1994 - We had a whirlwind romance filled with country dancing, Outback Steakhouse dinners and lots of heart flutters! Matt proposed to me in September, blindfolding me and taking me up to Mt. Charleston, where he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. We were young and not looking to find our soulmate, but when you do, you grab on and don't let go.
Our engagement photo - the photographer said we looked alike - said that was good luck, that we'd have beautiful children......he was right......
1995 - Everyone said it was a hot night - that it was 113 degrees out. I didn't feel it - I was so happy and in love. It was a magical night and a beautiful setting. I don't remember eating, I barely remember cutting the cake or dancing. I do remember how very happy I was - how excited I was to be spending the rest of my life with Matt.
1996 - We had moved to Springfield, Illinois and I had started at UIS. We both worked minimum wages jobs and lived in a tiny (300 square feet) apartment. I remember a "splurge" was getting pizza and renting a movie. We were broke, but we were finding our way.
1997 - More years of hard work - at this point we were both working multiple jobs and going to school. I was a phlebotomist at a hospital (4:30 am -yikes) and a waitress at a steakhouse. Matt was a loss prevention specialist at Lowe's- catching the bad guys - and looking to become a police officer. We took one vacation out to Vegas to go to our friend's wedding, but for the most part - we dug down and worked.
1998 - We experienced a big change this year, I graduated with my BA in Science and we moved to Dallas to find jobs. By the end of the year, we were living in an apartment, had bought our first new car (a green Ford Explorer) and I had been hired on with Parke-Davis (which later became Pfizer) as a pharmaceutical rep. We began attending church and had made some great friends.
1999 - We fully entrenched ourselves and became Dallasites. We attended Dallas Stars games, had fun with good friends, and worked hard.
2000 - Another year of hard work, we bought a house, and got our first dog, Oz. We traveled a bit, spending weekends at the lake and heading out to Colorado with family.
2001 - God blessed us with a baby girl......Morganne Elisabeth was an absolute joy (she still is). It was such an incredible change for us to become parents - it was so heartwarming for me to see Matt become a father - to see the tenderness he had for his little girl. This was such a wonderful year - we focused fully on our little girl - the world revolved around her.
2002 - Our blue-eyed, curly-haired little girl became a big sister, as Jack David joined us in October. That summer, we moved into a bigger home and met some incredible friends. I remember this year as being a tired momma, but so incredibly happy to have 2 fun & healthy children.
2003 - A year filled with diaper changes, running around after toddling children, and seeing the world through their eyes. We went to children's parades, sang nursery rhymes, and played outside in the sandbox. Every experience, no matter how mundane, was fun because we were enjoying it as new parents. Late in the year, we were able to escape and go on a Caribbean Cruise - a wonderful vacation and a chance to enjoy each other's company.
2004 - The Wiggles, My Little Pony, Thomas the Train, chicken nuggets, potty training, wagon rides, train rides (including an Amtrak one!), and more.....we were full-blown parents and life flew by in a blur. Between working full-time and parenting full-time, we barely had time for each other. It was a season of our lives that we both can look back fondly upon.
2005 - We celebrated our 10 year anniversary in the Big Apple - a long stroll in Central Park, a climb to the top of the Empire State Building, a visit to the Museum of Modern Art and a play - can't remember the name..... - it was a fun trip. We stayed in Times Square and the staff at the hotel treated us special with champagne and strawberries and other treats in our room. It was a wonderful trip to celebrate 10 years together. As for the rest of the year? Hmmmmm......Chief came into our lives, we took Morganne to Disney World for her 4th birthday and we became really involved in our church children's ministry.
2006 - Gave us bike rides and soccer games, dance recitals and Thomas the Train rides. Morganne started kindergarten and we took the kids to Disney World again for Jack's 4th birthday. But the real highlight of the year was our trip to Costa Rica - a week fully immersed in the Costa Rican rain forests, where we zip-lined, and soaking in the beach, where we went deep-sea fishing. We both caught a tuna and both ate it right there on the boat!
2007 - Our traveling got even better, with a Mediterranean cruise that took us to France and Italy. It was an amazing trip - one we will never forget. We had the privilege of seeing the Sistine Chapel in private - a moment I will never forget in my life. Both kids played soccer, with Matt coaching, we were quite busy with that. We also became season ticket holders to FC Dallas, so we really enjoyed some soccer that year.
2008 - HUGE changes took place this year. I was promoted with my company and we moved to Austin - away from our friends and family - the kids were apprehensive, but we now all agree, it was one of the best things that happened to us. We also took another amazing trip - this time to Ireland & England - 13 days - we saw some amazing sites and really loved soaking in the history of both of these countries. We also took he kids to a Texas beach, where we built an incredible sand castle. Jack began kindergarten and loved school.
2009 - This year followed the big changes of 2008, with even more surprises. I was laid off and pregnant with out third! In May, Ian Matthew completed our family - we never thought we would have a third child, but we are so richly blessed having him in our lives. We had to all adjust to a completely new lifestyle with Mom at home. And it has been incredible - as much as I thought I would work all the days of my life in a corporate job, I can't even begin to explain how much I love this. Matt became the sole provider, obtaining a new job - God opened new doors in our lives this year - it was amazing.
2010 - Adjusting with a new baby, I threw myself into being a stay-at-home mom, joining our school PTA, starting a little movie-making business, and becoming CEO of the household (cleaning ain't glamorous y'all!). Both older kids continued to play soccer year round and both kids became really involved in scouts. We spent a lot of time out at the lake on the boat and spent a few weeks in Illinois that summer. Matt & I also trained and ran a half-marathon together - that was a pretty amazing accomplishment to do!
2011 - Matt had been promoted at his job to branch manager, and I was PTA President at school. Kids had a pretty routine schedule of school, practices, and games. We took them to Florida for a week and all decided it was the best family vacation ever. We also spent almost a month in Illinois that summer for Matt's sister's wedding.
2012 - Another year filled with school, soccer, PTA, and scouts. It has been an incredible last few years, where I fell our relationship and marriage has grown stronger - I don't know if that has anything to do with me being home, where & how we live, or us simply maturing together. No matter what it is, we both agree that we are happier now than we have ever been.
I look back over this and think how quickly it has all gone by, yet we can both pin point so many incredible memories that we have with each other. I know we both feel so blessed to have met one another when we did, to have committed ourselves to each other when we did, and to have stayed together for so long. I honestly can't imagine my life being any better.
