Our 8th!

This is the most recent pic I have of us.  Jerad looks half asleep..pretty sure he worked the night before.

Jerad and I celebrated 8 years of marriage, this past week.


We spent the day together, childless, shopping and wandering around Wichita.  No timeline, no rushing, no McDonald's, no poopy diapers, no places we needed to go.  It was the weirdest feeling ever! Ha!

We browsed our typical places...Dick's Sporting Goods, Cabela's, Target, and the Mall.  We ate lunch at Cheddar's.  Then we didn't know what else to do...

We talked about our past 8 years.  We have lived in 6 different houses, in 2 cities, and 2 states.  We have traveled to Ukraine.  New York.  Florida.  New Mexico.  Missouri.  In looking back over our marriage so far, we laughed about how different things are now compared to when we were starting out in 2004.  I remember filling out a survey in our pre-marital classes about who we thought should do what chores.  I very distinctly remember saying that we would split everything evenly right down the middle.  He would do some and I would do some....well...

Let's just say it didn't work that way.

I do the chores until I get past being mad because he doesn't see the pile of dishes and laundry lying around screaming to be done...and I simply ask him to help.  And he always does.  Every time.  I just have to get over myself and ask.

I change most of the diapers.  Because I'm home more.  He still gags at a few of the poopy ones.

He still hates my large v-neck tees with pockets that are SO comfy and my inside-out sweats I adore...and I still hate that he leaves his wet towel on my side of the bed every night after he showers and that his underwear never make it in the hamper...just beside it.

We haven't gone on any amazing cruises or extravagant vacations.  We laugh that those types of trips just aren't even on our radar.  Never really thought about going.

We are usually in bed by 10 and up by 6.  Never been night owls.

We have lots of inside jokes that we lie in bed at night and laugh about until we are nearly in tears.  Love those conversations!

We think about similar things a lot.  It's kind of cool.  He'll say something that I was just thinking about that day, or vice versa.

We are both tight-wads with our money.  Save. Save. Save. We work hard for the money.  Makes it harder to spend. 

We both love to give too, though.  Our time.  Hearts.  Money.  Talent.  Our children on particular days...

We make pretty cute kids, if I do say so myself.  Very energetic and sociable (well, almost all of them..Autum's still developing in that area) Guess it's the DNA...our parents say its paybacks...whatever!

We love to just be.  Chill.  Out on the lake.  Sitting on the back deck with a cold drink in hand.  Relaxing by a fire.

But we also love to mountain bike, kayak, ski, swim, run, fish, hunt...

Our survey from pre-marital classes is quite humorous to look at now, because what I thought would be so important and perfect is really not.  Really not important, actually. 

We just do what we need to do.  It hasn't always been easy and I'm sure won't be.  It's really tough, actually.  It's not always fun.  But it's amazing and incredible at the same time.

Happy Anniversary!  Here's to 8 more!