An Anniversary to Remember

Warning: This is a long post with tons of photos, I will not apologize as it is our family blog, but I just thought I would throw that disclaimer out there :)

We couldn't have imagined or planned to make our anniversary more magical. We weren't really trying to make it the epic outing that it turned our to be but it just happened. It all fell together back in January when I saw a Groupon for the perfect little romantic hotel, the kind with a fire place and a huge jacuzzi tub looking out to the ocean. We have wanted to do something like that for years, So I asked my mom if she would be willing to take the boys over night. When my mom mentioned that we could go away for a long weekend we decided to add another night to our stay on our actual anniversary only at a different hotel since the first one wasn't available on that day. And then shortly before our getaway, my mom kindly offered to take the boys one day earlier because she was in town and could take them home with her. Wow...So my mom volunteered for 3 nights with my boys so Max and I could have an excellent vacation just the two of us.

So this is how it went, Friday night my mom and Don came to pick up our boys right at bedtime. They left and Max and I were tempted to just clean the house and watch it stay clean for more than an hour but we decided to leave the house because we could. We tried to go to some furniture stores but for some reason, they all close early. We weren't sure what to do with ourselves as we are never out of the house after 9 pm. We ended up at Marshall's where I got a dress on clearance. Win! We wandered around the store looking at everything. When Marshall's closed we wanted to try to go somewhere else and it seemed that Fred Meyer was the only place open. We tried on clothes and wandered around and then ended up buying a diaper bag...pretty ironic since we were so excited to leave the house without one.

We eventually went home turned on music semi loud and danced until we decided to go to bed.

Saturday Morning (Our actual anniversary)

We got out of bed after 9 am. It felt great! We then went for a run around our neighborhood that ended up being three miles, pretty great for two people that haven't done much running in awhile.
We came back and made a delicious breakfast together.

We then showered and worked on packing and cleaning out the garage to make room for our new furnace that was going to be installed the morning after we got back from our vacation.

We then headed out on our slow journey to the beach. We stopped at the mall mostly so I could get new bras at Victoria Secret. I think that is an appropriate thing to do after you finish dedicating your boobs to your baby for a year.

After the Mall we went to get Jamba Juice (something we did on our wedding day) and then to Old Navy. We had been saving up to do some clothes shopping for awhile but it is kind of hard to do with kids. Max ended up getting a bunch of clothes and I decided to get some Jewelry which is rare for me!

When we were done there, it was dinnertime so we ate out at 5 guys then really went to the beach.

We got to our hotel around 9 pm just in time to go swimming before the pool closed at 10, we dropped off our bags and got to the pool just as a bunch of families were arriving. WE were the crazy adults trying to swim laps while all the kids were playing, we got to go in the hot tub and sauna then called it a night and went back to our hotel room.

Sunday Morning

I realized that I cant sleep-in anymore so I was up before 8 am and decided to do my hair. Another rare treat. Once Max was up we went to eat breakfast at the hotel then head to church. It was fun to find out that we went to my cousin Brittany's ward. It was fun to see her and her family.

After church we went to explore Cape Meares State Park. We got lost for a bit and ended up standing and taking pictures on rocks next to these fiery bushes and Tillamook Bay, not a bad place to get lost.

We eventually found our way to the Park and set off exploring. For months I've wanted to somehow get an amazing hammock picture with the beach in the background. We also just wanted to enjoy the hammock on the beach. I wasn't sure how this would happen because usually there aren't trees to hang up a hammock when you go to the beach. I thought maybe if we went to explore this state park with beach views  there would be an ever slight chance we could find this perfect hammock spot. We explored the ocean views and lighthouse, and even watched for whales all while keeping an eye out for the perfect hammock spot but it was looking doubtful with all the cliffs safely fenced off.
 We were still enjoying ourselves and the beauty that was all around us.
We were greeted by this mangy deer.

We kind of had a lot of fun using my new remote control for my camera. We were able to get photos of us together on our getaway,

After checking out the massive cliffs and ocean, we made our way down to the lighthouse. We were lucky that they were currently doing tours.

So it's a decommissioned light house because boats all use GPS but the lighthouse has never been more popular for tourists. Pretty interesting.

See it says anniversary...haha

So, on our hike (walk) back from the lighthouse we still kept our eye out for the perfect hammock spot, we found one that would maybe suffice but would not give us the best ocean views. We decided to try so we continued to our car to get the hammock.

When we were at our car we saw that it was just a short walk to check out the Octopus tree so we decided to go see that first.  

Pretty impressive. We were a little bummed that we couldn't go climb it. we were feeling young and carefree!

 Then Max said we should hike just a little beyond to see the views and there it was..the perfect hammock spot! Both Max and I felt completely rejuvenated in our pursuit and traveled quickly back to the car to get our hammock! We decided this was our anniversary art project ( 2 years ago we made a sand castle, just something fun to do together that we don't usually get to do in our day-to day routines) I'm glad that Max was just as excited about this project as I was.

