Lucky 13

I've always liked this picture of Chris and me.  It was taken outside the Idaho Falls, ID Temple right after we were married thirteen years ago today.  No one had a digital camera at the time, so almost all of our pictures from that day were taken by a professional photographer and almost all of them were posed.  I'm kind of jealous of today's brides with their zillions of great candid shots that they can post all over wherever, while I have just a handful of not-so-natural-looking hard-copy photos.  But that's what I like about this picture-- even though we're getting ready to pose, the looks on our faces isn't contrived at all.  We're looking at each other and I'm laughing and we look really, naturally happy.  I love it.

Every marriage has its ups and downs, and ours is certainly no different.  We definitely have those times when we're just trying to get through, sucking it up, gritting our teeth, and forcing a smile.  We both fill a lot of different roles and sometimes it can feel like we're so caught up in making things work that we forget to enjoy it. 

But then there are moments like this one, maybe when we're getting ready to go on to the next seemingly important thing, when we have a chance to look at each other, laugh, and just be happy together.  Those little moments make everything else worth it. 

Chris is good at bringing out those happy little tidbits for me, and today I feel really lucky, and grateful, to have thirteen years worth of memories with him.  Happy Anniversary, Hunst.  I love you!

PS-- I took this picture of the boys yesterday-- so cute!