Four Year Anniversary

Four years...

the amount of time you spend in high school...

the typical length of study to earn a bachelor's degree...

the number of years in a president's term...

four years can fly by so fast.  And that's exactly what happened!  I can't believe Phil and I have now been married four years.  A lot has happened since we said our "I-dos" and believe you me, we are happier now than we ever imagined. 

I remember the day well, and of course--like many important events in my life--I record everything I can while it's still fresh in my mind for future years when my memory is shot.  I know I'm already getting "Mom Brain" so if I don't "write it down," it gets swallowed up in the black hole of forgetfulness.  Lots of things reside there, trust me. 

Something else I did to keep the day alive was to not put away all of the little mementos from our wedding day celebration (I know, I'm a hopeless romantic).  Sure, I've got pictures that are collecting dust, and cards tucked away somewhere that I have no earthly idea where.  But there are a few things that are always around me, in plain sight, so that I am constantly reminded of the special people and gifts I've been given.

 

 

Our unity candle

The funny thing about this--I can remember during the ceremony, Phil and I had to try SEVERAL times to get the thing lit. We kept pulling our starter candles away thinking it was lit, but we had to do this like 7 or 8 times, while the pianist just kept on playing...I keep this up on our mantle because it reminds me to keep things "light" (pardon the pun), maintain a sense of humor, and laugh! We do laugh a lot around here.

 

Guest book pen

The first thing that people did before they came into our reception room was sign our guest book.  I love this pen simply because everyone who was there used it.  We had such an awesome time!

 

My bouquet

Though I never got this professionally preserved, the flowers dried so nicely and I just never had the heart to get rid of it. My Grandma wanted me to have Stephanotis in my bouquet because they symbolize happiness in marriage. The florist could not get any real ones, so we substituted with silk. I'm really happy we did. They were the only artificial flowers in the bouquet, so while all the other flowers have long since died, these are timeless.

 

Our photo wall

Of course, every day I wake up and walk down the hall, I have to pass this. All of my friends and family smiling here remind me that we all had such a wonderful weekend. It meant so much that people came from far away to be with us.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful, loving, hard-working, and thoughtful husband.  Thank you for keeping our family going!  You are a super hubby and a terrific father, and I would never want to know what life would be like without you in each day.  We all love you so much.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox