Another August Anniversary

I really wasn't trying to alliterate, but after all the anniversary posts I've seen in August, I couldn't pass up ours, even though WE forgot about it!! (We were in the middle of moving into a new apartment and dealing with a washer and dryer that we bought from craigslist that ended up having problems...) This year we celebrate the beginning of our family 6 years ago. And in the tradition of numbered favorite things, here are six of my favorite things to do with Eric:

1. Pillow talk--We're almost always too tired to do it, but the other night we were laughing so hard making silly puns from Russian and French phrases that I wish we had enough stamina to do it every night.

2. Watch new TV series on DVD--The last few months we've done "Burn Notice," "Chuck," two seasons of "Psych," and started the second season of "Pushing Daisies." It's so fun to get excited about watching our shows at night. We've NEVER followed TV shows before!

3. Nightly scripture study--We have always done it at night, because I am NOT a morning person. (Eric does his personal study in the morning.) Even though we are usually very tired when we read together, I love to discuss the gospel with him. I love rediscovering a truth and sharing views and examples from our lives that strengthen our testimonies. It is such a strength to our marriage.

4. Planning--This may seem odd, but whether it's planning a trip we want to take, planning new parenting strategies, planning our week, even planning our meals and our budget, I love working together to be the best partnership we can be. I love how Eric encourages me to be the best I can, and he shows me a great example of doing that himself. There's no motivation like the love of your spouse.

5. Listening to Harry Potter--Strange that it makes my top 6? :) Well, Eric and I have read the 5th, 6th and 7th Harry Potter books out loud to each other, because neither of us wanted to wait for the other one to finish, and because it was so fun to find out what happened together. We've also listened to the amazing recordings of all of the books over and over together.

6. Going on dates--Okay, maybe it's a no-brainer, but because Eric and I didn't really "date" before we got married (I worked at the MTC on Friday AND Saturday nights!), and after having children, dates are something very special, and sometimes rare opportunities. I love sitting down and eating a meal while it's hot with not interruptions. I love trying new things with Eric (like climbing walls). And we relish each chance we get to go to a concert and relive our newlywed days when we played in an orchestra together.

I love you so much, Eric! I hope this next year, with all the anticipated finishes, will bring all the exciting new beginnings we've been planning!



*Both of these pictures were taken by Eric's sister Sarah: top--engagement, 6/30/03; bottom--family pics, 6/25/09