Five Years of Lovin'

It's hard to believe that Eric and I have been married for five years! Honestly, its feels longer than that, but in a good way.

Originally, we were going to celebrate by going back to Jamaica or head off to the Cayman Islands, but having Ariel post phoned our plans for a few more years. While it would have been nice to sit on the beach with an ice cold beverage, what better way to celebrate our love than with our precious angel?

On the fourth, our actual anniversary, I made a sizzling citrus shrimp with angel hair pasta, crusty bread and garden salad. Since I can drink again, Eric and I are getting reacquainted with our wine. For the occasion, we chose a chenin blanc from Africa. It claimed to have hints of peaches and pineapples, but we found it quite nasty. It could have been that it was dry or that it just wasn't that good. Anyway, it made a great de-glazing sauce when I used it a few days later.

Anniversary weekend, Eric's parents were on babysitting duty, so we ventured out to Dave and Buster' s where we feasted on a late lunch riddled with calories (you know calories don't count on birthdays and anniversaries). We tried burning off some of lunch by playing a bunch of games. Nothing really burns calories like good old fashioned competition, or in our case, Dance, Dance Revolution (we suck by the way). To finish off our calorie splurge, we went to Baskin Robins to seal the deal. We were only away from the house for about four hours. We easily could have been gone a lot longer. Its amazing how fast time flies. We really enjoyed our "adult" time together. Date nights are few and far in between. Here's to many more wonderful years.

20042009

Love in the Rose Garden

Friday night, we witnessed the marriage of Cheryl and Shane. It was held outdoors in a lovely rose garden under a gazebo. The lighting was just right for some fabulous pics and a beautiful ceremony. There were about 150 people who came from all over to attend this event. It's funny because even though we live close to Eric's family in Colorado, it took a wedding in Oregon for us to finally get together.

Ariel had been such a trooper, putting up with her her parents carting her all over creation. However, this night, she had had enough. Right around dinner time, as she was falling asleep, the loud welcome of the wedding party startled her. The ruckus upset Ariel and we spent the next hour or so, trying to calm her down. This isn't the first time Eric and I have eaten a cold diner and I'm sure it won't be the last. The entire situation was a little embarrassing because I felt like we were disturbing the other guests. Plus, with everyone wanting to "help", I felt as is they were telling me that I wasn't handling my child right. Believe me. I think I know what I'm doing. But once Ariel finally crashed, she slept through the reception (especially the loud music). She was very tired.

wedding partyAriel and cousin Emily

Eric and I made sure we danced as long as we could. We needed the adult time for sure. The next day, Shane's parents hosted a brunch and we were able to spend some time with the bride and groom. Congratulations to Cheryl and Shane, may your lives always be blessed!

Ariel with cousin Cheryl (bride)

Four Years and Counting . . .

In celebration of our four year anniversary on Thursday, September 4th, I have arranged this music video about our honeymoons (yes, that's two) to Jamaica. Thank you all for your support over the years and we hope you enjoy our vacation in paradise. You will be jamming to UB40's "Looking in Your Big Brown Eyes." Here's to many more anniversaries to come!