3 years with My Favorite Boy

Cheers for three years friends. 

We have been playing host all week while Jay's family is in town for graduation/spring term starting. But on our anniversary we left Rory in their capable hands and went for an extra long date night! 

My only requests were that we crack out our wedding video and that I get honeycomb ice cream from Rockwell Creamery at some point in the evening. Lucky for me, Jay made all my dreams come true and it was one of my favorite dates we've been on. 

And honestly? We didn't do anything crazy. We bought Jay a new suit, drove around to all the apartments (except the barn, of course) we've lived in since our dating days, and watched our wedding video. We split a salad and french fries to leave room for dessert and turned in early. We just really really like being together. It's a pretty cool thing when you get to spend forever with your favorite person in the whole world. And to know that if you keep working it gets even better.

Jay Winters, you are my person and I love you. Wouldn't choose anyone else if I could. 

I will always be grateful God knew better than I did and gave me you.

So three apartments, a house, a baby, a puppy, and a whole lot of life later- cheers to three years!

(^ the only picture we got of the evening, per the usual)

cheers to more years

Last week marks Jay and I having been together for a year and married for 6 months,
and what an amazing, growth-filled, happy year it has been.
We went to Park City last weekend for a romantic dinner (steak, of course)
and came home promptly because that is our very favorite place to be.
Call us what you want, but we would rather be home and cuddled in a blanket than most anywhere.

Seeing that it's been a year, we reminisced on what we've learned and our favorite moments.

Hands down, our wedding day was the happiest day on record.
Of course there have been plenty of perfect, happy moments since...
but April 27th as a whole was just moment after moment of pure happiness.

I love that day, and the boy and family and friends who I got to share it with.
Looking back on the last six months, I feel like I've grown exponentially.
I've learned that communication is more powerful than I ever realized,
and that there are some things that matter less than you think.
Consequently, some things matter more than you thought.
I have learned that the Lord knows me, and knows what I need.
I know that because he sent me Jay, who is not what I had planned,
but is so much better than anything I knew was out there.
I have learned that what they say is true-marriage can be work,
maybe even hard work sometimes,
but being married to Jay has brought a whole new level of happiness I never knew existed.
I have learned that my husband is the funniest person on earth,
and is the only one who can make it all better.

That's how I knew it had to be him, at the end of the day.
If I was off, if something was wrong, if I didn't think I could do it anymore:
he was and always has been the only one who can make it better.

Happy six months, my blue-eyed boy.
It sure has been happy, hasn't it?

my wedding day: something old

You know, I'm not one for following traditions that don't mean much to me. 

But if they do, you better believe I will do them wholeheartedly. 

So "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue"...

was not something I thought a whole lot about. 

Some things just happened. 

A new dress, and mom's borrowed tennis bracelet.

But there was only one I really planned.

A few years ago I experienced one of those rare occasions 

where I got to spend some alone time with Grandma Veater.

I can't remember exactly how it came about, 

but we stumbled across this amazing head piece.

You see, grandma's mother worked in a dress shop, 

so class was in her blood and certainly not lacking on her wedding day 

[or in her whole life]

The piece was made of real, soft feathers and sprinkled with rhinestones. 

As I sat in her walk in closet and admired it, 

she told me how she had worn it with her exit outfit when her and my grandpa were married.

Right then it became even more magical.

She told me I could have it if I wanted, and asked if I would ever use it. 

I gave a resounding yes and tenderly wrapped it in tissue paper, placed it in a box,

and quietly planned the day when I would wear it.

I don't know if she noticed, and you can hardly tell in pictures

but it sure meant something to me to have a part of my heritage with me on my wedding day. 

Thanks for giving me the classiest something old a girl could have, grandma.

my wedding day: my people and the details

Ok, so I was blessed.
There will be no denying that.

I had a bridesmaid who told me after the wedding day,
"you just seemed so calm and happy"
Half of that was because I knew that if I started being stressed....
I would lose it.
Maybe selfishly, I decided that I just didn't care to be anything but happy.
So I was.
The larger half was because of my people.
If I can say one thing about my wedding day it would be that.
Guests, bridesmaids, family, family, family.
I was with my people, and because of that I was happy.

My bridesmaids came to my house early in the morning, and hair and makeup ensued.
The "thank you" succulents were thought to be lost and found dried out in an upside down box,
and bridesmaids came to the rescue.
I learned that mine were the best kind.
Helpful, never complaining, and standing by my side both metaphorically and physically.

My sister was my maid (ok, so she's a matron) of honor and everything I could have ever hoped to have.
She forced me to go to bed and laid out my pajamas and hung my dress in the window.
She did my makeup and was equally as giddy as I was [if not more. per the usual] about the day ahead.

I wore mom's tennis bracelet that I helped pick out with dad, 
and all the commotion happened in my hometown 
and in my very favorite place in that town: my home. 

My place, my people, and small details made for the most wonderful morning.
And the start to the most wonderful day.