Dozen

Yesterday was our anniversary.
Twelve years.
Twelve awesome, crazy, hectic, emotional, amazing years...I don't even know how it's possible!  

We didn't do anything fancy.  The impending arrival of baby girl kept big travel plans grounded, and our love of football and the SuperBowl kept us local.  We decided on a simple dinner out as a family.  Afterall, it was twelve years ago yesterday that our family started.  We went to one of our favorite restaurants here in Italy...Nathan and I got steaks (oh so good) and Miles got pizza, with which he was thrilled (as always).  He's getting so big...he was such a good boy at dinner.  It hit me watching him how much he's grown, and how lucky we are to have him in our family.  

I love Nathan so much - it has been made even clearer over the last few weeks as I enter the horribly uncomfortable stage of pregnancy.  He is such a good support to me, and such a good father to Miles.  

I'm glad that twelve years ago we started this journey together.  

Here's to the next twelve.  

(he he...sorry honey, couldn't resist)

Perspective

Yesterday was our anniversary...in case you didn't already guess that by reading THIS post.  We had originally planned to make this year wicked awesome.  Our tenth anniversary was spent in simple fashion - going out to dinner somewhere local.  It had to be simple - we had just moved 4800 miles to another country and were living out of suitcases in our friends' spare room...plus we had a eight month old.  So we vowed to make our 11th amazing - we figured we never do anything according to tradition anyway.  Case in point?  I had my wedding dress purchased before Nathan even proposed.  And we had our full nursery bought and paid for (crib, dresser, coordinating bedding, rugs, lamps, etc) YEARS before we got Miles.  Ya, we are just weird that way I guess.  So last October when we were in Paris to take Miles to Disney Paris we decided we would celebrate our eleventh anniversary in Paris, sans Miles.  But as it got closer we realized we wouldn't have the money to do that (with Christmas, and my parents' two week visit) so we relegated ourselves to somewhere local...like Rome, Florence or the Amalfi Coast.  (do you hate me yet?!)  I searched and found a great hotel for a pretty good price and waited to hear back on Nathan's request to take a day off work.  But in that time Miles decided to catch the snot machine, congested lungs and head, horrible diarrhea bug.  Nice.  I didn't want to leave him with anyone in that condition so plans were scrapped.  

Yesterday as I sat on the floor playing trucks with our feverish, snot machine who would ONLY allow me to touch cars he WASN'T playing with while my husband was at work...I had a momentary pang of sadness and guilt.  This was our eleventh anniversary afterall!  But then I thought about how great my life is.  In the last year I have stood atop the Eiffel Tower, swam in the Mediterranean, sunbathed on beautiful beaches in southern Italy, eaten wiener schnitzel IN Germany, walked the streets of Innsbruck, Austria, driven the windy panoramic Amalfi Coast...that's pretty awesome.  So in reality I've had the most epic tenth anniversary celebration ever.  I guess I just needed to change my perspective.  

So yesterday as we ended our hugely unromantic day sitting on the couch in our freezing cold house, wearing matching sweatpants, watching Netflix, eating pizza straight out of the box...I couldn't help but feel just how lucky I really am to be attached to this guy for the rest of forever.     

Love you sweetie - and let the most epic tenth (and eleventh, and twelfth) anniversary celebration continue!

:eleven:

Eleven years ago at noon on a Friday we were wed in Logan, Utah.

The week prior saw freezing temps and lots of snow. 

This year our anniversary falls on a Friday,

and Logan, Utah has been cold and getting buried in snow. 

Glad we're in Italy!

Happy Anniversary sweetie -

here's to many more!

Dear Nathan,

We've seen quite a bit of road together, you and I.  Some of it has been rough and some of it smooth.  When we knelt across the alter that chilly Friday morning ten years ago I had no idea the grand adventure our life together would hold.   

We've hiked mountains,

packed boxes,

walked beaches,

shared our hearts with pets,

laughed until we peed,

road tripped,

survived blizzards,

been scared by a moose,

snuggled on the couch to watch movies, 

sailed seas,

owned a home,

frozen our butts off in the desert at night,

built campfires,

become parents, 

cried on each other's shoulders, 

& loved every minute 

I can't imagine anyone I'd rather have spent the last ten years with than you.  Here's to ten times ten more. 

