Lucky 13! Celebrating one of the best decisions I ever made...

Today is Jeff and my 13th wedding anniversary. So in honor of this momentous occasion I decided to make a list of my Top 13 memories of our last 13 years together as a married couple.

1. Our first house in Cedar City, Utah... (well, the basement of a house that is). It was a tiny little one bedroom place with no heat so when it got really cold during the winter, we'd turn the oven up to like 500 degrees and open it up to let all the heat warm the place. When I think back to that time I think of cable movies, cookie dough and unlimited free time together! We were so poor but we were living on love!

2. The $700+ phone bill from when I was in Europe with my study abroad and Jeff was in the U.S. supporting my adventure. We missed each other terribly the entire time! We were so crazy for each other that we couldn't stand not being together 100% of the time. So we talked on the phone every chance we got and wound up paying the price with a huge phone bill when I returned home. But we thought it was money well spent!

3. Valentine's Day when we were living at the University of Utah. Jeff wanted to do something really special for me so he made reservations at what he thought would be a romantic place, then we both got all dressed up and set off for a nice evening. But when we arrived at the place, they sat us at a table with 12 other strangers dressed in ski clothes and we felt WAY out of place. So we decided to leave and go somewhere else, but we couldn't find anywhere nice that would let us in without reservations, so we ended up going to Jamba Juice for a smoothie and then went home. It's one reason why now we don't make a big deal of Valentine's Day. We just tell each other how much we love each other everyday!

4. Seeing Jeff again for the first time after 9 weeks of basic military training and not being able to recognize him! (Even his mom took a photo of the wrong guy!) I wrapped my arms around his skinny little body and never wanted to let go! We spent our whole 2 day visiting period together snuggling in our hotel room, not wanting to do anything but hold each other and be together.

5. Driving from Mississippi to Utah in our little white Dodge Shadow and getting a flat tire, running out of gas (having to push the car to the nearest gas station and having it be closed!), getting a speeding ticket, and still having the best time ever traveling across the country together! Somedays I long for the freedom we had back then.

6. Packing up the picnic basket and bringing dinner to Jeff at work at the RAPCON in Valdosta, Georgia. He worked nights and I worked days so it was our quality time together each day. I'd load up entire meals and tote them up to his work every night so we could sit and eat together in the break room and watch Jeopardy. Those were good times!

7. Working diligently together to overcome my infertility. Jeff would lay by my side with his legs up in the air along with me as a sign of his support (if that doesn't make sense to you, don't worry, it makes perfect sense to us). It was a dark and depressing time for me but Jeff was literally there by my side through it all!

8. Seeing Jeff transform from the coolest uncle ever, into the best father ever!! I used to love to just watch Jeff make Drew laugh when he was a baby... and simple things like watching him and the boys build Lego creations together always makes me smile. Our boys see him as a hero and they want to be with him and be like him in every way. There is something so attractive about watching him in his role of father. I am so proud of him!

9. I have countless memories of us sitting down together to make plans and set goals together -- meal plans, vacation plans, budget plans, etc. We debate (let's be honest here... we argue) and we don't always agree with each other, but we support and understand each other and always find a compromise. I love that we have a shared vision of the future.

10. The year he gave me the exact same anniversary card as he did the year before... the EXACT SAME ONE! He didn't do it on purpose, and we didn't notice it at first, but when I went to put it away in my box journal, the card from the year before was on top and that's when I realized it was the SAME card! We laughed and laughed! It's funny because there are only so many ways (or cards) to express your love and affection for each other, and in the period of a lifetime, the chances of repeating the same card are probably pretty huge! So now at every card giving occasion, I'm always wondering if it will be a repeat again or if someone figured out an even more creative way to say "I love you!"

11. Marriage counseling... I will always remember it because it reminds me that Jeff has never and will never give up on me. He has always been willing to do whatever it takes to keep our relationship happy and alive. Over the years, we've experienced a roller-coaster of experiences and emotions and yet through it all I know that Jeff is my very best friend and he always will be!

12. All the times he has allowed me to dress him up... from Captain Hook, to a Jedi Knight, to a hill billy in a cotton field, to a white trash rocker... so many costumes! So many fun memories! Most guys would say "hell no!" to dressing up, but Jeff just goes along and fakes a smile. I know it's not his favorite thing to do, but he knows I love to dress up, so he supports me (and now the boys love it almost more than I do so Jeff's in for a lifetime of dressing up).

13. I think my favorite memory of the last 13 years is more of a constant FEELING... Looking back, I have always felt loved by Jeff and that is my most favorite memory because that is my most favorite feeling. He's always been there for me, always been on my side, always supported me and encouraged me to follow my dreams. I feel safe and loved and blessed with Jeff.
So happy anniversary to my wonderful and amazing husband! 13 years may seem like a long time, but we're just getting started!! Here's to our future together... still living on love!!!