Sweet Memories...Round 6

Over the last few Fridays, I've been reminiscing about some of my favorite memories from the almost ten years of marriage we have shared. Today's recap begins with our fifth anniversary trip and carries on through the year that followed. There were some super sweet memories tucked in this year and also some very hard ones. My favorite thing about being married to Ryan is that regardless of whether the moment is a hard one or a fun one, it's a great one because it's spent with him. Doing this life TOGETHER with him is the very best.  

Month 61: Friendtastic Fifth Anniversary

I know that ALL our trips are my favorite, and this one was no exception. This was the month we celebrated our fifth anniversary, and we did so by taking a really long and fun trip that included meeting up with a bunch of friends along the way! We drove back to Florida (where we saw my college roommate and Ryan's high school wrestling coach) and then we came up through South Carolina, where we saw one of my former coworkers, and North Carolina, where we saw some friends. This trip was FULL of fun adventures: lunch cruise, kayaking, our first visit to Duck Donuts, seeing Mayberry, and visiting the Biltmore in the snow! So many great memories on this trip! And what a way to kick off our second five years of marriage!

Month 62: Ski Slopes!

This was the month that started a tradition that kept going for a few years! Ryan and his friend Shawn decided to go skiing, and I tagged along because that is how Ryan and I do life. I sat in the lodge all day and watched their gear (and wrote) while they hit the slopes. They had the best time, and I enjoyed my day until evening when the youth groups seemed to multiply and none of them had any concept of personal space. I ended up getting really, really sick from the germ fest of the lodge. (Last bout of the flu I've had!) But it was still a fun day and the closest thing to skiing I'll ever do!

Month 63: Speaking Together

One of my favorite things from this month was that Ryan and I were invited to speak at a Valentine's banquet for his uncle's church. This was the first time we ever tried speaking TOGETHER, and we loved it. We had no idea we would get to do it several more times in the foreseeable future. Want to know a few more fun foreshadowing facts? Our friends Jonathan and Julie came to hear us - and now we go to their church. And the place where we spoke is now in the same county where Ryan works. We had no clue that in just a few years, we would live right here in this community! Aren't God's stories the BEST????

Month 64: Serving Together

We served together at a couple of women's retreats during this month - and one of them was over in Ohio. It was held in a hotel, so it was like a mini-vacation for us! It was one of the biggest retreats I've ever served, and Ryan debuted as a game show host during this adventure. We had so much fun! (He commented once that this was one of his favorite places we ever stayed for speaking.) Also - three cheers for still fitting into your show choir clothes, Ryan!

Month 65: All the Routine

When I looked back over this month, I saw how beautifully ordinary it was. We haven't had a ton of months like that in our marriage, so whenever they pop up, I appreciate them a little extra. (I had no idea that behind all the beautifully ordinary, Ryan was planning the surprise party of a lifetime!) And here I thought we were going through a boring phase! :) 

Month 66: Turning 40 in Style!

This was a BIG month! Ryan threw me that magnificent Beauty and the Beast themed surprise party, which was one of the greatest surprises and joys of my entire life. And then I celebrated my actual birthday, which he also made very special. (We did a scavenger hunt all day and it was so fun!) And then our annual birthday trip took us to southern Indiana, where we hiked in a state park and saw all kinds of fun things! I loved this month so much. 

Month 67: Kidney Walk!

We have done lots of unique things in our marriage, and this month held one of them. We participated in a kidney walk to support our friend Pat, who has had not one, but two kidney transplants in his life. We raised funds, but we also participated in the actual walk. It was in Indianapolis, and a whole group of us walked. We had the greatest time! I'm so glad we did this! 

Month 68: Patriotic Program!

This month brought about something new for us that ended up becoming a sweet tradition for a few years! We had finally found a church home in Kokomo, and they did big musical programs twice a year: a patriotic one in the summer, and a Christmas one in December. This was the year we participated in that for the first time! Ryan sang in the choir, and I served as a narrator. We loved getting to be in something together, even if our gifts were different!

Month 69: Vacations and Babies!

During this month, we had a whole bunch of firsts! We stayed in our first Airbnb and completely fell in love with using those instead of hotels when we traveled. We made our way out west, stopping to visit Lincoln's grave in Illinois, Kansas City's downtown area, Schlitterbahn Water Park, our entire wedding party (who all lived in Joplin, Missouri, at the time) and last but not least: my family! We had a brand new great-niece to meet, and it was so wonderful to spend time with her and everyone in the Kansas crew!

Month 70: Leadership Encounter Speakers

Remember how the year started with us speaking together for the first time? It escalated quickly! At the end of the year, we were the keynote speakers at our church's annual Leadership Encounter. We shared multiple times in the weekend-long event, and I think this is still my favorite event we've done together! The church did an amazing job of putting on this event, and it was an honor to speak!

Month 71: Facing Hard

This was the month in which our lives took a turn we didn't expect, and even though it would certainly be unfair to say that all of life has been hard since this moment, it would be fair to say that life turned a corner in month 71. In some ways, we feel like we are still in a version of the hard that started here. This was the month we learned that Ryan's mom had a brain tumor. The diagnosis and surgery happened back-to-back right in this month. The picture above was taken just a couple of days after the diagnosis and just a couple of days before the surgery. She was so sad and scared this night. (It was Ryan's sister's surprise birthday party for her 40th.) 

Month 72: Connecting

In our final month of this year of marriage, Ryan's mom came to live with us for a couple of weeks, and we learned I am a terrible nurse. (Great intentions, but terrible skills.) We also had to face hard realities about the truth of her future. As we grappled with all of that, we tried so hard to nurture our own relationship. This picture was taken on one of our impromptu dates to the Christkindlmarkt in Carmel! It was such a fun day and so needed!