We may have had to jump a little fence and we may have scared away some pot-smoking kids, but we were going to enjoy our hammock spot!

Max started setting up the hammock and I set up the camera.

 Seriously, the most beautiful hammock set up we've ever done!
Mini back story: the hammock is an important part of our relationship as it was where we spent our first moments of our relationship hours after I was released from being a missionary. So here are a whole lot of hammock pictures that I will not apologize for.

 

We spent a good amount of time enjoying our ocean view from our hammock and we would recommend this spot to anyone! 

   We eventually decided to pack up and head to our next romantic location. We picked up some food to eat on our way because we were so excited to check in to the Starfish Manor Oceanfront hotel. And it exceeded all our expectations. Thank you Groupon!

More ocean views for us. 

 Rose petals, chocolates and robes!

We didn't waste time and enjoyed watching the sunset form the jacuzzi tub, We loved our stay there and have intentions of going back someday.  

The next morning we got to sleep in, After a slow morning we decided to finally go play on the beach.

It was great going on a Monday morning. It was pretty secluded and the tide had washed in millions of these blue things. It was beautiful!

And then we took more selfies, they didn't turn out super clear, there's only so much you can do with a remote, but we were excited to have photos of just the two of us. 

And why not jump off rocks?

And I was kind of obsessed with this scenery...so there are a lot of photos of this beautiful husband of mine. 

  

Sand writing....Max did the date...

We then decided to go get some lunch, just as we pulled in to the Wildflower Grill, we realized we should call to see when Captain Dan's Pirate Pastry Shop closed. We have tried 3 times to go to this little shop because it had great reviews online but it was closed every time. We were so glad we called because they were closing early again but we had enough time to get there. It is just a little store owned by a husband and wife. We decided to go to the Pirate pastry shop first. 4th time is a charm because it was finally open.!

We picked out pastries for us and some to bring back to our kids and Grandma Sharolee and Grandpa Don.

It was a fun store and it always feels good to support someone's family business.

We then made our way back to the Wildflower Grill for some lunch. We heard raving reviews about this place too.

We got to sit in an indoor patio with a view of a pond.

We each had a cup of clam chowder and a sandwich.

Max's sandwich was pretty intense but tasted amazing!

And this is what happens when someone else takes your photo...but hey, here we are in the restaurant.

We then started our nearly 3 hour drive to pick up our boys after a refreshing and magical weekend.  We enjoyed some great conversation and enjoyed our pirate pastries.
We got this Nemo Cookie for Charlie.


Blueberry cream cheese turnover...it was amazing!

 When we got to my mom's house, our boys were happy and healthy. Charlie didn't want to leave Grandma's house and it turns out that Miles did great with grandma. He mostly slept through the night and he didn't seem to miss me too much. I was the most worried about him since he is more clingy. It just confirms that vacations without kids are possible and necessary, and I'm so grateful to my mom and Don for taking them for 3 whole nights. I know the boys and Max and I had a ton of fun! I know my grandma and Don were exhausted. We were happy to be reunited as a family.

And that was our epic anniversary getaway. I don't think we can top it for awhile, I don't even think we should try. It was just too magical!I love my family and my marriage and that we had the opportunity to have such a wonderful vacation.

To the man I love more each year!

You always hear people saying I love you more than the day I married you or similar phrases expressing such sentiments. I feel that this is true for us as well and I wanted to take a moment to look back on the events that have led to this undeniable love. I'm not one to be very eloquent when writing but I did enjoy reflecting on our past together and recognizing the events and situations that led to growing together as husband and wife. 

In our early years, the ones where we were teenagers and thought we had life figured out, I knew you were someone special I knew that you had this unnatural ability to do good and serve others. I could never imagine you treating someone with disrespect, and you set your standards high and stuck to them. You worked hard and took pride in all your endeavors. Traits that are not typical of most high school students. This is where my love for you began.  

We had a long friendship before deciding to actually Date each other. You took this dating very seriously and even prayed and discussed it with your parents before asking me to be your girlfriend. (oh yeah, and there was the pro/con list we made, haha I'm laughing about that right now!) You told me that after you prayed if I should be your girlfriend, you felt the overwhelming answer that "you would be lucky to date Rebecca! " Yes I swoon a bit when you tell me this story but I also like that it demonstrates that you are serious about your decisions and you work hard to know what you want. I love you for this and that you officially asked me to be your girlfriend.

Our dating didn't even last a full year, we were both confused by that but felt that it would be right to not be dating while you spent the next couple months preparing and leaving for a mission. I was the whiner but you stood by our decision,. In retrospect it's easy to see why this was an important step in our relationship. Thanks for going to play tennis with my an hour or so after we broke up. You remained my best friend and good thing too, you needed all those amazing packages I sent you on your mission. I love you for being so in tune with the spirit and having the Lord guide us in our teenage relationship, no matter how silly it may seem.


