FIVE

This morning, as he left for work, Jason kissed me goodbye.  Most mornings I fall back asleep, since he has to be at work at the crack of dawn and well, I don't function before 6 AM.  But today - I went ahead and got out of bed.  I was excited and couldn't sleep - we have a date tonight!  Dinner AND a movie (something that hasn't happened since 2008, no joke) because it is OUR ANNIVERSARY!

FIVE years.  Big milestone, I suppose.  It seems like we have always been together. And at the same time it seems like it was just yesterday I was trying to eat homemade french toast made by my Daddy on my wedding day.  Time really DOES fly when you are having fun.

What have the past 5 years meant for us?  Here are some memories that come to mind -
*A wonderful honeymoon in Maui.  A room at The Four Seasons - I will never in my life be able to stay there again but I am so thankful for that chance.  It was spectacular, to say the least.

*Buying our first home, that looked something like this -

and making it look more like this (I need a more updated picture, since our landscaping has really filled in) -

* Getting new jobs and working long hours - coaching volleyball and soccer for me, becoming supervisor for him

* Trips - Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Orange Beach/Perdido Key, St. Louis, Chicago to name a few

* Buying my first car- Max the Maxima (and it will be paid off pretty soon, woo-hoo!)

*Practicing parenthood with pets -

Jasper (who died right before Lilli was born)

Cooper

Brady

* Graduating with my Masters and Jason getting another promotion (and less hours for both, woo-hoo)

* Telling our family about this -

J+A =Baby

and getting through the heartbreak when it ended in miscarriage...

* Thankfully giving birth to Lillian Brooke less than a year later!

Who now looks like this

*Getting another one of these

Who now looks like this - 

Due in October!



We have been blessed to have many more ups than downs in our 5 years of marriage.  But the top 10 tips that we try to remember are these -

1. Put God first in your marriage and family.  Sin can easily enter in, especially in the early years.  We have grown closer to God, our church, and our church friends over the years and it has created a solid foundation for us.

2. Always tell each other how your day went, including details that no one else really cares about

3. Make each other laugh.  Jason is my favorite comedian and he thinks I'm pretty funny (that is an awesome compliment to me!)

4. Back rubs (for him) and foot rubs (for me) should come without asking

5. Raise your children as a team.  So far we are not perfect but we are committed to giving Lillian (and Baby Pumpkin) a life of love and support. Sometimes that means one of us has to compromise OR parent her in ways that others around us don't agree with.  As long as WE are in agreement, that is what is important.

6. Embrace the old fashioned.  This is not for everyone, but for us, it works.  I cook dinner, he cleans up after me.  He mows, I do laundry.  We like gender traditional roles - but BOTH of us contribute to keeping our home up and that is important.

7. Cliche but true - never go to bed angry and always kiss before you leave for the day.  One day, several years ago, Jason left without kissing me goodbye (in a hurry, I guess.)  I cried all morning...true story.

8. Be 100% honest with your finances.  We are committed to living debt free (other than house and car) and this is HARD.  I have to remember to be patient for the material things I want...but more importantly I am trying to remember that material things are not what I should focus on.  Being debt free helps with that, but can cause lots of problems if the couple is not on the same page.

9. Romance - hard with little ones but not impossible.  He writes me beautiful letters and cards, which I keep and will always treasure.

10. Respect the wedding vows you said - which means for better AND worse.  He loves me in spite of my dimple-ly thighs that weren't there on our honeymoon and I love him even when he drops my laptop and breaks it.  But even deeper - we are all sinners. God loves us, flaws and all.  This is the mentality you must have with your spouse. 

Last year I posted this - 4 Years Ago about our wedding day - it has lots of pictures of the gorgeous day we shared with family and friends!


I can't believe it has been 5 years.  On our wedding day, I gave Jason a watch. Inscribed on it is "85 years begins now" - which relates to a story we heard while we were dating of a couple that were married 85 years.  I realize it is practically impossible - but we are setting the bar high.  So, only 80 more years to go!