Happy Anniversary

Jake and I were married five years ago (on Dec. 28; I'm a little late with this post) in Oakland, California. After the best reception ever on New Year's Eve, we braved a snow storm and headed back up to Rexburg, Idaho, for the start of the winter semester. We pulled up to our first apartment together at University Courtyard on South 2nd East at about three in the morning and because of recent break-ins (in Rexburg?!) decided to unload all our wedding gifts. Up the stairs we went, carrying a crockpot, toaster, floor lamp, dishes, bedding, etc. and almost slipping on the icy steps. We finished in about an hour and a half then crashed on the floor. We only spent eight more months in Rexburg but that was some of the most fun we've ever had. Jake worked at Sears as their most attractive appliance delivery guy, making $7 an hour and I worked for the school newspaper. We made smoothies and stove top popcorn in our Pro Popper Popcorn maker almost every night. Cable was free with our rent and we loved watching What Not to Wear and other interesting shows like The Half-Ton Man or I am My Own Twin. We played a lot of Phase 10, mostly because it was the only game we had. We bought some bikes at Target during that summer and took bike rides up the hill to the temple site or down to the cheap theater to catch a movie for $3. Life was easy.

In a few ways, our life is the same. Jake is a student again, we drive the same blue Explorer, just with two carseats in the back now and we live in the snow again. But for the most part, we are a long way from that lazy first year of marriage. To be honest, there are a few days here and there were I wish we could go back to those carefree days when all we worried about was whether we wanted to make strawberry smoothies or orange. But then there's the times when Jenna waits at the window for Jake to come home or asks him, "Daddy, how your test go forday? How are your friends at your school? Did you laugh?" And Callie, who is all smiles when she sees Daddy and how he's really the only one who can get her to crack up. Things like that make me super grateful for the life we have right now. Yeah, it isn't so easy anymore, but we've got five years and two kids that give us so much more happiness than free cable and summer bike rides ever did. And the one who continues to make life sweet, no matter what stage of it we're in, is Jake. He is the Rolls Royce Phantom of husbands - always cheerful, never judgmental, constantly cracking me up.

Love him then...

and even more now....