9 years of Bliss

Yesterday marked the 9th anniversary of my wedding day. It would have been a good day to bring out the ol' wedding dress and reminisce, but I gave it to Deseret Industries years ago! Instead I will celebrate by blogging 9 of my favorite memories with Steve. Don't worry, I'll keep it clean!

1. Hitchhiking down the mountain in Mexico after we realized the bus would not be back to pick us up. I felt at ease when the man who kindly picked us up turned on his radio to a song that included the word "Jesus Christo" many times.

2. Cuddling in the off season! Cuddle season in our home excludes the summer months, because Steve does not like adding to his body heat when he is already hot. I love it when he breaks his own rule and cuddles in the off season. By the way, cuddling has increased since moving away from the desert!

3. Hiking to the top of the ski hill in Aspen, and many other hikes we have shared.

4. Seeing his emotions surface when Maxwell was born. Even the female pediatrician thought it was adorable!

5. Celebrating together during dental school graduation. I shed tears at graduation because I was so proud of his hard work. I often get caught up in my own little world, and forget that he works very hard too. The festivities of graduation also included our own formal dinner and dance, which we referred to as Prom.

6. Nothing makes me happier than dancing with my husband when he is footloose and fancy free. He cannot seem to find it in himself to dance in public and feel comfortable, but he does it at home...and I love it. His latest dance craze is to "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. You gotta see it!

7. Steve coming home from the grocery store. He is constantly thinking of me and the kids, even at the grocery store. He always comes home with something that he knows I love, whether it is my favorite granola and berries, or Bananas Foster ice cream. I love his cute little smile he flashes when he says, "I got you something!"

8. Family walks. These were formerly couple walks, which we enjoyed nearly everyday before we had kids. These walks are now shortened, mostly on Sundays, and often include scolding or bribing, but they still continue and are looked forward to.

9. Watching Steve get teary-eyed as Max drove away with Grandma and Grandpa Smith for a 3 day vacation to Utah. It was the first time Max had ever gone somewhere without us for a significant amount of time, and Steve was not thrilled about it. I am wondering how he'll do when Max goes on a mission!