8 years of being married, that is. Today is the 8th anniversary of the day Bryce and I were sealed in the temple for time and all eternity and promised to love and serve each other from that day on. What a wonderful 8 years it has been! Three college degrees, three apartments, and three children later, I am still head over heels for my Sweetheart.
Some trivia and pictures to commemorate:
In Tahiti, 2005. Trivia #1: I asked Bryce out on our first date to the fall Preference Dance at BYU.
New Zealand, 2005. Trivia #2: We waited 5 months for our first kiss. Neither one of us had ever kissed anyone before.
Our 2nd Anniversary, 2006, pregnant with Amelie. Trivia #3: Bryce proposed on December 27, 2003, over a year after our first date. He wrote me a wonderful poem talking about all the things we had done together and expressing his love for me (and writing poems is not something Bryce normally does for fun!) and popped the question in North Carolina.
Graduating with my MA, August 2008, very pregnant with Calder. Trivia #4: Bryce served his mission in El Salvador. One of our first dates was to a great pupusa place down in Provo. We've talked about going back to visit El Salvador. He could show me all his mission sites, and I could show him some of the places I remember from the 7 years I lived there.
January 2009. Trivia #5: Of all of the places Bryce visited while a member of the BYU Ballroom Dance Company (and he visited tons of places!), Paris was his favorite. We have framed photos that Bryce took of Paris landmarks hanging on the wall above our bed and we're thinking of going to Paris for our 10th anniversary so Bryce can show me everything he loves so much about the city.
April 2009, 5th Anniversary, Disney Land. Trivia #6: Bryce and I just recently finished watching every single episode of Star Trek: Next Generation. He convinced me to watch the first episode (I had never seen any of them before) and then another and then another and then I was hooked. It took us several months to get through the whole series, but it was a lot of fun! I still can't believe he got me into it.
2010. Trivia #7: I know you're wondering about that first kiss. This is how it went down. I was getting tired of waiting for Bryce to get the nerve to kiss me. As he was leaving my apartment one night, I called him "Chicken." He, in an ultimate moment of geekiness, quoted Back to the Future and said, "Nobody calls me chicken!" Then he kissed me quickly on the lips. I mean, really, you knew a first kiss between two people who have zero kissing experience wasn't going to be that amazing. But practicing was sure fun!
2011. Trivia #8: Bryce and I like to try different things for a month at a time. It adds some variety to our lives and the challenge is always fun. One of our latest experiments? Going completely vegan for a month. It was great! We still don't eat nearly as much dairy and meat.
Happy 8 years, my love! Thank you for being my very best friend. Being married to you is a gift and a joy. I love you!