Sweet 16

16 sweet years of marriage. I have loved every one of them, although there have been ups and downs, highs and lows. Yes, I got married pretty young, but I have never regretted it for a moment. I have always just felt blessed that I found my perfect soul mate earlier rather than later, and that my life has been so wonderful with him beside me. I love that we make anniversaries a big deal and have a whole scrapbook to remember each year of our married life. This year, we just had a few days away in Bellingham, which we added on to some work Derek had to do up there. I love the years we do big trips or more exciting places, but I always realize that no matter what, it’s just great to be away and be together. This year, we fit in shopping, eating (always one of my favorite parts:)), hiking, visiting a cool church, seeing a movie (The Help, along with every senior citizen in Bellingham – it was a crazy experience!), and some total relaxation. It was a great break from the house, the kids and the rest of life.

We actually did this little trip a week before our anniversary, and I hardly got to see Derek on our actual anniversary. However, the big girls had a little surprise for us. The day before our anniversary, they made a secret collage out of old pictures I had given them for their scrapbooks or projects. They hid it under the rug and pulled it out on the morning of our anniversary, as a present to us. It was pretty cute. And pretty funny, since there was only one picture of me and Derek together, which they highlighted in the middle, along with the words, “Loves Sym and Hailey”.