Thoughts On Our 8th Anniversary

Today is our 8th anniversary! Blake and I met in 2008. So while we got married in 2010, we've now been part of each other's lives for a decade. I remember seeing other couples celebrating their 10th anniversary and thinking just how far ahead that would be. Now it's sort of staring us in the face! 

We always start celebrating our anniversary early. On our first anniversary I'm pretty sure we gave each other gifts in December because we couldn't wait until February! I kind of love that though. Anniversaries are something we always made a big deal about in our family growing up. I had so much fun decorating cakes for my mom and dad. They ended up hideous, but my parents loved it. 

This year we are keeping it semi-low key because we are taking a bigger trip in June. Spring is just a little too busy this year, so we will just keep celebrating on into summer! No complaints here. 

I always get super nostalgic around this time, so I dug up a few pictures that tell our story:

On our first official date! Disney // January 2009

Hanging with friends at Olive Garden // October 2009

After he proposed! // October 3, 2009

Our Wedding Shower // February 7, 2010

Our Wedding! // February 27, 2010

Honeymooning in Jamaica // March 2010 

Did you know that each anniversary has a traditional gift associated with it? Year 1 is paper...year 5 is wood...etc. Like most traditions, the idea of giving someone a year themed gift hasn't really translated into 2018. But, just for fun I like to read the descriptions and find out why each year has been designated as that theme. 

Year number 8 is the bronze anniversary. While I don't intend to give my husband a bronze statue as a gift, the description of the year fully resonated with me:

Blended of two elements bronze molds into a single entity that is durable enough to last a lifetime. Much alike this long term marriage where the blending of two personalities united by common interests and goals their loyalty to one another is by this point solidifying their trust into a strong and enduring bond. (source)

This is exactly how I feel! There is so much love and newness when you first get married. It's great and essential to start your life together. I just had NO idea how much more you can love a person after time. I no longer feel like my own person. My identity is completely fused together with his just like bronze. 

This past year was SO interesting for us. After reading my post last year again, I realized just how much had changed. We had a tougher beginning to 2016, so we ended that year with some lifestyle changes to fix it. So 2017 was all about reaping the benefits of those changes! It was definitely a harvest season. (Part of the reason I made my mission statement for 2018! It works!)

Last May we moved to a new congregation to be more useful. That was definitely our big adventure in year 7. It was one of those things we had the completely wrong idea about. I thought we'd be helping them, but it was the opposite. We were the ones to grow. Funny how that works. It's ALWAYS a good thing to step out of your comfort zone. Of course, it's even better when you have someone to jump with.

When I look at those kids in the pictures above I'm just mesmerized. How on earth could that be us?! Despite that weird disconnect, I'm SO happy with who those 2 became. Blake and I have complete opposite personalities, but we absolutely have the same mission in life and those goals make me feel more than ever that we are a team. I really think he is the best thing about me.

Happy Anniversary Blake! 

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Leave a comment below if you feel like time is slipping through your fingers! Do you feel weird when you look at old pictures of yourself? Do you pay attention to the themes of each anniversary? If you do, do you feel like they ring true to your relationship?

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