I love you sweetie. 

If you can hold on...

10 years ago tonight Nathan took me to Ruby Tuesday for dinner (don't judge...in the bursting metropolis of Logan Ruby Tuesday was hoity toity...and I actually still really like it).  He acted distracted the whole meal...mostly watching the Utah Jazz game on the TV mounted on the wall behind my head.  It kinda pissed me off.  Ok, not kinda...it did.  After dinner he said he wanted to drive up on the foothills to "look at the lights of the city"...did I wanna come?  We found a good spot, got out to admire the pretty view (of course we got out of the car...what did you THINK we were going to do??!?  Sickos  teehee)  and I asked him if he would be asking me something big anytime soon (you have to understand...I had already purchased my dress...we knew it was going to happen...and I am impatient...and I pretty much asked him every day).  He told me "Well if you can hold on for just one sec I've got a question I wanna ask you."

I said yes.  :)

Then I told him to turn on the headlights...I couldn't see my ring!  I hadn't seen my ring yet because {{I}} didn't pick my ring out.  I have always thought that if a guy doesn't know what kind of ring you would like to wear for the rest of your life...he doesn't know you well enough to be asking you to marry him. 

As for the proposal, I was totally surprised...I honestly thought it was going to happen the following night when he was taking me to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers...I mean, come on...BRIDES??  He had asked me to that play WEEKS before...and had made a big deal out of it.  Our dinner to Ruby Tuesday had been last minute...I didn't even really do my hair.  And I was wearing fleece.  Ah well...I guess we just do things differently...we always have and probably always will.   

Love you sweetie.  I'd say yes again today.  

No more Sunday Night Blues

Right now I'm chilling on the couch with my beloved and my fur baby...watching a little Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  You know the best part??  I have no pit in my stomach.  No Sunday Night Blues.  No dread over going to work tomorrow.  That tells me I made the right decision.  And what's even better?  My sweetie has tomorrow off!  So we're able to spend the day together and have a make-up day for our Ninth Wedding Anniversary...since our celebratory plans for that day were foiled by Snomageddon.  

Life is good.  

Nine

Nine years ago today Nathan and I knelt across the alter and were joined as one.  We've seen a lot of road in our nine years.  

we've called 4 states home

lost 6 children

moved a total of 6545 miles

been in 4 car accidents

owned 1 dog

been owned by 4 cats

held 16 jobs between the two of us

 

Here's to many, many more years.  

Love you sweetie.

A Question

Nine years ago tonight, a question was asked.  One that changed the trajectory of my life's path.

Nine years ago I would have never imagined I would be where I am...having lived through what I've lived through.  Suffered what I've suffered.  Loved what I've loved.  Seen the things I've seen.  Met the people I've met.  Been blessed the way I've been blessed. 

Nine years ago a question was asked, full of hope and love and promise.

Nine years later, I'm {still} glad I said yes.

Sometimes you just have to laugh

On our way to church this morning (yes, we drove Helga...we really needed to be there and didn't have another vehicle and technically she *is* drivable...although she makes a grindy noise when we turn left and I'm pretty sure I smelled something burning towards the end of the drive) as I was craning my neck to see over Helga's massive hump of a hood Nathan and I got to talking. (Oh ya...Nathan couldn't drive because the cop forgot to give him back his license post-accident...we're told it's in the mail)  We have had quite the year.  I mean ...SERIOUSLY... quite the year.   Let's give you the rundown, shall we??  If we start this weekend and go back {only} 365 days...this is what you've got:

Our kitten Frank died

I got in an accident (And all the drama that followed) 

I lost my job

Potential Adoption Situation Fall Through

Homestudy got rejected (which ended up costing us upwards of $700!)

