Lucky Number Seven

    I am sure that anyone who has been married will agree with me when I say that marriage is truly a full time job!  In fact, marriage is a lot like laundry in the sense that it is ALWAYS a work in progress.....just when you think you are done, another pile seems to appear out of nowhere!  All joking aside, over the years I have learned more and more that marriage truly is a lot of work for both parties involved; marriage requires patience, respect, love, friendship, compromise, and determination in order to keep the dirty laundry from piling up too high.

    June 4th, 2011 marked Seth and my seventh wedding anniversary and although many times it feels like it was just yesterday that we walked down the isle, other times I honestly can't believe all that we have accomplished, overcome, learned and celebrated in just seven years of marriage!  Seth is truly my best friend and as I learn to accept that we will always be a work in progress, I am content in knowing that there is no one else that I would rather laugh with, cry with, spend time with, miss, or make future plans with. 

  This year Seth and I decided to forgo our usual sushi and drinks date night for a two night backpacking trip into the Lost Creek Wilderness Area.  This was the first backpacking trip for both of us and one that we had hoped to do for quite some time.  The hike itself was listed as moderate, but the added weight of our packs was the real challenge!  Despite a lot of sweat and a few blisters, we made it in safely and set up camp alongside the river.  We spent two amazing nights without distractions and I have never felt so accomplished, relaxed, and comfortable in silence....... it really was the perfect date for lucky number 7!

  Seth and I did not start our life together in the most traditional way, but our story together has become our own personal fairy tale.  Hanging on my sister's wall in high school was one of her favorite quotes, "You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather".  This is for my four closest friends who have inspired me to believe that we should all embrace our own personal fairy tale for all that it is:  To Katie, who prepares to marry her best friend, I truly admire your love for one another and your determination to be true to yourselves.  To Kristi, who's father is currently fighting cancer, you are much stronger woman than you even realize and I love you more and more everyday!  To Courtney, who gave birth to her first child at 25 weeks, you strength and unwavering love for life is inspiring to say the least.  I love you all and admire you each for the strong women and wives that you are.  And finally, to Seth who reminds me daily that the most important thing is to be true to myself and in the end, what more could I ask for in a soul mate?

Where does the time go??

Well, it has only been about eight months since I last blogged and it probably appeared as though I had moved on from the blogging world.

Things around here have been far from dull and since my last post was about our trip to the pumpkin farm, I feel the need to give a quick re-cap of what has somehow flown by between then and now. So, here it goes......

For the third year in a row, Blake stuck with the Star Wars themed Halloween costume, this year was the Clone Trooper. Alyssa chose a fashionable Hello Kitty Witch, which she pulled off flawlessly, and Jacob went with an adorable motorcycle cop.

Shortly after Halloween, Blake took part in the St, Vrain Valley School Districts' Invention Convention where Blake designed and built a new composting bin in order to make his chore of taking out the compost less frequent and less smelly. He did a wonderful job and we have been using the new and improved bin in our kitchen ever since!

Thanksgiving seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye and with finals quickly approaching, it also meant that our countdown to Mexico had officially begun. Two days after my final final of the semester, we headed to the airport and embarked upon one of the greatest family vacations yet. Spending a week in Cozumel with some amazing friends was refreshing to say the least! We left the sun and returned to snowy Colorado just in time for all of the Christmas festivities.

Jacob, the true party animal that he is, rang in the new year with his third birthday! He went with a dump truck theme and our gift to him was a trip to the Children's Museum in Denver for pajama night.

After a month of vacations, celebrations, and some lazy days in between, it was time to face reality; the kids headed back to school and I embarked upon another semester. During this very busy four months we also squeezed in Alyssa's sixth birthday with a ladybug themed celebration, and a Spring Break trip to the butterfly pavilion and days away in Keystone.

I was more than ready and extremely happy to finish my hardest semester yet (one more down, two to go). A few weeks later, Blake finished fourth grade and Alyssa graduated from Kindergarten!! This spring also brought some other changes our way, when Seth became the Emerson Process outside sales representative for the Western Slope of Colorado. It has been busy as he transitions into his new position, but we all seem to be adjusting well to both the uncertainties, as well as the perks, of his new job.

Well, that about does it.....it is hard to sum up eight months in a few simply paragraphs and I have undoubtedly overlooked many smiles, giggles, struggles and milestones in this overview. However, I am looking forward to all the wonderful, chaotic and priceless moments that are around every corner with three kids! Here's to finding time in between all those moments, to sit back, reflect and write about how wonderful and thankful I am for every crazy minute of our lives!