10 Years Happy

Because this year's anniversary was such a huge milestone for us, we had been talking about how to celebrate for months. As often seems to happen, our activities had to revolve around a commitment. But we made our plans, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. And thanks to my sweet sister and her family, Eric and I had a whole day all to ourselves.

We left on our journey to Columbus and stopped at Mohican State Park to go hiking. The weather was beautiful, and even though we got more than our fair share of whining--and we were both holding at least one child the whole way--it was fun. :)

The only thing we could say to keep the kids putting one foot in front of the other was that we were going straight to the Velvet Ice Cream Factory once the hike was done. I tried to get the girls thinking of flavors they could try and what they would order once we got there. We ended up with a pint of Buckeye, then some Salted Caramel and Golden Cookies and Cream.

We loved the time on the playground, and chasing the ducks, before we had to drive the rest of the way to Columbus.

The next day Eric and I headed out early to start our day at the temple with the youth in our ward.

We left the temple and headed to La Chatelaine for French pastries for breakfast. Our hope when we were first married was that we would make it back to France for our 10th anniversary. This was as close as we could get!

We spent the rest of the day shopping--not all the stores we went to were for me, but I really did need to find some new clothes since none of mine fit me anymore! Eric was very patient and sweet. We made sure we had more good food to look forward to: we ate at Northstar Cafe for lunch and were sure to get a chocolate truffle cookie to share, just to round out the morning's pastries. :)

We didn't take any photos in the afternoon, but before we went back to my sister's, we took a walk at a small park and had the chance to talk a little more.

It was a great day together and such a treat to have a long stretch of time that we didn't have to worry about the kids. 

Reflecting on these last 10 years, I'm just so glad Eric chose me, and that I chose him.

He teaches me every day about selfless service, hard work, and diligence. He's the kind of husband that would rather be at home with his wife than go to fancy work get-togethers. He's the guy who brings his treat home from the office potluck so his wife doesn't ever feel left out. And if his wife has had a bad day, he finds some key lime pie left in the faculty lounge to bring home to her, and then takes the kids off her hands and plays with them until everyone is happy again. (True story!) He sends me little love note texts when I'm away, and he never makes me feel guilty if I'm out doing something for myself. He encourages and inspires me, and then cheers me on when I'm in action. He is incredibly supportive of my responsibilities, whether it's just at home, or at church, and makes every effort to help me in any way he can.

That is the man I married.

It's been a wonderful 10 years. I'm so excited to keep counting up the years as time goes by.