Five Years!

 

Over the weekend, we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary!

 

I'll just let you know that most days, we do not look this fancy or this dance-y.

 

Our life is full and messy with two kids, two dogs, all crammed in our little house. And no one gets much sleep, so we run on coffee and love most days. Although I wouldn't mind a maid service and some extra shut-eye, I'm blessed that this is my life

 

Thank you, Joe, for sweeping me off my feet ten years ago and marrying me five years ago.  

Keep up the good work, ok??? Love you!

 

Four Years!

 

 

We FINALLY got around to going on a date to celebrate our anniversary! Life has felt a little hectic lately, but I suppose that is to be expected with a new-ish baby. For instance, just as we were about to leave for our date, Rosie basically exploded and I had baby poop all over my white jeans, new shirt, etc. Instead of gracefully leaving, I threw all of my clothes at Joe and told him to "Shout it out and run the sanitize cycle!" while I cleaned up Rosie. Of course, she was just smiling this entire time and I couldn't help but smile too.

 

This was the first date we have been on in three months (basically since Rosie was born). I had hoped to go on some sort of cutesy summery outing, but it was windy out, and I was HANGRY. So we just ended up going to Bubba Gump's which was nearby. Joe had never been there before and we stuffed ourselves silly with seafood and shrimp. We got a couple of drinks and appetizers and the time just flew as we talked. There wasn't even time to be taking photos of our food and playing with Instagram filters. It's funny how you can see each other everyday but can still spend a couple of hours "catching up."

 

It feels great to be celebrating another year of marriage. I won't lie, I feel mighty grown-up when I can say things lie "We've been married for four years." Or when I can reference "the kids" in conversations. It still blows my mind that we have kids. Plural. I love it. And I love you, husband.

 

Thank you for giving me a beautiful life and for working on it with me everyday. As important as it is to celebrate each year of marriage, I think it's also important to be proud when you make it through another month, week, and day of marriage. There are certainly tough, tough moments in between all of those anniversaries and photographable days. Those times make us stronger and better and I wouldn't want to experience a moment of this life with anyone else. Happy anniversary!

 

 

(Wedding image courtesy of R.E.M. Photography)

 

Three years... of being all up in each other's business

"Unless it's mad, passionate, extraordinary love, it's a waste of your time. There are many mediocre things in life. Love shouldn't be one of them."

In other words, happy third anniversary to us! I don't pretend to know what it will take to make it to a successful five, ten, or fifty years of marriage. However, I feel like I have some pretty solid advice for making it to the third year. And I've listed it below!

1. Make time for dates! And enjoy being dated by each other. Because that's the only person you get to date for the rest of your life.

2. Learn to make just a few seriously delicious meals. Your spouse will realize that he would literally starve by himself. Or, he'll realize that he won't subsist on McDonald's alone. And he will never ever consider being without you.

3. Build an arsenal of inside jokes (lame jokes, tasteful jokes, distasteful jokes, etc.) to have at your disposal. Always be adding to it. It seriously helps to not take yourselves too seriously. It also helps to bust out the Elaine dance whenever the situation calls for it.

4. Be each other's biggest cheerleaders. If your person tells you they want to become a fireman, buy a motorcycle, sell their motorcycle, take on ANOTHER internship, start a blog, set a record for buffalo wing-eating, etc., help your person make it happen. I've been blessed to have parents who told me I could be anything/do anything and I'm even more blessed to have a spouse who shares that same attitude.

5. Say please and thank you. Say it nicely. And mean it.

6. If you're prepared (and FYI, no one is prepared), consider having a mini-me. The weird thing about parenthood is that it turns you into a mushy pile of goo and also toughens you up at the same time. Watching the person you love transform into a doting parent is literally something that will make you weak in the knees all over again.

7. Always be thinking of each other. For us, sometimes it means texting and calling throughout the day. It also means making a pot of coffee in the morning, even if you aren't the one who is going to drink it. It means brushing the snow off your spouse's car before she wakes up. Things like that. 

8. Say what's bothering you. Say it nicely (as possible). Say I'm sorry (when you are, in fact, sorry), and mean it.

9. Do stuff together besides watch TV. (And let me tell you, we enjoy our TV. But we also currently enjoy long walks, scaling the playground with Cece, taking our dogs to the park, eating competitively, digging in our yard, taking many trips to Home Depot, etc.)

10. Realize that the good ol' days are happening right now. Savor them and don't take them for granted.

Hey husband, I love you! Even though all of that wedding sparkle was three years ago, you still make me fluttery and so happy. It's with you that I've found a love that is extraordinary.

"Anniversary Week"

Instead of doing a bunch of romantic and meaningful things all in one day, some of that anniversary niceness got spread out over the week. (Flowers and Chipotle on Tuesday, gifts exchanged on Wednesday, lasagna on Thursday, and cupcakes on Friday). The best gift was from Joe to me and it was our wedding album all put beautifully together by his sister Angela. It was just so lovely. I even got teary when I reached the end of it.

However, in addition to that foo-foo anniversary business, Cece ran a fever this week. So she was a hot and unhappy tot, but she's back to herself again which we all enjoy. Then as she got better, I ran a fever wasn't feeling so great myself. I'm glad she is well again and I do appear to be on the mend. Other than our health woes, it has been a sweet week.

(And yes, those cupcake wrappers have ducks on them. They were left over from a baby shower and they were all I had!)

Happy 2nd Anniversary to US!

Joe and I have been married for two years today. Here are a few of my favorite moments together.

2005

The year I didn't have a camera. And the year I really liked tanning beds.

2006

Joe takes me skiing for the first time to see if I'm sturdy enough to be wife material. When I don't die, give up, or fall off a ski lift, he decides that maybe I'm kind of awesome. Also the year we start attending weddings together.

2007

The year of Joe's BIG HAIR. Also the year I got a promotion from girlfriend to fiancee.

 2008

I graduate from the U. Joe cuts his big hair. We party slightly more.

2009

MEXICO! Classy engagement photos. More weddings. And other such opportunities to dress up.

 

2010

We I do a lot of wedding planning. We get married. And then I catch a baby.

 2011

 We have one last hurrah in Las Vegas. We add Miss Cecelia to our wolf pack. We buy a house. We appear as though we are grown-ups. Kind of.

2012

I think we're enjoying ourselves.

Happy Anniversary to my hubs! I love you so very much. Thank you for being my lobster.