10 Years!!!

We are getting ready to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.  I can not believe we have been married 10 years already!  Where has the time gone?  We have had such a fun life together.  I am looking forward to all the many years to come:)  I thought it would be fun to go back and reminisce about some  of the fun times we have had.

These will be in as much order as I can remember.

This was the first day we met, on a trip to Busch Gardens.  He was new to the group, and kind of got "stuck" with my friends and I (the three below us all went to college with me, I invited them along, not knowing I would meet my future my husband- one even asked me the next week to get Jeremy's number for her....I told her I would get his number...but I wasn't going to give it to her, hahaha)

 A month or so later, we went on a Whitewater rafting/camping trip with the college group.  None of those pictures are digital, I'll have to work on that.  But, we became solid friends on that trip.  I really, really enjoyed Jeremy's company.  We sat in the back of the van most of the trip talking and listening to music.  Good memories:)

While still just friends, I tagged along on a trip to West Palm Beach with Jeremy, Bryan, and a bunch of girls : /.  We ended up finding out about a protest happening because of the George W. Bush/Al Gore election fiasco.  Of course, we all bought  poster boards and went down to protest too (not sure we really even understood the issues, but it was a memory).

Then, I went away for a summer.  Spent three months in Russia, and when I got home, Jeremy was one of the first people to call me.  He wanted to hear about my trip and said he had been praying for me.  Our friendship rekindled.  He got me a job as a Secretary at his dad's business, and we started hanging out even more.  I started hanging around his softball games in the evenings, and things sort of progressed from there :)

He "asked me out" at a Florida Everblades hockey game.  He put up on the jumbo tron "Michele, will you go out with me?  -Jeremy".  He kept telling me to look up at the jumbotron, afraid I would miss his question:)

Our second date was to The Olive Garden (where an ex-girlfriend waiting on us, hahaha....it truly IS a funny memory for me, and a bit awkward), and then ice skating.  From then on...we were pretty inseparable.

We had fun riding around in his "suped up" Honda Civic  We went to "car shows" to show off his sound system, attended a horrible concert, worked on school projects (one project, it was like playing Where's Waldo because he would place himself in every picture I had to take:)  We enjoyed going to the beach and talking on the pier, at the time he would drink these nasty energy drinks to stay up with night owl girlfriend:)  I got to know his family, and he got to know mine:)  We had a fun friendship and dating experience.

I went away to Russia again, this time only for 10 days or so.  While I was gone, he asked permission to marry me, and then his planning began (my dad said yes by the way ;).  He spent the next several months coming up with The Ultimate Proposal.

I graduated college in the beginning of May, 2003.  He made a big deal about it, and bought me a new outfit and everything.  After having lunch with our families, he gave me a note to meet him later that evening at our "special spot".  I showed up, on time of course, at the beach and found a row of rose petals leading up to a table, dressed in "his mama's fine china", with delicious food from Carrabas, soft music and candles.  Silly me, still, honestly thought he was celebrating my graduation day.

We ate dinner, took a brief walk, and then sat down by some rocks.  He had planted a bottle there with a note it.  I found the bottle, and opened the note.  Of course, at that moment he proposed and I said, "Are you kidding me?"  He shook his head no....and I quickly said, "YES!".

We bought a house in July and spent a couple of months fixing it up before moving in after we got married:)

Married in October

, and had a fun, eventful honeymoon in Puerto Rico.  We went to a rainforest, to the caves, down some scary allys in San Juan, and I was even thrown off a wave runner by my new husband:)  It was perfect!

A month after we got married, I noticed that our carpet was soaking wet in our dining room, which shared a wall with the shower.  Yep...our first major home improvement project.   9 months later, we had a beautiful new bathroom.  Lots was learned about each other on that project...I am thankful for it.

We also bought a jeep, adopted our sweet dog Goldie.

We went to New York City for the Fourth of July, and later to Calcutta, India on a missions trip.

Our trip to India together (Jeremy had been three times before)

Where is Waldo, I mean, Jeremy?

Rickshaw!

We spent two years enjoying one another's company.

We weather hurricanes,

cruise ships,

Jeep trails,

more home improvement projects,

and just generally had fun together.

Then, along came the babies :)

We have three beautiful, sweet children, and two who were miscarried.  Through the many tears, much joy has been found!  We have gone on trips, made silly faces and lots of memories....

Nicole used to eat her feet.

Mommy and Nicole

Daddy, letting Nicole feel the Gulf for the first time.

Pretty sure Daddy did this to her!

Nicole, our "special" child:)  We loved those goggles

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Our first real family portrait

Nicole and Jeremy meet George Foreman

Always a fun daddy....

Even in the "pink hat" group...

Teaching his little girl how to catch snowflakes on her tongue.

Warming ourselves by the fire.

Hannah girl, about 20 weeks

And...there she is!  Jeremy stood (or laid) by my side (eating icecream ;) through a long, natural labor:)  He's a keeper!

Happy Hannah!

On our FREEZING walk to Dunkin Donuts

It's Super Hannah- Jeremy being creative!

And...here is Nate- Jeremy cutting the cord.

Always a fun daddy

Christmas prank

My favorite family picture

Nicole, in my wedding gown

The two sillies

 Family trip to Canada

Still loving on one another:)

More kisses.

Daddy/Daughter date night

 Our trip alone to Colorado.

My first snow man!

Keeping it real...keepin it fresh!

He never changes

Our sweet girls

A first dinner in our new home.

More home improvement

 Trip to Tennessee and Kentucky

Always together

There is a popular quote by Martin Luther...
"Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let the him make her sad to see him leave."  I think that summarizes our marriage in a nutshell.  Thank you Lord for a wonderful 10 years...I pray you would give us 60 more:)