Let's Start at the Beginning...

Okay so I got called on my laziness. I was going to post photos of us from high school and our wedding in the last post but I couldn't find our external hard drive at the time so got lazy and posted anyway.

So...by request...here is my Brewerman and I from the very beginning....

Senior Prom 2001

Senior Prom 2001

Our Engagement Photos. We were creepy  sexy.

Our Wedding Day

  

Right before we smashed it in each other's face.
Of course I didn't take into account that his arms were longer.

Actually getting married

First Dance!

My mom and her new son-in-law

  

Our Wedding Party

10 Years Ago I Married My Love

10 years ago tomorrow I married my love.

It was a glorious day, a glorious wedding, and perfect in every way. We were young, 19, in love and a little stressed out, maybe a teeny bit scared as well. We were nervous to be in front of everyone (300 people!) and ready to be married. We were, what we thought at the time, as in love as two people could be. We were wrong.

My sweetheart and I met in high school. We didn't have an on and off relationship. We have never had an off. We were in love from the start and just...knew. We had people laugh at us from afar and mutter something about young love and broken hearts, but we knew. It's odd looking back. Now that I'm a mom, I think "What would I do if my daughter came up to me at 18 years old and said she was getting married?". How terrified I would be!

When we married we were both 19. We were so in love, and yet looking back...the love we had seems so small compared to the love we have now. My Brewerman and I have grown up together. Always together. We moved to Dallas and literally knew not a single person. We leaned on each other when we were lonely, we cried on each other's shoulders when we were told we wouldn't be able to get pregnant, and we put up with each other's attitude when we were sick of the world and wanted to be mad at someone. We grew TOGETHER, not apart. It was a conscious decision on our parts. There are lots of little pit stops along the way where you have to stop and regroup.

I experienced adopting two children with him, saw the awe in his eyes holding our sons when they were so small. I saw him sleepily get up at 2am and not wake me up because he secretly loved that snuggle time with the boys. I also saw him lie to me and say he had gotten up twice already when, come to find out, he had in fact not been up once (and I did the same to him).

We went through life, not leisurely, not running, but jumping, skipping, laughing, and all the while holding tight to each other's hand.

We never lost sight of each other. The love I have for my husband today is deeper than any love I could have foreseen 10 years ago. My husband is my partner. He is my life. He is my soul mate, my second half. I miss him when we are apart, I am complete when we are together. This isn't corny, it's a fact. Are we the same? Hell no, there are things we disagree completely about, there are times when we argue, but he is just what I need and just what I want.

I see us and I think...gees...if we would have quit. If we would have given up, said it's too hard, become bored, not changed when you didn't think you had to, not grown up keeping each other as #1...we wouldn't have this. We wouldn't get to be in this great place. This place of calm, content...gloriously happy...but never bored.

My husband has given me more than any person in the world. He is my home, and he gives me a happy life. We are partners in life and accept each other in our strengths and weakness. I don't have to be someone I am not around him. I love that, I love him.

How did I ever get so lucky to find him at such a young age? Some people go half their lives without finding their true love, and I got mine so quick.

So thank you Brewerman. Thank you for being you, for giving me all of you, and for loving me.

Happy 10th Anniversary my love. I love you more now than I ever thought possible and I know that at our 50th when we laugh, surrounded by our great grandchildren, we will be even more in love, even more happy.  Thank you for giving me all that you do, every day.


Here's to celebrating our 20th anniversary in Ireland the year before we turn 40! ;-) 

The Hunt

I am on the hunt.

For two things...

First thing is I want to find the person that gave me this 10 extra pounds I am carrying around now and donkey kick them.


Second is I need ideas for our 10 year Anniversary this June (!!!!!). Holy craptastic. 10 years. Wow. Maybe I will post the hilarious pictures of my awesome wedding. It was good times. We are so Catholic it aint even funny in those photos. Which consist of a crap load of kids, crap load of beer, crap load of food, crap load of bad dancing, large families, and a large Catholic Wedding in a Catholic Church with a Catholic Mass. It was probably the most fun day of my entire life.

So I need some ideas for our anniversary. We would really like to go somewhere but we aren't sure where. I want it to be romantic, but not boring. We don't want to sit in our room staring at each other and making goo goo eyes at each other. However I would like it to be romantic, things to do for two people. But there has to be things to do. 

More like...slide in at midnight, giddy, a little (okay, probably like solidly) drunk, and laughing until we snort. Much like our wedding night.

Not Vegas.

Not Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Brewerman, this means you...so stop suggesting we spend our anniversary looking for houses to move there just so you can brew lagers in the winter.)

Not Wichita, Kansas (sorry mom).

Not Sandles, Beaches, or any other romantic tub-shaped-as-a-champagne-glass kinda place. We don't want cliche. We would also spend the whole time people watching and making fun of the other oogly eyed couples and the newleyweds who are convincing themselves that paddling together on this paddle boat in the middle of the lake while watching swans float in the water is the most fun they have ever had...even thought their partner isn't doing any of the paddling and they are carrying both the weight on this goshforsaken paddle boat in the middle of the goshforsaken resort. While that would be fun, not exactly what we are looking for.

No motels. Or any other hotel with the doors on the outside. Would prefer no big hotel chains.

Not anything rodeo, cowboy, honky tonk, or anything related to the wild wild west. Or camping. Or anything else really dirty and hot. Let's just say I must be able to pack my cute jewelry. And use this as an excuse to buy more.

Not anything where I would have to drive a boat. Especially if I have to pull him water skiing. That is a story for a different time...but lets just say Brewerman and I don't "do" well together on a boat if I have to drive. He's not exactly the most patient of teachers.

Not overly-long travel to get there as we will only be gone probably Thursday night - Sunday night if we can convince enough people to watch our kids.

Not Overseas (we don't have passports and don't those take forever to get?).

Good Food (duh).

Not crowded. Especially with kids.

No Cruises.

Not Super Duper Expensive (lets say $2000 would be max we would want to spend).

A brewery in the area would be a plus for brewerman. A brewery, brewerman. And no, we are not going to Bavaria.

I know it's a lot of fine print...but come on this is our ten year!! PLUS it will be the first time we have ever went somewhere sans kiddos. Now....GO! Please please please give me some ideas!