As you left for your mission we seemed to have a great letter writing relationship going on. The package you sent me on my 21st birthday changed my life forever, at the very bottom of the letter you wrote "Have you ever thought of serving a mission..." That phrase stuck with me for days as I mulled over every excuse why I wasn't going to serve a mission until I realized...I could serve a mission, every thought I had was just an excuse, I should probably pray and find out if a serving a mission was right for me. Lo and Behold,..I got the answer that I needed to serve a mission. So six months before you came home...off I went. Later you told me that it was on that P-day when you read my e-mail telling you that I had chosen to serve a mission, you knew you wanted to marry me. I love you for your boldness that I have seen time and time again but was so apparent in your letters of encouragement, I know my life and our family's life has been drastically improved by my decision to serve in Armenia.

Coming home from Armenia, neither of us knew what to expect. We kept a great friendship during our time on opposite sides of the world but it had been 3 years since we had seen each other and both of us had gone through a lot of growth and change. I couldn't believe how natural it was for our lives to come together. We had both grown but it was in the same direction and we were ready to continue growing together. It wasn't long before I was confident that I wanted to marry you. I love you for keeping our friendship strong and "waiting" for me. 

Seeing each other for the first time in 3 years, one of the top 4 most exciting moments in my life!

Engagement 

We got to jump into the world of BYU together. Living separately but still bringing our lives together with Family meals (and grocery shopping), date nights, cleaning, and tons of wedding planning. I loved getting to know you as my future spouse and knowing that we didn't have to be apart anymore.  

Year 1 

Most people say the first year of marriage is the hardest. I don't think that's true. There were adjustments but knowing you for so long before our marriage and spending most of our free time doing productive things like cleaning, waxing cars, and homework helped me to know how you lived worked and expressed yourself.  My love grew for you as I tried understanding and meeting your needs and supporting you in your endeavors. I loved learning about your extreme patience and your persistence when it comes to taking care of me and our little family. We lived frugally, worked hard, studied diligently, and loved one another. our first year of marriage was amazing because I got to know my long-time friend on a much more intimate level. This year I learned to Love someone more than myself.

California Beach

Disneyland

1 year anniversary in San Francisco

Year 2

This year brought on new challenges,  a lot of moving, two miscarriages, and insane internship schedules. Through these trials I learned better than before that I had a true partner at my side, someone that would grieve with me when I needed it but also support me and lift me up in those occasions that it was necessary. You have always been patient and able to calmly communicate with me to find how you can better help me. I love you for your ability to be understand me and take the time to really meet and know what my needs are. We survived and I was able to graduate while being pregnant with our firstborn Son.  

Rafting the Rogue River

Year 3

This year I got the beautiful gift of seeing you become a Daddy for the first time. I always knew you would be an excellent parent, your patience, kindness, and energy all clued me in to that. But I never could have imagined the lengths you would go to to express your love to our family. It is not easy transitioning to parenthood, everyone tells you this but you can never really prepare for how challenging it is, and I never expected it to be as hard as it was. I know you didn't either but you were constantly there by my side trying to figure it out, you would be first to get up with the baby as I wondered how we would make it through another day. Because of your example to me, I'm a better parent to our children. I know I've said this before, but I LOVE that I get to have you as my parenting partner. Our kids have a chance at turning out okay.    

 

Year 4

This year, we paid off debt, you graduated College, got a grown up job, and we went on many adventures as family of three, experiencing the wonders of childhood through our baby boy.  I was able to see you work hard remodeling our house. I was able to really see your thirst for knowledge and your excitement to figure out the unknown. It's weird that I noticed this more after you graduated, I love that you desire to gain as much knowledge as possible, and if there is something you want to know or learn, you will figure it out.

4 year anniversary, Lincoln City

Year 5

This year, we filled our time with more family outings, getting healthy, and welcoming our second baby boy into our family. I think, this year we started to feel like adults...like the moment we realized we could take a trip to the East Coast if we wanted. We were also reminded of the challenges of having a newborn. Once again I saw you bend over backwards to make me feel more comfortable as a mom. You always treat us as the priority and work hard to provide an amazing life for us.I love your dedication to our family and I never doubt that you are and always will be an excellent provider. 

 

Year 6

This year I saw you take on more and more responsibilities, we get a grown up car (and paid it completely off), you spent countless hours helping your parents, and many more serving others in your church responsibilities. Also, making sure the property is taken care of. It's hard to see during the busy days but if you step back and look at what you have accomplished, it is quite astounding. You rarely take a moment for yourself even if you completely deserve it. You are always thinking of others before yourself. The boys and I are constantly benefiting from your selflessness and service. You also fully support me in any endeavor I choose. I feel that I've branched out and experimented with many new hobbies this year and you not only fully support me, you get excited for me and do whatever you can to help and aid in my ambitions. 

Now you deserve a break..so let's go on a romantic getaway and start our lucky seventh year right!

We have experienced the love growing each year and with the birth of each child, it's amazing to think that we have eternity together and our love will continue to grow richer and stronger.