Smith 8.0

Last Monday, (11/14), Alma and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.

We celebrated in style (my mother tells me I'm always "looking for a party" to have or throw. Truth is, I love to celebrate pretty much everything from birthdays to anniversaries to seasons to first poops in the potty.
It's true.
I like to party.

We spent a wonderful child-free evening at The Alaskan Inn B&B. We stayed up late watching movies in our own little cabin and eating goodies (like an entire bag of Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels). We slept in late and only woke up because they dropped breakfast off at our front door.

I'm telling you this for a reason.
If you need place to get away with your sweetie...The Alaskan Inn is it. My favorite B&B by FAR.

It's still hard to believe that it was 8 years ago that we were married.
Here are the "highlights" I remember of those years.

1st (2004): We were living in a very small apartment in Sugarhouse. Our little hardwood floors and arched entryways were charming and we frequently walked to the $1 movies or browsed books at Barnes and Noble for date nights.
We were both in school full time, and working full time.
Any time we spent together during the week was usually dinner and then straight to the library for studying until the wee hours of the morning.
Our ward was full of students or old people. I worked at Cottonwood Hospital on the medsurg floor as a CNA. Alma climbed poles and dug holes for the cable company.
We had a lot of fun learning how to be married.
We celebrated our 1 yr anniversary in Disneyland...because it had been 12 months since we'd been there and my husband really knows the way to my heart.

2nd (2005).
We moved to a tiny (and I seriously mean tiny) apartment in the basement of a home in Murray...in the stake I grew up in.
We were both in school full time still. I graduated from nursing school that spring. I had worked for the VA for a year in a SNT/LPN role. Alma was still at the cable company until the end of the summer. I was in the YW presidency in our ward, Alma was in the YM. We spent a lot of time at mutual and other activities.
Once I passed boards, we decided it was time to make our family of 2 bigger.
We found out we were having Bella 1 week before my birthday. Alma took a new job with Spillman Technologies.
There was no way we would all fit in our tiny apartment...so we moved again. 3rd move in 2 years.

3rd (2006)
We were living in another basement apartment, still in Murray, this time in the actual ward I was in as a teenager. No...it was not my parents house.
I was working full time on L&D. Alma continued to go to school at the U and work full time.
Bella joined us in June and made us parents.
We were clueless...we still are.
But she started us on this crazy parenthood journey and it's been blessing to our marriage. Definitely made us closer and more honest with each other.

4 (2007) Still living in the basement when our 4 year anniversary rolls around. Bella is about 4.5 months old and giving us a run for our money. We've learned to live on less sleep and more caffeine. We spend our date nights doing things like going to movies or simply going grocery shopping alone. Alma graduates with his BS in the spring. We move into our first house in the spring as well.
Buying a home...that's stressful, at least for me. Alma is a trooper through the whole thing. Alma starts a job with a a new company (I-Boats) in their marketing department. We spend our date nights doing things like movies, or more cultured things such as plays and theatre productions (we had a big thing for Hale Centre Theatre and Desert Star Theater that year).

5 (2008) We learn to joys and woes of owning a house. We learn the joys and woes of raising a strong willed toddler with darling eyes. We go on our first cruise together and swim with sharks in Belize. We decided to make our family bigger once again. We find out about Oliver in March. I'm excited, but more terrified than anything (me...2 kids...really?). Alma is the ever constant rock in the relationship.
Alma looses his job when the economy tanks. I am 7 months pregnant. Alma remains the constant rock while I freak out for a week straight. I calm down. I start working overtime help out. Alma searches for a job like a mad man...and finds one 8 weeks later...the week before my birthday. We celebrate by eating at 5 Guys (which I was addicted to during that pregnancy). I love my husband more than I have ever before, but realize it's changed. It's even better.

6 (2009) Oliver joined our family 4 days before Christmas in 2008. Alma drives me to the hospital after my water breaks all over our down mattress pad. He doesn't even laugh at me when I try not to cry while claiming "it feels like I'm peeing...ouch...pee...ouch...pee". He's a good man. Our family goes from 3 to 4. It's a trip. It's a very fun and very exhausting trip.
I take a leap and join AirMed as an OB Flightnurse. Life gets pretty hectic during my orientation. We are all very excited about the new journey. We buy a minivan. I swore I would NEVER buy a minivan. What is wrong with me?!

7 (2010) We have both turned 30 by this point. Alma lost his job again in the spring of that year. 2 layoffs in 2 years. I learned a great deal about the power of forgiveness...seeing as the whole situation made me actually wish death upon somebody for a small moment.
Alma is out of work for almost 6 months. I am working part time on both AirMed and L&D. Alma finds a new job at TechMedia before fall of this year, in their marketing department, where he currently remains.
Alma also finishes his business masters degree from the University of Utah. I'm beyond impressed.
Bella is in preschool. Oliver is in toddlerhood in all it's glory. This has been a hard year and yet one of the best years. Trials have made our family and us closer than ever before.
It's a good year.

8(2011)
We've gone completely off our rockers and start doing things like triathlons. Actually...Alma starts it and I follow along like a scared puppy dog. Our kids become obsessed with races and run a race of their own in the summer. Alma does 3 triathlons. I do 1.
I quit my job at AirMed and go back to L&D as my primary employment. It's a deeply personal decision and not one that was expected or taken lightly when making it. I struggle with doing what I want and doing what I'm prompted to do. Alma...my ever constant rock, supports me through it and I quit. It's one of the hardest things I do, but I'm assured it is the right thing to do.
Oliver had his tonsils out this year.
We are still driving a minivan (hmmmmm).
We take our first "long" roadtrip with the kids the California. They do well.
Our dates now consist of things like going to dinner and run errands without the kids, or the occasional movie. Mostly, we just enjoy spending time together, away or at home.

As I kissed my honey goodbye on my way to work tonight, it hit me how truly lucky I am to have him.
A lot has happened in the last 8 years. I can only imagine what the future holds.
I do know that I love my husband more now than I did 8 years ago. He is my rock. My best friend. My personal space heater during those cold winter months. He laughs at my stupid jokes and endures my stubbornness.

Happy 8 years sweetie

2003: Young and Naive

2011: Older...still naive...but laughing all the way