HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Today is mine and Darren's 5th Anniversary - That is kind of hard for me to believe! Five years ago today, at 10:20 am, we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. It was one of the happiest and most exciting days of my life (the other 2 being the birth of my kids...) The last 5 years have gone by really fast and SO much has happened! We have been through a lot of things and grown so much closer. It is amazing how that happens. You think you love someone so much, but it just continues to deepen as time goes on! Darren is the best husband anyone could ask for, even if I tease him sometimes for watching a little too much soccer or Sports Center! He is so great to me and in honor of our five year anniversary, I've decided to do a little countdown of things about that last 5 years that mean a lot to us and describe our relationship and help keep our marriage strong.

5 - TRIPS TO DISNEYLAND! This sounds a little crazy that we would have actually been there that many times in the last 5 years, but it is true! (All of the trips have been with family, so we actually haven't paid for that many trips, so that is how it has happened...) Disneyland to us is one of the happiest places we could ever be! We have so much fun there - especially now with our kids. It also represents some of our most fun memories, but we have so many other amazing memories ,too. We have had trips to Yellowstone, California, lots of sporting events including Aggie games, USA soccer, and Jazz games, and lots of other fun activities. To me, these are wonderful memories and symbolize how much we love being together and doing things with our family. Spending time and creating special memories are part of what makes our marriage so wonderful!

4- YEARS IN LAS VEGAS. I had to cheat and round up on this one, as we have only been there 3 1/2 years so far, but we will be there about 4 before we move, so I've decided that it counts. It may also seem an odd choice since we don't exactly love it there, but it has been something that has really strengthened our marriage. Living in Las Vegas has given us many challenges and special experiences - including 3 car accidents, a stolen car, and the birth of 2 children - and has helped us to get through everything together. Being so far away from family has helped us rely on each other and made us stronger as a couple and a family.

3 - COLLEGE DEGREES. I am also cheating on this one too since Darren's degree won't be totally finished until May, but I think we are close enough to the end to count it! All of our married years so far have been in school - My accounting degree in 2003, Darren's Biology degree in 2004 (both from Utah State) and now Darren's Dental degree from UNLV. Always being in school has been challenging in many ways, but also a really good way to strengthen our marriage. Being struggling students has taught us the importance of each other and not things and really had us working together to accomplish our goals. It has been a great way to start our marriage!

2 - WONDERFUL KIDS!!!! Our kids have been the greatest blessing in our marriage so far. We love them so much and are so grateful for them. They have taught us so much about unselfishness and giving (and lack of sleep...) and we LOVE them so much. We always say that we don't even remember what we used to do before them or how we spent our time (besides sleep...) but they are our whole world and made our marriage even better. We love our little family so much and watching them grow and learn has been so rewarding. They are definitely some great cheap entertainment, too!

1 - WONDERFUL, AMAZING, GIVING, SENSITIVE, SPECIAL HUSBAND, FATHER and BEST FRIEND. Thanks for all you do for us! You are so good to all of us and are so great to help around the house and are so wonderful with the kids - They adore you and love spending time with you. You work so hard and do so much - I can't imagine my life with anyone more caring or better for us. We are all so lucky to have you. Thanks for an amazing 5 years of wonderful memories and being together It has been more than I could have ever imagined! I am looking forward to so many more! I love you so much, Babe! Happy Anniversary!!!!