Mark proposed.....

 7 years ago today!  Here we are today and below is us back then.

Another fun fact about Dec. 18th is that 3 years ago today I found out I was pregnant with Levi!!! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Mark and I celebrated Valentine's Day by attending a marriage conference put on by Family Life called The Art of Marriage.  It was a Friday evening and all day Saturday conference.  They put on a nice candlelit dinner for all the couples Friday night. Mark and I both came away from it very encouraged and thankful because it was all about the gospel message of Jesus and God's design for marriage.  Sometimes you go to things that are put on by a church and it turns out to be all man centered or mans ideas.  This conference was not that at all.  We would highly recommend it.  Mark and I had a great time together and laughed a lot, cried a bit, learned a ton and was very encouraged.  I think any marriage needs a good refresher now and then, no matter what stage of life you are in.

 Then yesterday, Valentine's Day we surprised Mark with a lunch at his office.  He was thrilled.  It was just a quick lunch from Costco but the point was getting to see daddy during the day.  

 Then Mark took us out into the warehouse and gave the kids rides on the forklift.  It was a very fun Valentine's day.   

Yesterday morning I woke up to roses and chocolates!  My favorite.  Mark knows that I love the big heart box of chocolates.  I know it's so typical but really Mark know that's all I want.  I love sampling all the different chocolates.  Really it's my perfect gift.  Then last night we had wonderful steak dinner and Mark and I relaxed and watched a movie while sampling the chocolates.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Roman 5:8 (NASB)

Fifth Anniversary

Five years ago today Mark and I got married in Seattle, WA. I was 22 years old and Mark was 29. It was a beautiful, sunny, HOT (90+°) day. Both Mark and I had so much fun at our wedding. We didn't stress over anything so we had no disappointments. I can't believe it's been 5 years! We have had so many wonderful moments. Yes, it's been hard many days but we believe God gives us our spouses so we can be more Christ like. Mark and I wouldn't change a minute of our last 5 years....well maybe that one day back in 2006......just kidding.
We got married in a church that was 100 years old. This wasn't our church but we liked it and our pastor could marry us in it.
Here is my dad walking me down the aisle. Growing up we would always talk about "when" he would walk me down the aisle. We would talk about what we would be talking about, inside jokes and how special it would be.....and yes, it was special. This was the only time I got nervous, but once we started walking I relaxed and enjoyed seeing everyone.
Here is my mom and I. She was my wedding planner/support person. We had so much fun planning it. We had what we called "Wedding Wednesdays." The only time we would do anything wedding would be on Wednesdays. This way we didn't get overwhelmed. It turned into a very fun and special time for us.
Here is our wedding party. Both Mark's brother and my brother were in our wedding. Mike is Mark's older brother and he's standing right next to Mark. Todd is my older brother and he's in the front row on the very left. The rest of the party were friends and two cousins.
As a wedding gift some friends of ours took us from our reception to our hotel on their boat. The hotel we stayed at was across the lake from the church where we got married in so it worked perfectly. They made it really memorable for us. They had refreshments waiting for us and we got to go watch the sunset on Lake Washington. It really was a nice relaxing time after the hoopla of a wedding and reception.Here we are after our fun boat ride.
The next morning we had to catch a plane to Puerto Viarta, Mexico......stay tuned, I have pictures from that coming tomorrow.