11 YEARS

Marrying Jared remains one of the best decisions of my life. This guy is just a great match for me and we balance one another out. Thanks to MOM and DAD we were able to get away and hang out with each other on our anniversary!
We spent the day at Universal Studios and enjoyed playing all day and doing what WE wanted to do all day! It was beyond fun!

TEN YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll admit, I have very little energy to write a decent post commemorating our tenth year of marriage. A two week old baby can zap the energy right out of you. I do want to say that I'm so glad Jared and I married for time and all eternity ten years ago. 

He is my person. He is my second chance. He is making all of my dreams come true. He is my best friend. He makes me laugh every day. He inspires me with his faith and diligence. 

I am a lucky girl. I am so grateful for the last decade. I am looking forward to what the next decade will bring. I am truly blessed.

We were so young and happy and in love.

We are not as young, but we're still happy and even more in love! Our hearts are truly full!

Savannah

Jared and I spent the long weekend after Christmas in Savannah, Georgia celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary. It's not really 10 years until April, but the baby is due the day before our anniversary and I was not foregoing my 10 year celebration! We had a blast relaxing, watching movies, walking around beautiful Savannah, and eating. There are some fantastic places to eat in Savannah. Here are some photo highlights of our trip.

Our first night in Savannah we went for a jaunt around town. They still had their Christmas lights up and it was so beautiful. I look terrible in my two photos because I was actually quite ill on this trip. My fever kept breaking and I kept up pretty good. Definitely got more rest here than I would have at home. This is the street where Leopold's Ice Cream is located. A must eat place in Savannah. The best Strawberry ice cream I've ever had.

This is the huge line we saw coming out of our breakfast at B. Matthews Eatery (another delicious establishment near River Street). We definitely got their just in time.

Beautiful park near River Street. Savannah has so many "squares" and parks. The trees are gorgeous and they were one of my favorite things about the city.

Window in a shop on River Street. We were in love with the beautiful architecture and details in Savannah. So pretty.

To get on River Street, one has to descend the bluff that Savannah sits on. There are precarious stone pathways and steep stairs available to do so. This pregnant lady was huffing and puffing by the time we got back to the hotel. 

Savannah has always been a huge port city. In early US history, they were the biggest import/export center for cotton. We saw several huge container ships going in and out on our stay. It was pretty cool.

Jared loved that he could find modern places in old buildings. For example, The Outback Steakhouse.

Jared cracks me up. He took photos like this every time we left the hotel room to ensure the housekeeping staff didn't touch his personal items.

Took a tour trolley around Savannah. It was a great way to explore the city. On several of our stops, visitors came and talked to us, including Forrest Gump! They filmed part of the movie in Savannah. The bench Forrest sits on to tell his story while waiting for the bus was placed in Chippewa Square (it's not still there, but in a museum). 

Chippewa Square

The trees were gorgeous. Big and old and beautiful!

Can you tell we loved the squares?

A very old bell. If I remember correctly, it is the oldest of it's kind in the US.

Savannah is also known for it's wrought iron fences. This one isn't particularly fancy, but we loved how quaint this little path was.

Telfair Museum. This was the home of some pretty wealthy people in Savannah. When the last living Telfair died, she left it as a museum. We went in and were able to see some beautiful American art. 

Sick selfie.

Again, modern establishment in an old building. In keeping with Savannah's aesthetic, it has a walk-up window instead of a drive-through window.

On our last day we waited in line for 2.5 hours to eat lunch at Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room. We arrived 1/2 an hour before it opened (at 10:30) and found ourselves around the corner and down the block in line. We finally were seated at 1 PM. By that time we had become good friends with people in line and got to eat lunch with them. Seriously, I felt like I was at my Nana's house. Definitely worth the wait.

Mrs. Wilkes' Lunch Spread.

We also enjoyed a romantic evening at Alligator Soul Restaurant. It was the best place we ate. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere was perfect. We had a great time. Huge thank you to my parents and my sister and brother-in-law for keeping our children safe and sound while we were gone. 

9 Years!!!!!!!!!!!

Jared and I have spent nine wonderful years together as husband and wife. We are perfect for one another and we love driving each other crazy. : ) Not too crazy, just enough to make life fun. Jared really went all out this year to make our anniversary special. My parents were willing to take our four children for the weekend so we could get a real vacation. They are such troopers and I am so grateful for them. Without them, this wouldn't have even been possible.

 

 

We spent our anniversary at Clearwater Beach, Florida! I've been wanting to go there for some time and Jared made it happen. We stayed in a hotel right on the beach and ate at fabulous restaurants.

On our first night, we took in the town and ate at Salt and Pepper Bistro. It was a quaint French restaurant owned by a darling French family. We spoke to the chef ourselves to complement him on our extraordinary meals. Jared's duck was divine and the crepe we had for dessert was seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life! The ambience was so romantic. I loved every minute of it.

Unfortunately, most of the weekend was rainy which isn't really conducive to the beach activities we'd planned. So, we slept in, read, napped, ate more delicious food at local restaurants, caught up on the NBA playoffs, and talked one another's ears off. Breakfast at the Wildflower Café is a must for anyone headed to Clearwater. The baked French Toast was amazing.

Rainy Clearwater views.

 Lunch at Crabby Bills! The Fish Tacos were so yummy. I am regretting that I didn't buy the tie-die t-shirt. Oh well, maybe next time.

 View from our hotel's private beach. I miss living near the ocean. I love all the bridges that actually go over water.

 The sun finally came out on Saturday afternoon, but it was still cold. 60 degrees in May to this Florida girl is freezing!

