Ten Years Ago Today

Today is our 10 year wedding anniversary.  I feel like the luckiest girl in the WORLD to be married to the man of my dreams.  He is an amazing husband, father and friend and I am so happy to spend my life growing old with him.

Our quickly but perfectly picked wedding bands.

Ten years ago today...

Nate and I sat in the car waiting for the jewelry store to open. We got there early, very early, but we couldn't help it we were to excited.  We stayed in the car laughing and kissing full of anxiousness and excitement as Nate asked me over and over again "Can you believe today you are going to be my wife"!!!  The store finally opened and we wandered around the glass cases looking to pick out our perfect rings.  The sales staff kept insisting that they could custom order but Nate and I knew we wanted our wedding bands right then.  We wanted to have them for our ceremony, so we picked the perfect ones out and headed home.  For a good ten minutes I stared at the two dresses that my mom had bought for me, still debating which one to wear and Nate finally told me to "go with the yellow one, it is happy like you".  I spent less then 15 min getting my hair and makeup done and then we were off to the court house (but we did have to turn around once, realizing we had forgot our checkbook and needed to pay for our wedding).  We walked into the courthouse, filled out some papers, and sat waiting for our turn.  I was full of so much excitement that I thought I might pop like a balloon filled with to much air.  Kathy asked us (in a sweet motherly way) if Nate and I were "sure" and we said yes (actually I am quite confident that Nate said "yes, Mom" in that way that he loves to say it).  And we meant it...we were sure, we were 100% confident that we were making the right decision.  We might not have known much at our young age of 21 and 23 but we did know, that without a doubt, we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.  So at 10:50 we stood up to say our vows and take the leap.  $34, a yellow dress, two silver bands and two minutes and 56 seconds later, we said I Do and became husband and wife till death do us part.

 After the wedding we had a fun lunch at Applebee's, some cake at home, took some pictures, went to the mall and picked up Nate's paycheck and back to the jewelry store to pick out our other rings.  And that was our wedding day. Not every one's typical wedding day but it was ours...and it was absolutely perfect.

I have learned a lot about marriage in the past decade (but I am far from an expert).  I am anxious to see what I have to add to this list in the years to come.  

What has worked best in our marriage is...

A Sense of Humor

Open Communication

Admitting when We are Wrong

Saying Sorry

Sacrifice

Rolling with the Changes (accepting that people, life and situations change)

Having Fun

Being Each Other's Best Friend

Laughter

Listening

Showing Support for his Interests

Showing Empathy

Speaking only Kind Words about One Another

Respect

Admiration

Acceptance that No One is Perfect

Finding a Moment to "Date" Everyday

Patience

Giving True Forgiveness and the Ability to Move Forward

Letting the Little Things Slide

Being Silly, Spontaneous and Adventurous

Holding Hands

Gratitude for our Marriage and for Each Other as Individuals

Being Committed to Being the Love of Each Other's Lives

The past 10 years have had ups, downs and sideways moments.  We went from two people who fell in love on peaceful walks down flowered trails (literally that is where I fell in love with Nate), into two people who are even more madly in love who have walked up and down the bumpy roads of life. It takes a special bond to be able to endure the crazy twists that life throws at you and come out more in love and stronger then the days before. We have truly lived such a happy decade together.  It has been a wild ride full of adventure and fun.  We have really tried hard to live our life intentionally.  When we look at the past ten years we realize how many dreams we have made happen.  From Nate's job, to where we live, to how we school, to the dog we have...all of it has been intentional.  We made a list of things we wanted when we first got married and we now have every single one of them except the fish tank coffee table (what were we thinking! hahahaha! who did I think would clean that thing and how?)  We are still two very spontaneous people, who probably often surprise those around us...but we always know our plans even if they seem crazy to others.  I feel so overly blessed to have spent the past decade filled with so much happiness, smiles and laughter and with a man who is in every way my very best friend.

Simply put -10 years later- I am even more in love than the day I got married.

So...Would I do it all over again?

The crazy fast wedding? The ten moves? The tornado?  The disagreements? The kisses? The laughter? The surgeries? The headaches? The tears and the smiles?  The bumpy roads and the smooth sailing?

Without any hesitation my answer is a very bold and confident

YES! 

I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I am so blessed to be a mom to three wonderful kids and a wife to an amazing, sweet, kind, dedicated husband.  I would do every second of my life all over again if it got me right back to this moment.   

Happy Decade Nate! I love you with all my heart and look forward to a lifetime of love with you! 

xoxoxoxox