Five on Friday - TEN YEARS!

Ten years.

Today marks ten years since the very best day of my life.  In some ways it seems like a lifetime since our wedding, but mostly it feels like it was just yesterday that we walked down the aisle.  So much has happened these last ten years – we’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together, we’ve celebrated each other’s wins, and we’ve mourned each other’s losses.  We’ve gone on loads of amazing adventures, we’ve made countless memories that we’ll remember for a lifetime, and we created two incredible little human beings with whom to share it all.

Today, in honor of our ten year wedding anniversary, I’m going to share my Top 5 favorite moments during our marriage so far… or actually Top 6 because I just couldn’t narrow it down.  ;o)

O N E – The Birth of Our First Baby

Jacob came into this world on July 23, 2011 at 12:34 AM after 18 grueling hours of labor.  Meeting him for the first time was something that I can’t even really put into words.  To know that Brian and I had created this tiny, perfect human being together was almost too much to even believe.  He was perfect in every way and I fell for him instantly.  Seeing Brian hold Jacob for the first time made me fall in love with him even more.

Pregnancy Story

Birth Story
First Year in Pictures

T W O – The Birth of Our Second Baby

Olivia came into this world on February 25, 2014 at 9:33 via an elective c-section.  Meeting her for the first time was pure magic.  The moment I saw her sweet little scrunched up face I knew she was ours.  She was the perfect cross between me when I was a baby, and both of Brian’s sisters.  The second I took her in my arms I felt like I had known her my entire life.  How did we live life without her for so long? 

Pregnancy Chalkboards

Pregnancy Story 

Birth Story 

First Year in Pictures

T H R E E – Finding Out We Were Expecting for the First Time

As a young girl, all I ever wanted was to be a wife and a mother.  After marrying Brian, I had checked the first thing off of my list, and I knew that all I needed now was to be a mother and I could die a happy lady.

On Friday, April 14, 2010 after only trying for a month, we found out that I was expecting.  It was by far one of the happiest moments of my life, as well as probably the most surreal moment of my life.  All of my dreams were coming true.

As most of you long-time readers know, unfortunately, that pregnancy ended in miscarriage in June 2010.  We were both utterly heartbroken, but going through that only made Brian and me stronger together.  B supported me and was as patient with me as he could possibly have been during that healing period, and even though it was a horrendous thing to have to go through, looking back I’m thankful because God knew exactly what we needed when we needed it.  I couldn’t see that then, but I can surely see that now.

F O U R – Adopting Our First “Baby”

Before we had human babies, Brian and I adopted our sweet little doggie baby, Maui.  After our home was built, we decided to ease into the whole “child” thing, and we decided to get a pet first.  And by “we” I mean “me” because B had no interest in having a pet of any kind, but he knew how bad I was aching for a “baby” so he went along with my crazy idea.  ;o)  We searched local animal shelters and Craigslist ads for weeks and I just didn’t feel like we had met “the one,” until my friend Lauren saw a YouTube video of three itty bitty puppies that were for sale just a couple of towns over. 

We met the owner in a Sonic parking lot on January 16, 2010 and it was love at first sight.  There were three little babies all sleeping peacefully in a bundle of towels in a laundry basket and I knew Maui was the one right away.  She had a brother and a sister that were both twice her size, but I wanted her, the sweetest little runt of the bunch.  :o)  We brought her home a week later and she’s been our snuggly, loyal sidekick ever since!

F I V E – Celebrating Our Five Year Anniversary in NYC at Christmas

The one trip I wanted to take my entire life was a trip to New York City during the Christmas season.  Back in 2012 we made that dream come true for our five year anniversary.  It was also our first trip alone together after having Jacob, and that time alone together was exactly what we had needed.  Every single thing about that trip was magical and pretty much perfect and it ranks at the very top of my list as the best trip we’ve ever taken together.  And we’ve traveled a lot together. 

Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3

S I X – Summer 2009

Summer 2009 was our second summer together as a married couple.  We had just sold our first house together and we were living in a little apartment for six months while we built the house in which we currently live.  We didn’t have kids yet, but we knew that we would probably start trying once we were settled in our new home, and I remember thinking, “This could be the last summer that we have together, just the two of us.  We need to live it up.” 

All of our belongings were in boxes, our apartment was crowded and tiny, and we had a bunch of old hand-me-down furniture that didn’t even match.  Normally, temporary situations like that drive me crazy and I usually feel like I can’t function under those circumstances, but that summer I let it all go, it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. 

We had zero obligations and responsibilities (other than our day jobs) and it was incredible.  I have never been a spontaneous person, but that summer I came pretty darn close and it ended up being one of the best summers of my life.  Since we didn’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning or kids, we spent all of our spare time just doing whatever we wanted when we wanted.  We had countless dinners and get-togethers with friends, we spent lots of weekend nights at bars and clubs, we spent lazy days out in the boat on the river water skiing and sunbathing, we went on dates as often as we wanted to, we went to concerts galore, and we had a complete blast planning our new home and watching all of those plans and dreams come to life.

That summer we traveled to the beach, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon.  If you’ve never been to the Grand Canyon then you absolutely must move it to the top of your travel bucket list.  It is stunning.  As a matter of fact, it was one of my favorite things that I’ve ever done in my whole life.  I remember walking out on that glass walkway with my one true love and thinking, “It doesn’t get any better than this!”

It was a summer to remember and while it didn’t end up being our last summer, just the two of us, it was by far my favorite.

We’ve lived life side by side day in and day out for ten years now and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t think twice about choosing to spend it with you, B. 

Cheers to ten years!

And thanks for making that money so momma can stay home!  ;o)

*For more posts about our life together see below:

Engagement

Our Engagement Story & Photos

Wedding

Planning & Details

Rehearsal & Rehearsal Dinner 

Before the Ceremony

The Ceremony

The Reception

Portraits 

Anniversaries

Eight Years

Nine Years

*Linking up with A Liz Adventures and Carolina Charm for Five on Friday, A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites,  September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre for Friday Favorites, and Cup of Tea for High Five for Friday.