Has It Really Been That Long?

Today Peter and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary! It was five years ago on this day that we embarked on an eternally long journey together, and I can't think of another person I would want more for my traveling companion. He's funny, he's sweet, he's handsome, he's a great cook, but most of all he's my best friend. What more could a girl ask for?

Of course he's not perfect, but I'll let you in on a little secret...

I'm not either.

So, at least we're on the same level.

Now, if someone had asked me on my wedding day what I thought our lives would be like in five years, I would have surely told you that we would be done with school, have a kid or two already, and possibly be living in a house in the 'burbs somewhere. Have we managed to accomplish any of the aforementioned goals, you may ask?

Not a single one.

Apparently, things in life don't always go as planned. Shocking. I know. But you know what? I'm okay with it. Sure we don't have a house, or kids, or even our degrees (we're working on it), but we're happy. I long ago decided to stop worrying about what everyone else has and what I don't. I would be a horrible person to not realize how very blessed I am. I have a good husband who miraculously loves me despite all of my flaws and quirks (and boy am I ever quirky). I'm lucky not to have just one family I love and adore, but two! My in-laws are some of the most wonderful people I know and I'm grateful to be a part of their family. My grandmother used to say that she was the richest woman in the world because we, her children and grandchildren, were her jewels. I can't help but agree with her because I am surrounded and loved by some of the greatest "gems" in the world. My family.

Am I being too cheesy? Well, it doesn't matter. I happen to like cheese.

So, how are Peter and I planning to celebrate this milestone in our lives? Nothing, really. Turns out familiar wealth doesn't exchange favorably in today's market, i.e. we're broke. Peter's also completely swamped with school work, so even if we had the money to go on a trip somewhere, he couldn't afford to miss any classes. It's okay, though. To quote The Beatles, "All you need is love," which I have an abundance of, it seems. So, here is to another five years (or 50+, even) of marital bliss.

I don’t know what the future has in store for the two of us, but I’m excited to find out.

(Edit: Apparently stupid blogger thinks I posted this yesterday...and not this morning like I did. My anniversary is the 18th, not the 17th.)

Home Sweet Home

Peter and I finally moved back to Logan at the end of August and I can't even begin to describe how glad I am to be back! Working for the Forest Service was great, but I really did not like living in Evanston, WY. Our apartment there was a tiny rundown studio that smelled like musty old cigarette smoke, but it cost us the same amount of rent as our two bedroom in Logan and that includes cable and high-speed wireless Internet! We also slept on an air mattress for nearly four months and that gets old real quick. I almost cried with joy when I got back to Logan and saw my king sized bed waiting for me. I don't think anything short of the apocalypse would have woken us up that first night back home.

The view from my apartment in Evanston was also less than appealing. Every day I would get up and leave to go to work, only to be greeted by this when I walked out the door...

Beautiful, isn't it? It also smelled really badly, too. Most of those trailers had been condemned but people still lived in them. I just don't understand what brings a person to this point in life. Most of my neighbors also worked at the oil field and they would get home late at night and stand half naked out in front of their apartments and blast their mariachi-techno-rap music and get drunk. Needless to say, I never went anywhere without Peter as my personal bodyguard. I got hit on a time or two in the laundry room, too, by big nasty hairy men. Ick. Oh, that's also another thing I'm happy to have back...my own washer and dryer. It's so nice to not have to drag my laundry up and down three flights of stairs and pay $10.00 a week on the coin operated facilities.

So, yeah...Evanston was loads of fun.

I had a rather odd summer filled with all kinds of new experiences for me. I got to work for the Forest Service and meet all kinds of interesting people. I also gained a greater appreciation for the things I do have. Peter and I don't have much, but we have each other and we're happy. Being college students our budget can be really tight, but we know we're working towards building a better life for ourselves.

It's the little things in life that matter the most any ways, and I'm just glad I can walk outside in my own neighborhood again without fear.