Throwback Thursday

This was our engagement portrait, taken in 2009.  I can remember this day so clearly still.  Our photographer kept having us walk around holding hands, and kept telling us to "stop and kiss each other".  I'm not huge on PDA, and definitely not forced or posed PDA, so it was strange for me to walk-stop-kiss-repeat.  When all was said and done, we had 1700 pictures and were told to choose one to display at our wedding in a frame for all of our guests to sign.  One picture.  Out of 1700.  We didn't go with a kissing photo because they all looked awkward and forced to me.  We didn't go with the far away shot of the two of us holding hands in front of a barn because why would we want a far-away shot of us and a barn?  Instead, after hours of viewing and debating, we chose this one.  A close-up of the two of us.  The lighting is good, we're standing close together, and we're happy.  It's not the greatest photo we've ever taken, but we like it.

Since this photo was taken we've gotten married, bought a house, had two kids, lost a bunch of weight (Scott), gained some weight (me), and laughed more than I've ever thought possible.  It feels cheesy to say "I married my best friend", but I did.  The years haven't always been easy and any marriage takes work, but we're happy.  We've come so far and we've accomplished so much together, and I know there's so much more in store for us.  When this picture was taken we didn't know that we'd have a baby the following year.  Or another one after that.  We didn't know that Scott would be offered a good teaching job, or that I would leave my job to open my home daycare in order to stay home with our kids.  We don't have as many laugh lines in this picture as we do now, or as much gray in our hair (and I still don't, thanks to a cosmetologist sister and the wonders of hair color).  When this picture was taken, we didn't know about the wonderful vacations we'd take as a family, or the little day-to-day doings that we'd turn into family time.  We didn't know all the little ways that becoming parents would change us.  We didn't know about the daily joys and struggles that would make up our adult life and bring us even closer together.  We had no clue what was to come, but we were looking forward to it all.  We were excited.  And today, five years after this picture was taken, we still don't know what's in store for us in our future.  But we do know love.  And happiness.  And joy and excitement.  We've learned that it's the little things that make the biggest impact in our marriage.  We've learned to find joy in the smallest aspects of our lives.  We're still as in love today as we were when this picture was taken.  More so, even.  And it's only getting better.