"Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be..."

March was a whirlwind for our little family, one part I wanted to make note of was our 10 year anniversary on the 29th!  10 short years ago Ryan and I had our first date...we looked something like this:

Babies!  We were just little babies then - he was 20 and I was 18.  How crazy is that?  He was such a sweet boy I was in L.O.V.E. from the start.  We had SO much fun in our early dating years, lots of silly times out with friends and staying up until ungodly hours of the night talking about everything under the sun.

Ryan has always been one of the most kind souls I have ever met (sorry to wreck any sort of "tough guy facade" ha ha).  My mom really loved him from the start which meant a lot to me, to see how easy it was for him to relate to people that were really important in my life. 

Our relationship, like most, has had it's share of hard times, but we have literally grown up together.  We bought our first home together, got our first pets together.  Laughed, loved and lost together. 

Not every day is roses and sunshine but I think that would be unrealistic to expect to see eye to eye on everything...luckily for me Ryan has been extremely forgiving for my bullheadedness and I've tried to stop sweating the small stuff..and by small stuff I mean socks on the living room floor - ha ha.

Starting our most recent adventure of working together day in and day out I was very nervous, it's a lot on a relationship to not have down time but I think things are going better than I could have expected.  I have found a whole new respect for Ryan after seeing him in his element doing the work that he loves.  I love that I feel like his family truly is our family, there is something to be said that working in a family business can be a challenge but at the end of the day it is such a huge reward to know that all of your hard work is literally going to people that you love.

Thank you Ryan for making me laugh so hard my sides hurt, for making me feel beautiful when I know that I look a fright, for remembering the dumb, cheesy little things that I love.  For being a strong supportive partner, for being such a loving daddy to our sweet little girl. 



Thank you for not being afraid of change, for calming me down and helping me see the lighter side in things.  Thank you for being you.  Even when you wear your packer zubas with a brown plaid flannel, I will still always love you :)

One of my favorite quotes from Robert Browning was included in our wedding, I think it holds true to a great marriage and makes you realize how everyday is a gift and even when things are hard they will always get better.  It's about embracing the journey, not racing to the finish, about realizing that you truly are in this together.

"Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to be,

The last of life, for which the first was made:

Our times are in His hand

Who saith "A whole I planned,

Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!''

Thank you Ryan for a wonderful past 10 years, I can't wait to see what the next 10, 20, 30, etc. bring and there is no one else I'd rather share it with.