Happy Anniversary - 11 years!!!

I still need to blog about our July road trip up the coast....but I know that is going to take a while to do. I didn't want to forget to post about our 11th anniversary this year and what a fun time we had together. We were so bummed when we realized that we forgot the camera.....but I wanted to write about it even if I don't have any pictures to share. I am so thankful for our moms who were willing to take the kids so that we could get out and have some fun.

I love David. I really do. We have been "together" since we were fourteen years old. Our old high school anniversary is October 12th, and on that day this year, we will have been "together" for 19 years!!!! That sounds RIDICULOUS but it is true. This is not something that I would recommend for my daughter....we were just very lucky that it worked out for us. He asked me "out" on a school bus on the way home from a football game, just as we were pulling in to the high school parking lot. (I think it took him the entire drive home to build up the courage to do it!) Since that night....we have pretty much always been together. (We had a little falling out our senior year....but I will save that story for another time - and it didn't last long!) The other night we got out some old notes that we passed back in forth in high school. We were pretty much laughing hysterically and trying to figure out how we ever stayed together. We were happy, but high school drama is pretty crazy. It was pretty funny to read what was SOOO important in our lives back then, when those things REALLY did not matter. We made it through a lot and had tons of fun back then. David learned about the church, was baptized our senior year, and then went off to college at Arizona State. I thought for sure he would find someone else in Arizona and I was worried I might want to date someone else at Chapman, where I went to school. But it never happened. Just before our senior year of college David proposed (I need to write that story down too so our kids can read it) and we were married on July 24, 1999.....2 months after we both graduated from college. That is the VERY short version, but it's great history.

We have been very lucky to have each other. I think we both build each other up whenever the other one needs it. We know each other inside and out and can pretty much read each other's minds. We have a lot of fun together. We bicker like no one else, but that's because we have been together for so long. We both are easy to let those moments go and move on....it works. I'm thankful for the hard times that have come since we got married, and how much we have both learned and grown because of these struggles. We work together as a team very well, and that can get us through anything. David is a great guy....I feel very blessed that his is my husband and the daddy to our kids. I know that we will be together for eternity....there is not a doubt in my mind. I know that more challenges will come, but we are both committed to each other and our family. I'm thankful for that.

We always do something for our anniversary, whether big or small. This year wasn't any different. On Saturday morning my mom took the kids and we headed to Knott's Berry Farm with our annual passes. We had so much fun without the kids, and were able to ride the roller coasters that we never get around to with little ones. I don't think I have actually ridden a roller coaster in probably ten years. It was so scary and so much fun! After that we headed over to Soak City (all with our annual passes) to ride the grown up water slides together (something else we can't do with the kids!). We had a blast playing in the water and I even went down a very scary slide, backwards, just because David wanted me to. It was great!

Next, we were off to our hotel in Costa Mesa. We arrived just in time to get all cleaned up and showered so that we could head over to the Orange County Fair to see David's self-proclaimed "girlfriend' Faith Hill!!!!! (I surprised him with the tickets!) There was a free shuttle leaving a block away from the hotel. It was so nice not having to pay for parking and deal with all of the crowds. I think she sounded the best that she ever has....we have seen her sing a few times. The ampitheatre was outside and the moon was shining down as she sang - it was AMAZING! We loved it, but it ended too soon! Next we headed over to see the hypnotist show which was hilarious, and we ended the night sharing a deep fried Oreo. Pretty good actually!

The next morning we woke up early, of course, but had breakfast and then went BACK TO BED!!!! Best day ever!!!! Once we were up we spent the afternoon at the beach, eating at Ruby's on the pier, and walking around Newport and Balboa Island. The weather was perfect and the sky was blue. It was hard to come home. I really do love our time together and look forward to our next night out. Life gets pretty stressful sometimes, and I am glad to have him by my side. Love you Dave.