off our BVI trip with two days in Jost Van Dyke – March 2017

Salt Island, British Virgin Islands — Dinghy tour of Salt Island, BVI – March 2017

Cooper Island, British Virgin Islands — Watching the sunset at Cooper Island, BVI – March 2017

Washington, DC — Celebrating my new dual citizenship + a friend’s wedding in DC – May 2017

Chicago Architecture Foundation Tour — An architecture tour in Chicago during Scott’s birthday weekend – May 2017

We’ve unwittingly created a tradition of celebrating on a new island for every anniversary! This year, we’re switching it up and escaping the Caribbean with a trip to Nantucket this weekend. Stay tuned – I can’t wait to share our All American adventure!

Cheers to many more wonderful years of marriage!

More about Shannon Kircher

Shannon Kircher is the founder and editor of The Wanderlust Effect. Founded in 2009, she has continued to document her international escapes as an expat in Europe and the Caribbean. Additionally, Shannon is the founder of Compass & Vine, a luxury boutique travel design firm, and is the Director of Marketing for the Frangipani Beach Resort. Shannon holds an MSc in Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics and is a current candidate for WSET Level 3 in Wines & Spirits.