Truck got broken into (Never told you that...didn't want to freak mom out)

Failed Adoption

Someone in Hong Kong stole my CC #

Nathan got in an accident

As we sat in our crumpled car and verbally started adding this up, Nathan just started laughing.  Like, hard core, tears in eyes, laughing.  His laughs got me started and for a good 15 minutes of the drive we laughed about all that'd gone wrong for us.  Sometimes you just have to laugh...because the alternative is messy (as in non-waterproof mascara messy).

(Now before any of you get all preachy on me...we have also had some pretty good things happen to us over the last year.   The point of my post was not to say that we only have bad things in our lives, but rather to point out the hilarity of our 'list'.  So leave your angry comments at the door, thank you.)

I Gotta Feeling...

...that tonight this year's gonna be a good year.

Today my sweet hubby and I are celebrating EIGHT years of marital bliss.

I can't shake the feeling that this year is going to be a fantastic one for us.

Lucky Number Seven

Today is our anniversary. Seven years ago we got hitched, and in honor of our special day and in hopes of channeling some good luck our way, this will be a post of sevens.

Seven things I remember about the day

1 - I forgot my shoes. I had decorated these white tennis shoes with rhinestones and ribbon and I left them at my apartment. So I had to trudge through the snow in sandals.

2 - It was cold. In most of my pictures my nose and ears are glowing red. I had a cloak to wear, but I didn't want it in all of the pictures...so when I wasn't wearing it, it was passed around quite a bit.

3 - I snapped at my mom in the lobby of the temple (sorry mom, I feel bad about that to this day)

4 - Nathan's aunt caught on fire while while admiring pictures near the candle laden mantle.

5 - My uncle spiked his own punch.

6 - My brothers ripped the back of my dress when they lifted me up for a picture.

7 - My grandma's sex-lesson-chat thing in the restroom before I left will scar me for life.

(I swear I am not making any of this up)

Seven reasons I {still} love him

1 - He is an eternal optimist. Whenever times get tough he just smiles and tries to help me see the bright side of everything.

2 - He is uber patient. See #1.

3 - He let me get kitties. When we got married he told me it was him or a cat. Now he is just as wrapped around their little paws as I am.

4 - He puts up with me being bossy, moody, indecisive, impatient, pessimistic, messy and stubborn.

5 - He brushes my hair when I've had a bad day.

6 - He is the one who scoops the litterbox...even though I don't have to worry about toxoplasmosis anymore.

7 - He's a stud (see photographic evidence below)

Seven wishes I have for our future

1 - The blessing of children in our home

2 - To see the world side by side

3 - Health

4 - Much happiness

5 - Lots of laughter

6 - A few tears (sad and happy ones... there needs to be opposition in all things)

7 - Many, many years more

Seven pics (waaaaay back from when people actually used film...man we're old)

My daddy enjoying the bridal cloak

Everyone who was with us for the ceremony.

My stud muffin

My mommy and me. I LOVED my bouquet...wanna know why? NO ROSES. :)

Our fairytale photo-op

Awwww, tender.

And they lived....

Anniversary

For our anniversary (six years) we decided to get the heck out of dodge and stay somewhere with no phone or internet or doorbells, etc. We don't have a ton of extra money so we stayed pretty close to home, but far enough away to 'get away'. We stayed in SLC and spent Saturday in Park City. The hotel was nice, the weather was nice, the outlet bargains were nice, dinner at PF Changs was nice... overall it was nice to get away and have some time alone together.

Ok, on with the photos:

This is a cool sign in Park City - it has arrows and mileage to other Olympic sites.

A pic of us on Main Street in Park City...it reminded me so much of downtown Newport...only on a hill, and with mountains instead of ocean... but the same type of quirky shops and expensive restaurants.... man I miss Newport

The view from our hotel room...not the best in SLC but pretty good, right?

Here are the freaking GINORMOUS flowers I got from Nathan... hot pink roses, baby pink tulips and stargazer lilies... It is funny because they are from Macey's floral department and they DO NOT deliver, but he sweet talked them over the phone to drive up the street a block or so and bring them to me... When the girls came in the door at the office they were all giggling and cute...they handed me the flowers and told me Happy Anniversary.... It was sure a surprise, I didn't expect to get flowers because we were going out of town.