10 Years

Travis and I celebrate our 10th anniversary today. My good friend turned photographer turned scrapbook designer, Denise Beatty has a great '100 things' template. I saw it and thought of making a record of our first ten years together. Seriously, what was I thinking? About three days and 12 scrapping hours later, this is my creation!

Thankfully, we got a digital camera in '02, so we only had to scan in a few photos and I love the result. I had it printed up at 11x14 size (only $3 at Costco) and framed it for our room. It looks awesome. You'll have to come admire it someday. Just be sure to give me a heads-up so I make my bed first! LOL!

As I looked back through literally every picture we have in print and digital, I decided that the first ten years pretty much rocked. Thinking back, Travis and I have never had any really rough patches as a couple. Of course we've fought and yelled like most couples, but thankfully, we've never had a particularly 'bad year' relationship-wise. Instead our challenges have come through our children. It was surprising to me the emotions that came up as I looked through 2004-2006. The computer files were filled with pictures of Grant crying, fussing, and basically being detached. There were pictures of him freaking out when we tried to put Blake on his lap, huge crocodile tears when asked to pose for a picture, and the memories of the frustrations and heartaches of those years. Now that I know more about autism, it's hard to look at the pictures and think of his struggles with an overwhelming world that he couldn't communicate to anyone about.

Thankfully, I've always had Travis to rely on. We've always been a team and Travis has always been super-supportive and a very involved Dad. I'm also sure the strength to deal with our trials has been based on a temple marriage. We've been blessed to live near the temple and return often in the past ten years. Thanks to our awesome babysitter, Regan, we were able to attend every month in 2009! And even with our challenges, our life is awesome. The kids are all doing so well. They constantly crack me up, taking after their Dad. We have a wonderful, cozy home filled with fun, love and mostly joy. And seriously, year 10 brings my baby girl. What more can I ask for?

Here's to the next 10.