Here's to you, Babe

"Once in a while,

right in the middle of ordinary life,

love gives us a fairy tale"

~  ~ ~ ~

One year ago, 

I said "I do"

 to the man who captured my heart, 

taught me to love, 

and who became my dearest friend in all the world.  

July 2, 2011, was hands down the most incredible day of my life.  It was an 80 degree, sun shining day, and every detail turned out perfectly.  Most importantly, we were surrounded by our closest friends and family, who came together to throw an event of a lifetime, and who stood by our side as we said our vows and watched as  we were pronounced husband and wife.  Haley, our amazing photographer, did a beautiful job of capturing every moment of the best day of our lives.

 Our Wedding Photos

 I feel blessed to share my life with such a hard working, gentle, and kind man. 

Nicholas, I love you with every fiber of my being. 

This first year of marriage has been so exciting.  

I feel like in many ways it's blown by faster than I ever could have imagined, 

and on the other hand it seems as if we have come so far, already.  

We have had one fun, exciting,, and unpredictable year.  

So many people told us when walking through our receiving line, "you know...the first year's the hardest".  I can understand why some may say that.  There are a great deal of sudden changes in the lives of newlyweds, from moving to a new place to sharing a bank account. It's like every week you are learning new tiny pieces of information about your spouse (or yourself) that you didn't know before.  But learning to work as a team, from house work to tackling the more important things, is such a bonding opportunity.  If the first year is the hardest, than I am in for a treat.  If not...than I am here, right beside you, through thick and thin, because there's nothing in this world that matters more to me than our marriage.

I was looking back on a diary entry that I wrote this Spring.  It was about living in Sandpoint and how life has changed so much over the course of the last year.  Here's a little glimpse in to our life:

"I love riding my bike to Traverse Park to watch my hubby's team play softball. I love sitting in front of the fire at Outback Lodge, sipping on a beer and watching the snow fall, as I sit and rest with friends after a great day of powder runs.  I love sitting on the dock out at the Beach House while warm rays freckle the small of my back, and listening to the sound of my nephew shouting with excitement as he reels in a little bass. I love bowing our heads together before meals.  I love small town hellos, and the taste of Dubs' milkshakes.  I love being welcome to dinner any time with my in-laws, whose presence in our lives is irreplaceable.  Most of all, I love the house that has become my home, and waking up, each and every day, to the incredible man I married...my best friend."

Happy One Year Anniversary, Sweetheart.  Thank you for blessing my life with your friendship and love.

~~~~

If ever two were one, then surely we. 

If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.

Anne Bradstreet