Eight is Great!

Today we are lucky enough to celebrate another happy anniversary. What does 8 years of marriage look like for us?

-A few weeks ago, Peter booked a babysitter for an anniversary date night and told me to choose where I wanted to go. I looked at a few reviews, hemmed and hawed over the decision, and 3 days before our date when he asked where we were going, the decision was still not made. He asked what kind of place I wanted to go, and I said "I want to not be stressed when ordering because I hate feeling high maintenance with all of my allergy restrictions like Sally in When Harry Met Sally." So he helped me choose a place with impeccable service--and rose petals to boot--and I got the most stress-free meal I've had in a long time.

-After dinner instead of going out for drinks, we ended up at the mall, looking at that one Pottery Barn couch we love and perusing Crate & Barrel for the new cookie sheets that the baker in the family (him, not me) desires. We left as the stores closed and arrived home by 10pm ...because it was our bedtime and Starbucks was closed. But at least we stayed out till then, because returning home right after dinner at 9 would've been even more lame.

-Our present to ourselves was the bedding set that I've been eyeing for the past 3 years, which will go perfectly with the new warm gray paint color I've picked to brighten up our room--another gift that Peter conceded to letting me choose...and will eventually help me follow through with one of these days. (Even after staring at our walls daily for 6 months like me, he doesn't think the rust-colored faux paint in the master or the contrasting Hershey brown and dingy salmon bathroom walls are as dark and depressing and gag-tastic as I do).

I've been doing a good job living patiently under the Tucson Sun... but
my shabby chic heart and soul can only take so much 'Western Glam.'

-After pampering me with all of our other "gifts to ourselves" that I pretty much monopolized, he surprised me by slipping the most beautiful string of pearls around my neck while I stammered incomprehensibly. He spoils me far more than I deserve, this one.

-He came home early today, and since the kids were off school (because of Election Day) we went on a family anniversary hike. It included him putting up with all of my photo op moments, a massive and very cool fallen tree, and a very theatrical emergency pit stop behind a tree only after our most recently trained potty-goer had desperately run at least a hundred yards convinced that he could to make it to the bathroom (that was half a mile away), screaming and crying in vain all the way. At least his jeans stayed dry in the end. Oh and the happy coulple even spent a few minutes holding hands. It was a beautiful day--likely one of the last ones of the season here--and I'm so glad we went.

-Finally, we happily ditched the nice meal I had planned on cooking for us in favor of a dish-free night at Qdoba (his idea this time, not mine). Then after exchanging cards we enjoyed a few rounds of his gift, a mini cornhole set, before revisiting one of our long-time favorite bonding experiences--a marathon of The Office, starting with Season 1.

True story, start to finish.

So, in a nutshell, this is what eight years of marriage looks like for us. A lot of little happy moments mixed in with a whole lot of chaos and normalcy, all held together by the grace of God. And each of the ways we celebrated this year were perfectly "us" and perfectly wonderful. The best part? Spending another anniversary together--in person--something I hope we will never, ever take for granted!