8 years.

 Justin and I celebrated our 8th anniversary on Monday! I feel as if that deserves a dozen exclamation points- 8 years feels great and big. Two kids into marriage feels big! Being married into our 30's (we were both 22 when we got married) seems big!

  We had the most fun celebrating this year. It was my favorite anniversary to date. We booked an evening boat rental from a local marina, Justin surprised me with some charcuterie and a great bottle of wine, and we just spent two hours on the lake together. I felt like a mini vacation in the middle of the week and sort of like a little luxury! Why haven't we done this before??

  8 years into marriage has taught me about the joy of living past the honeymoon phase. These are the good years- where we both know and feel as if we're putting in the hard work. Ever since Tyler was born, we've both re-resolved to our commitment to building a firm foundation. So that, when our kids are grown and out of the house, we don't look at each other and feel like strangers. Its some of the absolute best advice we've been given and it definitely takes work.

  Our resolve for year 9 is to really, truly make time for the two of us on our regular basis. We have a plan with our neighborhood babysitter (we love you, Josie!) for monthly date nights and just knowing that in 4 weeks we'll have a day to ourselves again is amazing! It will surely cost us money and planning and time. But man, what a difference 5 uninterrupted hours with my husband does for my heart!

  On a bigger scale, we're dreaming and starting to budget for a fun 10th anniversary trip in two year. Having something big to look forward to is a ton of fun. And if there is anything worth celebrating, it is definitely our commitment to each other!

Things I love about Justin (and our marriage) at 8 years:
- his humility when it comes to his relationship with Jesus
- his undeniable sense of humor and ability to make just about anyone laugh
- our unintentional habit of always going to bed at the same time and talking before we fall asleep
- how, at the end of the day, we still always want to be together
- our big dreams for adventure and fun together
- our shared loved for sweets and family donut traditions
- his selfless desire to provide for our family
- how, despite himself, he absolutely loves being a dad to toddlers
- despite my hesitant and cautious tendencies, he initiates the best and most fun adventures for us

6.

  Time can change so much. Our marriage is evidence of that. We are so different than the 22 year olds at that wedding 6 years ago, together and individually. We've moved and traveled and completed a new degree and started professional jobs. We've built a home, the same home we would lose one baby in, try a long time for another, bring Caleb home from the hospital to, and now, we're dreaming of another new life coming into soon. We've fought and made up and learned to communicate better. We've grown up over the last 6 years. 
  Marriage is hard in the best ways. Isn't that true with all the best things? There no fun or growth or change if we never face challenges. We can't live forever on the peaks, or in the valleys even. It's somewhere in between that we've found our sweet spot. It's an adventure, but also full of really routine and simple things. I'm so thankful I get to do the hard, easy, boring, simple, exciting, big and little things with you, Justin. Here's to year 7!