Five Years Married

Today marks Devin and I's 5th Anniversary. Who would have thought that after five years, we would:

*Still be living in Provo

*Have THREE children (holy cow)

*Have lived in 4 different houses (but going on three years in our current one...)

*Have spent ten weeks in Ecuador adopting a beautiful seven year old daughter

*Have both graduated with our Bachelor's Degrees

*Experienced the death of seven (yes count them, seven) family members (all on my side--and it all started right when he was joining the family...we don't hold it against him).

Marriage isn't always easy, but it has brought me so much happiness. I am grateful that I have a partner who is committed to me and me to him despite the difficult things we sometimes have to endure together. I couldn't have picked a better partner for myself (okay, well I kind of did pick him for myself...seeing as I pursued him from the very first time I saw him. Good choice Kim, good choice). Devin and I went to dinner and out to ice cream last night to celebrate our anniversary and while there, we started talking about the strengths in our marriage and the areas where we could improve. It was good to be able to reflect on where we are and what we could do better, though once we got going, we were able to come up with a whole host of strengths that I hadn't considered in a long time. It was so nice to be able to just spend time with Devin, out and away from the home and kids. We figured it has been since before Flor came home that we have been able to go on a date. Too long...too long.

Life, jobs, and kids sometimes get in the way of our focusing on our marriage as much as we should, but I am grateful that we have remained strong and are more deeply in love today than we were five years ago. Happy Anniversary to us--here's to many more!

How about a few pictures, since no post is complete without pictures, right??

Engagement picture. Just babies.

Some of my best friends and bridesmaids the day of our wedding

You can't see all the grass, but as we were looking through these pictures together, we remembered how my brother-in-law Chris had woken up early the day of our wedding to go mow the grass and tend to the grounds at the Idaho Falls Temple (where he was employed) for us on our special day. What a thoughtful man. (Yesterday marked the three year anniversary of his passing, which is always a difficult to remember).

Here we are today. What better way to celebrate our anniversary than a trip to the Temple together? This time in Provo instead of Idaho Falls, but they're all equally wonderful.