To celebrate!

On July14th, it was our anniversary, but since both of us had to work we decided to celebrate on Friday and Saturday.
Friday, we took the kids to my SIL house and she watch them while we went to see Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows, part 2. (more on that later)
After the movie, I wanted to do things that Mike enjoys doing, so we went bowling. We don't bowl very often. I had bought a Groupon for bowling. 2 hours for 2 people. We were the only people in the bowling alley for an hour, other than employees. It was awkward and funny all at the same time. Mike was getting a bit frustrated that he wasn't bowling his best. I believe the last time we actually did bowl was when I was pregnant with Phoenix. Mike tried to help me with my game. Giving me pointers, telling me how to stand, explaining how the scoring works. I didn't really care but I tried to. I know he was happy to go even if his score was bad. Mike has a real competitive side to him. Anytime I was even a bit ahead of him in the game he would come back with a strike or a spare putting him in the lead. He tried to show that he was happy for me when I was winning but it didn't last long.
Movies and bowling can really take a lot out a person, we wanted to go and get something to eat. I threw out Cheesecake Factory, hoping that because of the special nature of this date that we would get to go. It was thrown out as fast as I said it. Good thing I bought a little cheesecake at work the other night. We headed back to my SIL's house and we thought Chili's would work. Just as they seated us the power went out and didn't come back on. We ate our chips and salsa, drank our water and went to get our kids. We are so romantic. We needed to go to the grocery store so we picked up our stuff. It was now 8pm and we still hadn't ate a real meal. We did get some take out from a different Chili's, got a redbox and headed for home. The kids really wanted our food. We kept telling them that they had already had dinner, which was true.
It makes me laugh how our anniversaries tend to be so low key but fun. Someday we will get to Hawaii or I will get that diamond anniversary band. But for right now, I'm pretty content with what I have.

The Tenth Year

In Ten years, 

I have never 

laughed so much, 

cried so much, 

yelled so much, 

kissed so much, 

hugged so much, 

said I'm sorry so much, 

been right so much, 

cared so much. 

On this day Ten years ago. I walked out of the Mesa Arizona Temple a married lady for time and all eternity with man I chose. We still didn't know each other very much but we knew that we wanted to be together. To work out our problems, to see each other succeed, 

to encourage one another to be the best that they could be and most importantly love each other. 

I don't think we know everything there is to know about each other, now but I do know is that I love my husband and that he is the best man for me. 

I am excited that we can spend this day remembering that.

I came home last night from work to find a dozen red roses, 

a fantastic love note and an enlarge photo of our wedding day. 

Before we were sealed we took our pictures outside the Temple. I was late and Mike had been waiting with the video guy for 20 min. (right as I was getting ready to meet him I walked between to dirty cars and my dress got dirty, it took a moment to get it cleaned up.) He told me later he thought I was bailing on him. He looked so relieved when I showed up. 

We took photos at 6am (well, at 7am) and it was hot. 90 degrees already. 

The Temple was closing after that day for cleaning, 

there were 48 couples that day getting married. 

I remember being in the sealing room and looking at my soon to be sisters-in-law and they were crying. I didn't want to cry but when I saw them, the tears just started to come. My dress was so tight that it was hard to breath. When the sealer said that we could kiss. I didn't think about what he had said and I just shook my head. I wanted my first kiss with my husband to be special not in front of everyone. ( I have tried to redeem myself, asking Mike to kiss me over the alter, when we have done sealings later. But it is now a missed opportunity)

When we left the Temple it was 105 degrees with 15% humidity. The Utah family, was melting away. The Arizona family, was saying "oh it's not that bad" 

Mike was melting in his tuxedo and I was melting under all the tulle I was wearing. 

All the magical memories of getting married on 

the beautiful, summer morning in July will always be with us.

{9 years}

Nine years of bliss, trial, love, patience, kindness, happiness, laughter, sadness, tears, and joy. Mike is the best man for me. He is more than I ever wanted. He is always trying to make me happy. I love all the things he has done for me and continues to do for me. I couldn't be on this journey with anyone else. 

We have these beautiful children together that look so much like him. I'm so happy for the life I have with him. Yes, we have had our up and downs. He buoys me up when I'm tired, sad, and depressed. He puts up with a lot. 

Thank you love for being so much more than I could have imagined.