5 years.

On Saturday, we celebrated 5 years of marriage. And its been a wonderful 5. I can't wait til 10, 15, and beyond. 

In 5 years we've bought a house and a new car (and almost 2 now), a 2 year old in tow, and another baby girl on the way. So many more milestones have been reached and as I think about 5 years, I can't help but feel we've just begun. 

Seth, I love you more than words can even say. You are the best man for me and I'm so glad you asked me to be yours. There isn't a day that passes that I don't thank God that he gave you to me. We've come a long way. 

a lovey surprise.

sometimes, my lovey blows me away with his surprises.

and this was no exception.

we had been presented with an opportunity to get an iPad, but it seemed like seth was dragging his feet about it. and today as I was laying down for a nap, he came in with a little surprise. in true seth artist style, he presented me with this box.

and for many more reasons than this, I love him so so much. 

(we already tried out the photo booth app with a nice self portrait.)

a date night for me & the mr.

yesterday, was a half success. and by half, I mean I only got half of the laundry done. which if you are wondering what I'm talking about, it is that I forgot load #3 in the washer and load #2 in the dryer overnight. so...load #3 is going to have to run again because nobody likes smelly "clean" laundry that sat all wet.  

but all was not lost. remember this list? training started yesterday for the 5k. I'm following this plan, because frankly, my only form of exercise is carrying audrey up and down the stairs, and thats really not enough to say that I'm "in shape." I'm a little sore today, I'm not going to lie, but I did it and here's to hoping I can actually walk enough to get on the treadmill tomorrow to keep going. 

mondays are also date nights for us. a tradition we have kept for 5+ years now. every monday (or just about) we get to go out for dinner, talk about life, have fun adventures, and laugh a lot. date nights wouldnt happen were it not for dre + bec, they are so good to us to care for our girl week after week. 

this week dinner was mama lucias, another favorite local restaurant, and this week was a total let down. I sent my first plate back, and the second wasn't much better. it was as if they totally changed up their recipes and tried to convince me it tasted the same. 

onward and upward, we left and headed to the mall to use a $25 credit to j.crew that was expiring soon, we stuck to the rules, and walked out with a little something for both of us. score. 

seth with his "wanter" on as he looks at a table full of ties. reason being, we were able to get the $25 credit because seth bought his long desired suit from j.crew and we actually got a small percent back for paying for something that costs as much as a kitchen appliance.

the mall doesn't have much for us these days since we aren't spending money there and I was still hungry since I didn't eat much dinner, so we picked up some gf donuts at the store and seth couldn't resist making a detour into five below. I had never been and I really just would have rather sat in the car, but you cant really sit alone in the car in a dark parking lot, andddd it was date night. it could have been worse, but lets just say I probably won't be frequenting the place. I wish I could have videoed the only other people in the store, two chicks, singing out loud to katy perry's teenage dream. do you expect anything else from the dollar store?

our night ended with one of our favorite one on one games, word on the street. for the record, I won, but seth usually beats me.

I'm so grateful for nights like these to spend with my lovey. he's my favorite. 

my birthday boy

To commemorate Seth's turning the 3-0 we headed off to Cape May, NJ for a long weekend at Congress Hall. The weather was perfect, minus the rain on Friday for our drive there and we had such a great time being together. It was a great little getaway in our already very full lives, sandwiched between two very packed wedding weekends.

The view from our room was the best part. And Seth's concept of what our room looked like.

As far as an baby belly pictures go, I'll save that post for later. And not to disappoint anyone, but there isn't much to see yet. I'm still hanging out in my clothes and they aren't showing many signs of not fitting anymore at 17 weeks. I'm holding out hope that I will make it more than half way through without maternity clothes.

Had an appointment with my midwife today and baby is growing and healthy. This week there has been a return of the nausea for no apparent reason, but energy wise I have been doing great.

Stay Tuned!

1+1=2

Today we celebrate 2 years of being together. It's crazy to think about how fast time has gone by and so much has changed in between.

• We have moved a total of three times
  
• We have seen many more of our friends get married (somewhat expectedly and others much to our surprise)
• We bought our first home
  
• Thought about buying a dog (and decided against it)
• Visited our families that were once unfamiliar faces, have now become so dear.
• Have seen some dear friends go home to be with the Lord.
• We have laughed together more than I ever thought we could.
• I learned how to cook. (Miracle!)
  
• Marriage has also made me hit the snooze button like I never did before.
• We have walked through trials and seen the faithfulness of our God in new and amazing ways in how he has provide for our every need.

And now, one of my favorite parts of our wedding day is looking back through the pictures and reliving all of the precious memories from one of the most significant days of our lives that went by all too fast.

This was probably one of the most surreal moments of my life. Putting on "the dress" and finally being the bride. I was so excited and happy and couldn't wait to see Seth and 4 more hours felt like an eternity.

My amazing ladies and friends. (From L-R) Meesh is in India caring for all kinds of people through Doctors without Borders and I miss her so. Bec, is my constant and faithful best friend that I don't deserve and can't imagine my life without. Jess/Bunny is one of the dearest friends I know and spent my whole birthday day with me just because. Patrish is the one that Seth and I actually talked about on our honeymoon, because her then "friend" (now husband!) Nathan really seemed to take a marked interest in her the night before our wedding at the rehearsal dinner that resulted in her having a "I just dont know if he likes me, he is probably just being my friend" melt down in my room the night before I got married. Erin, my ever faithful G-mail chat companion who asks me how my day is and I am so grateful to have her in my life to lighten tough days and to talk fashion/decorating with. Char Monster/Carly, my dearest friend from far away who won't be too far for long. We met on a beach in San Diego and pretty much became BFF's from day one. I want to be like her in so many ways. My life is richer because of all of your friendships.

My dearest Mom, and biggest fan. I can't imagine my wedding day without her. She perservered in spite of sickness and was one of the prettiest ladies there. It brings me so much joy to see the love that she has for Seth. She respects, cherishes, and loves him just like he was her own and its so sweet to see. It's neat to see the answer to my Mom's prayers in Seth. God knew what was best for me and our family and I am so glad that they appreciate each other so much.
While the guys were out in the snow having fun, I was a nervous wreck and tried desperately to distract myself with my favorite game of cards to no avail.
More Moms. I am so grateful to God for Seth's Mom, Lori. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have Seth. She did such a good job raising my boy and it shows. He is one of the sweetest, kindest, gentlest, and funny men I have ever known and I couldn't thank he enough for it. Not to mention she always remembers birthdays, holidays and everything else in between and really takes an interest in our lives even from far away.
Seth and all his dudes.

The End.
And as you could say, the rest is history.

My love, I can't wait for all that the Lord has for us in the future and I am so glad that I get to have you by my side no matter what may come our way. You have brought so much joy to my life and I thank God so much for you.