5 years

For our anniversary, we got my mom to come over and watch the boys so we could have a romantic night out. Romantic meaning- Dave and Busters and 300: Rise of an Empire..... Haha so not romantic at all, but we had so much fun! After five years and two kids, you just need to have fun!

We started off the night cashing in a $5 scratch ticket that I won $80 on! We never buy crap like that, but we randomly did and actually won. Then we went to Dave and Busters and had an amazing time! We always play the same coin game where you drop your coin in and it hopefully pushes the other coins off the ledge and you get tickets. That game just wasn't cutting it so We branched out and played deal or no deal, which we ended up loving! One time I actually picked the case with the most tickets. I was preeeetty stoked.

We got lucky a few more times and won quite a few tickets but couldn't really find anything in the gift shop we wanted. Last time we got the boys these plastic. Cups with swirly straws and they just LOVE them. But there wasn't really anything else we wanted so we are just going to save the points and go back later with the boys and let them pick what they want. 

After that, we headed to the movie. I watched 300 for the first time when dan and I were dating and it has been one of my favorite movies ever since. So I was excited when the second one was coming out. We both really enjoyed it and thought it was right up there with the first one. 

At the end of the night we were talking about what we want to do in the next 5 years and how fast and crazy these first 5 have been. We reminisced about the late nights we would stay up in NYC talking about our future and our kids and the kind of parents we wanted to be. It feels like yesterday, and it was a lot easier to talk about the kind of parents we wanted to be than actually becoming those parents. We feel ok about the job we are doing, but it's just a big job and anyone who doesn't have kids can't imagine what it's really going to be like and how to react in certain circumstances. So I can't feel too bad that I'm not exactly the kind of mom I thought I would be 5 years ago. The naive, inexperienced, 19 yr old had no idea what it was really going to be like. 

So we talked about what we could improve on and what we wanted to do as a family and couple in the next 5 years. It's always fun to talk about that kind of stuff with Dan. I really picked a good guy! 

It's always an adventure with Dan, and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

5 year Anniversary!

 

5 years ago at this exact time Dan and I were walking out of the temple as Husband and Wife! One of the happiest moments of my life! I can't believe it's already been 5 years and 2 kids later!! This morning our boys woke up and crawled in our bed around 7:30..... Dan and I didn't go to bed until almost 2, which has been happening way too frequently lately. As these two little boys were sticking their feet in our faces and whining for the iPhone and cereal, I had to stop and say, "Hey babe, happy anniversary!" Our mornings are a lot different than they were five years ago... But I wouldn't change it. Well..... Maybe some mornings I would haha!

Life was so simple. We were so obsessed with each other that nothing else ever mattered! There's always stress when you're a newlywed. Mostly just financial stress. Dan was just graduating with his bachelors and we moved to NYC with more money in our bank than I had ever seen or would ever see at one time for years. But I knew it had to last for 4 months and once that bank account hit $12, that stress got real and it got real fast. I had a little job that we maybe made $400 a month. We used all our gift cards from our wedding for food while living there. It wasn't much. A lot of peanut butter and jelly. When we knew there wasn't going to be a job at the end of this internship, we used almost all our money to buy our plane tickets home. I think we had less than a hundred dollars to our name when we stepped off the plane in Boise. But we were glad to be back! 

Being in NYC with Dan taught me a lot. It was scary for me to move across the country to such a big city. Especially since I had lived in a tiny farm town my whole life. To not have money or any stability or solid plans for the future. But I always knew that as long as I had him, I would be ok. And that has been so true over these last five years. Dan is always working so hard to take care of us, and I love and admire him so much for that.

When we got home and had no job and found out we were pregnant with Damon, we were so happy but once again, that real world reality sunk in. Luckily Dan got a job that lasted 3 years and life was good for the most part. We tended to live paycheck to paycheck but always seemed to have money for what we wanted and lived a comfortable life. Which was all I ever really hoped for! Last year things changed and it's been hard on us and our marriage and our kids. It's been a BIG slap in the face of reality. I guess the point in sharing all these moments is to say when I look back on our life together, things start out so blissful and wonderful and you're kind of in this newlywed wonderland and through the years I can look back and see those things in our life that have snapped us out of our little dream. These days making it 5 years is a big deal! Sometimes when people get married and get that reality check time and time again it can be hard to stay together. I can honestly say that through everything that has happened in the last five years, I love Dan more than ever. And our marriage is stronger than it's ever been. And our life is so full and happy regardless of the real world problems and trials that we go through. As long as I have him and we are facing things head on, together, things will workout and be great! I wouldn't change anything that has happened while we've been married because every trial has brought us closer together. 

I'm lucky to have a strong, motivated man by my side who never gives up, no matter how many times he's knocked down. He is an amazing father and our boys absolutely adore him. Nothing fills my heart more than seeing the love our boys have for their Daddy. Now that he works from home, we get a lot of time together and he gets to see the boys in the fun stages they are in. It's been a lot of fun for all of us to just be together all day, everyday. He's given me a beautiful life and beautiful children and I am so excited to see what the next 5 years bring!

Here's to 5 years down! And many more to go! I love you Dan!