 The sun came out long enough for us to enjoy the beautiful sunset! The pictures don't do it justice.

Beach Selfie!

 

We had a great time and loved having some time off from non-glamorous parenting duties. I can't tell you how fun it was to sleep in and eat six entire meals without having to get up or the meal going cold. I also can't tell you how fun it was to see our sweet little babies again. I love the life Jared and I are building together. I am truly blessed.

Eight is Great!

Happy 8 Years to Jared and me!  Our wedding day was fabulous.  I remember feeling super excited and so grateful that so many friends and family were with us to celebrate.  It is baffling that so much has happened in our lives since that day.  Jared finished school, we bought and sold a house, we have FOUR children, we paid off two cars, we drive a mini-van, Jared's hairline is receding and mine is speckled with grays, both of our waistlines have grown, and somehow our hearts have grown as well because I love Jared more than I did 8 years ago and still have room for those aforementioned children.

Harry Potter! (It's okay, you can be jealous.)

Arriving in Hogsmeade.

Jared coordinated a little getaway for our 7th wedding anniversary last weekend.  On Friday, we sent the boys off to our parents homes and relaxed for two whole days!  We ate at Tuscano de Brasil and it was so delicious.  Saturday we spent our time at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure so we go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  It was awesome and we loved it.  Here are some photos.

Hogwarts!

The computer at Three Broomsticks had technical difficulties.  Jared thought it was so funny and I thought that was so funny.

Everything was so detailed.  I felt like one of those old movies, where the kid opens the book and steps into it and ends up in the place they're reading about. 

Butterbeer!

So delicious.  My fish and chips was also delicious.  Y'all need to go here. 

7 years

By the end of the month, Jared and I will have celebrated 7 years of marriage.  It is extremely hard to believe that 7 years have passed.  I love him more than I did on the day we wed that is for sure.  The thing that really gets me is all of the things we've done in 7 years.  No wonder I look so much older than I did on the day we got married. 
I remember our wedding day so vividly.  It was amazing.  Of course something went wrong, because something always goes wrong.  It was minimal and we moved on.  My favorite memories are the quiet moments we stole as we walked around the temple grounds taking photos, walking out of the temple to see our wonderful friends and family waiting for us, having so many dear friends travel from across the country to be with us, and dancing up a storm at the reception.
The last 7 years haven't always been sunshine and lollipops, but they've been wonderful nonetheless.  I am married to my best friend for reals.  We have three beautiful children and a crazy dog.  Life is simple and sweet.
In honor of Gina, I thought I'd do a list of 7 things to do for a happy marriage (seeing as I've been married 7 years and am actually a marriage counselor professionally).  Be aware, most of these things will be common sense.
1. Be nice to each other.  It amazes me that people are more cordial to the people they do not know rather than the people they have pledged to spend their lives (and sometimes, eternities) with.
2. Stop being selfish.  Seriously, the failure to have compassion, respect, or charity in a marriage is going to kill it.  It will bleed to death.  So, just stop it.
3. Laugh together.  We laugh together and at each other everyday.  Life is hard and I'd rather laugh than cry. Pity parties really shouldn't exceed 15 minutes a day.
4. Go to bed angry if you're tired.  Being tired makes everything worse, especially anger.  Go to bed, freshen up, and come back to it as two rational human beings.
5. In the words of John Gottman, "enhance your love maps."  Do you still know each other?  Really know each other, like hopes and dreams, insecurities, etc.  If you have to pretend you've just met and remember what it was like to fall in love in the first place.
6. Nurture each other.  Ladies, be your husband's biggest fan.  Take his side.  Put him first.  Fellas, let your wife vent even if she is a little irrational.  Hug her tight.  Tell her it will be okay.  And, even though they die, bring her flowers occassionally. Develop true intimacy in every area of your life.
7. Get away at least once a year.  Husbands, if you take the intiative on this one, your wives will enjoy themselves so much more.  I don't care if it is just one night and half a day.  No kids and have fun.

Anniversary and Mother's Day

So, I have now been blessed with celebrating four Mother's Days. They have all been wonderful. Crazy that I have three children now, which I still can't seem to wrap my head around that. Jared is so good to me. Man, I love that guy. We celebrated our 6 year wedding annivversary on 4/30 with a movie (The King's Speech PG-13 version) and dinner at Bosphorous (Turkish cuisine). Both were fan-tabulous! We need to go on more dats. The hardest part about having three children is how much I miss my husband. Our "we" time is seriously depleted these days.

Mother's Day, Jared got me some gifts, including a new, beautiful perfume called Light Blue by Dolce and Gabanna. I feel fancy and pretty when I wear it. I also received America's Test Kitchen HEalhty Family Cookbook. Very excited about finding healthier alternatives for our family in the kitchen. So far, the yogurt parfait, smoothies, and better for you banana bread are awesome. The boys also made me an awesome card, comlete with handprints and a picture drawn by my budding artist, Ethan. I cry every time I look at it. These boys are so good to me and I am so happy to be their mom. My goal for the next few decades is to avoid screwing them up.

In addition to being celebrated on Mother's Day, I thought about all the women in my life that are such wonderful examples to me. There are so many things I've learned from the amazing women in my life. Thank you to those women, you know who you are.

5 years

I have had the wonderful privilege of being married to Jared for the last five years. It is really hard to believe that we have been married for five years! It is even harder to look at all the things we've done since getting married. Jared really is my second chance in life and I love him so much. He always keeps me laughing and it is so fun to go through life at his side. Here are some photos of us because I'm feeling nostalgic and lovey-dovey today!