Here's to 7 Years!

Today is our 7th anniversary. Holy crap! There's a part of me that thinks we can't possibly have been married for that long already, while the rest of me feels like we've already spent a lifetime together. I suppose that means we've found the balance between having fun and still living in reality. However, since we've successfully made it this far, bypassing any hint of a "7 year itch", I thought I would reflect on a few memories from each of our seven years. Some are happy, some are sad, but all have been instrumental in helping Ryan and I grow individually and together.

2003: I was a wee-young lass of 19, Ryan, 24, and the joy of kneeling across the alter to be sealed for time and all eternity is still unmatched. I was a little nervous, though, when Ryan had to struggle to get my ring on my finger...stupid boney knuckles! Our first dance as a newly married couple to Etta James' At Last (which my mom told me was an unfitting song, since I was only 19), was the cherry on top of a perfect day. We were so in love and so happy. I remember feeling like I could burst out of my skin with excitement! This truely was a celestial day.

2004: Our first anniversary. We were living in Sacramento and Ryan arranged for dinner on the Delta King. It's a large boat, docked on the Delta river. The ambiance was beautiful and romantic. Ryan planned the whole thing on his own - such a romantic! At dinner he gave me a beautiful diamond pendant in white gold. Diamonds on our first anniversary?! You can't top that!

Ryan and I decided to start trying to get pregnant. After 7 months of no luck, we gave up and decided it must not be the right time yet.

2005: We moved to Santa Clara. Though unhealthy, our favorite thing to do was to go to Denny's for a midnight snack of mozarella sticks and milk shakes!

Ryan and I decided, on our second anniversary, to resume our pregnancy quest.

2006: We purchased our first home! We ventured to Fort Collins and found a perfect fit for our little family of two. We also bought livingroom furniture and our first SUV. This was a very exciting, albeit expensive, year for us!

Still no luck getting pregnant - began infertility appointments.

2007: Miami. Ryan had to be in Florida for 2 weeks for work. We decided that was too long to be a part so we made arrangements for me to fly in for a long weekend in the middle. Between sunbathing and eating pizza in South Beach and taking a ride on an airboat through an aligator infested swamp, we had the time of our lives. This was our first vacation, just the two of us, since our honeymoon.

Newport Beach. For my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary they rented a HUGE beach house in Newport and forced everyone to go - parents, kids, grandkids, great grandkids, cousins, aunts, uncles, you name it. We were all there. And it was AWESOME! To date, this is still the most relaxing vacation Ryan and I have ever taken. Every day we'd wake up, eat and go to the beach. Like I said...awesome.

Still no luck getting pregnant. So far, all infertility tests say we're perfectly normal an healthy. ARGGG!!!!

2008: Clomid. I was crazy because of that stupid fertility drug. It was supposed to make me hyper-ovulate, instead it made me hyper-hungry, hyper-sensitive, and hyper-moody. After losing 6 months of sanity, gaining 10lbs, and still no baby, I cried a lot.

2009: Acupuncture. With renewed hope and enthusiasm I decided to venture into the world of natural remedies for infertility issues. The acupuncture was great but unsuccessful. After 3 months of weekly treatment, our HSA money ran out and we were left again to our own devices.

Juxtaposing eternal life, and death. On the same day that Ryan and I had the honor of being escorts for our friends' going through the temple for their endowments and sealing, we received a phone call that Ryan's brother, Matt, had taken his own life. There we were on temple grounds, experiencing the joy of watching a marriage become eternal and the pain of a life cut short. Luckily, since we were in town for the sealing, we were able to jump in the rental car & make it to Ryan's parents' house in 90 minutes flat. The buriel and memorial service were held the next week. Never before had we been so grateful for the plan of salvation - the plan of happiness. The plan that sealed our two friends together would also seal Ryan's brother to his family for eternity.

Between the continued failure to create life and Matt's unexpected death, I cried a lot this year, too.

2010: The DR. We decided it was high time to visit Ryan's parents who were serving a mission in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. I experienced a lot of firsts: my first stamp in my first passport, my first time leaving the country, my first time exchanging money, my first time snorkeling, my first time whale watching. It was amazing! The whole thing! It was exciting, educational, exhausting and exhilarating. We ate delicious food, enjoyed several beautiful beaches and drove around the country like nobody's business! If Ryan weren't fluent in Spanish, though, I think we'd still be driving around completely lost and frusterated, as street signs are not a priority.

The basement. As soon as we got home from the DR we started the design and construction in our basement. Talk about not knowing what we were getting ourselves into! We were blessed to have lots of help from lots of people, especially my dad. Ryan and I both picked up a few new skills and still marvel at what we've accomplished.

Adoption. NO MORE INFERTILITY TREATMENT!We're done. We're through. We're adopting. We're half-way through the process, and with any luck, we'll have our prayers answered soon. Some day we may venture back into the world of assisted conception, but for now we know that adoption is exactly the right thing for us to do.

Today: Looking back I've decided that when you can count more happy moments than sad moments, and more blessings than trials, life is good. We have had a blast these past seven years and look forward to many more anniversaries, more ups and downs, and more events that will continue to shape our life together.