Eight Years

Jan. 7, 2006.

Our wedding day.

It seems like a whole other life ago, and really it was. The end of our individual lives and the beginning of our journey together.

Russell had just graduated college (2 weeks before) and was about the start a new job (right after we got back from our honeymoon) we were moving to a new state and leaving behind all of our family and friends. We were young kids really. But we loved each other and chose to be a family.

We promised to love each other in the good times and bad, in sickness and heath, for richer or poorer. Thankfully we have not yet been parted by death, but I assure you we have experienced every one of the other times.  I am a firm believer that no marriage is ever perfect. We are flawed, selfish creatures. Choosing to love the other person, sometimes when you don’t even like them at the moment, is not always easy. It is a choice, everyday, to love the other person.

A little over four years later our family doubled in size when we welcomed our twins. Parenting has brought us closer, and added so much to our marriage. Including stress. We look back now at the first years or our relationship and marriage and laugh about the things we used to argue about. They seem so trivial now.

Tonight we’ll celebrate all our time together, and the promises we made to each other on that special day.

I love this last picture. I am trying to give my new husband instructions on how better to hit my dad on the head with a spoon in his mouth. Ask me sometime and I’d love to explain it to you.

Anniversary

"Man and Wife"

Last weekend Russell and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary. And by “celebrated” I mean that he went to work and then we took the girls to Applebees for dinner. Fancy, I know. But as far as anniversaries go for us, it was one of the better ones.

Our first anniversary we went out for a lovely dinner at a very expensive restaurant. We followed that by a night in the emergency room. Russell had an intestinal infection and spent the whole night throwing up that very expensive meal.

Our second anniversary we went out to dinner again, and while everything was very nice that night, the restaurant did burn to the ground just a week or so later.

2 years

Our third anniversary was our most exciting, as we went to see Penn & Teller for the first time here is las Vegas. The only downside to that year was that I had to leave town the next morning for my Uncle’s funeral. We forgot to take a camera, but Russell talked someone else into taking a picture for me and emailing it to him. 🙂

3 years

Our fourth anniversary was very low key as we had just spent a bunch of time traveling around to see family. Oh, and I was very pregnant with the twins.

4 years

For the big 5 year, we decided that would be a good day to be moving to California, so we spent the whole day in the car. Although we did stop and enjoy a very classy lunch at Arby’s in Lost Hills. Which is much more exciting than it sounds, and I am aware it doesn’t sound very exciting.

Lost Hills

And while we didn’t do anything particularly exciting this year, we did remember to take a picture. Since we didn’t have anyone to take it for us we used a tripod and a timer. We ended up with some funny pictures that I’d like to share with you today.

This is when I took a picture without setting the timer to go off:

Here I am yelling at Russell for messing up my sweater:

Here is our attempt at making a heart out of our hands:

(even the girls know the difference between a triangle and a heart)

And finally, the best of the bunch:

Being married is all about the ups and the downs. You have to have a sense of humor about the curve balls life sometimes throws at you. I hope all of my married readers find the same joy and comfort in their spouse as I do.