10 YEARS!!

So Dan and I have now been married for 10 whole years! And I still think he's the best thing since chocolate.

I fell in love with Dan absolutely and completely over ten years ago, on a day both marvelous and troublesome. I had spent the entire day with Dan, from a 9am softball game to biking up to Bridal Veil Falls to ice cream shakes at the Malt Shoppe, to watching Singin' in the Rain, to learning that my sister-in-law tried to kill herself. Probably such lengthy proximity would have naturally produced a great deal of affection for him. But dealing with a scary thing like death and wondering about my sister-in-law (with whom I was pretty close at the time), led to some intense discussions. And during this experience, Dan offered an excellent and sympathetic understanding and a compassionate listening ear, plus he taught me something about the gospel of Jesus Christ I had never understood before. It was inevitable that I should fall rather hopelessly in love with him. But I certainly never believed I would marry him! Especially since he was dating someone else at the time.

These have been some pretty awesome years. I love having all this history together - celebrating holidays together, having adventures together, enduring the rough times together, laughing together, and just living together. Dan really is absolutely amazing and wonderful in every way. I'm not saying he's perfect - I mean he does have one or two flaws. But they are so far eclipsed by his good traits as to be practically negligible. He listens rather patiently to my angry tirades. He holds me when I cry (and doesn't tell me it makes me ugly, which it does). He helps me match my clothes if I ask. He takes such good care of me when I'm sick. He has weathered many an emotional and hormonal storm perpetrated by me. He really does listen when I talk about things about which I'm sure he has no interest at all (I know because at odd times he has repeated back things I've rambled about). He makes me laugh. He has never made me feel at fault for our childlessness - even though the problem is my body. And he is so cute and excited to finally be a father! He has been so considerate and helpful and supportive and grateful about our pregnancy. And best of all, no matter how awful my day is, I know at the end of it, he will be there and love me and listen. And so, although these have been absolutely amazing years, I'm sure the best is yet to come.

Here are a few of my favorite pics of Dan.

Doesn't he look rugged?




He cleans up pretty good too.


He's always been a little dramatic. But that's half the fun!

This is Dan smirking to himself after laying in wait and dumping a bucket of water on a water-gun wielding 12-yr-old cousin-nephew.

I just think he's awfully good-looking in uniform. And of course, the gun is a great accessory.