A Tropical Celebration

Gabe and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year and were lucky enough to take a trip to the Florida Keys to commemorate the occasion. We spent a lot of time reflecting all of the adventures, challenges, and sweet moments of the last decade.  We hotel hopped and scouted out kitschy diners on our way from Key Largo to Key West.

The trip highlight was scuba diving and snorkeling some of the shallow reefs.  Gabe is an avid diver. We went with a dive group out about 5 miles from shore and while Gabe went down with the divers I was snorkeling by myself and came face to face with a giant nurse shark!  We've done cage dives with sharks before, but nothing compares to the adrenaline rush of seeing one while you are floating in the middle of the ocean alone.  I also saw a sting ray and countless parrot fish.

Gorgeous tropical blossoms

Downtown Key West

Sunset tight rope walker in Key West

Laid-back Duck Key

Hemmingway is a favorite author, so we made a trip to his home in Key West.  We then drove back to Miami for our final two nights.  We went Latin dancing and ate divine food in fashionable South Beach.  I just love when we can have memorable moments like this together.  Here's to the next 10 years!

Figaro

I once had a school teacher comment that she would rather have an interesting day than a perfect day because you rarely learn anything in a perfect day. Perhaps this is true. Perfect moments rarely teach us anything, they don't make for good stories, and they don't often make for juicy blog posts. They do make for beautiful memories though, and my date with Gabe last night to see "The Marriage of Figaro," is certainly one I want to remember.

I want to remember:
Gabe's warm hand upon the small of my back as he leads me gently to the car,
The lacy black "Jane Austen" dress that I can only wear on date nights without Persy,
Devouring a creamy risotto and tender salmon at a fancy restaurant before the show,
The joyful anticipation I feel whenever the lights go dim in a theater and the overture begins,
Whispered conversations in the dark,
The funny guy sitting next to us in top hat and monocle glasses that looked like Mr. Peanut,
Holding hands throughout the performance and tapping our fingers to the music,
Strolling outside and kissing gently during intermission,
Laughing with the crowd when Figaro sings, "(It's Susanna.)"
The way I still feel a secret thrill when I don't have to say "good-bye" at the end of a date.

Tagged

I've been tagged by Laura.


What is your husband's name? Gabriel
How long have you been married? 6 years
How long did you date? Almost 2 years
How old is he? 29
Who eats more sweets? It's about equal. We are a terrible influence on each other.
Who said "I love you" first? Me!
Who is taller? Gabe, I think he's the perfect height.
Who can sing the best? I can, but it is nothing to brag about.
Who is smarter? Gabe, this guy is absolutely brilliant! We do get competitive about certain subjects though.
Who pays the bills? Gabe- when we first got married I was paying the bills, but being in charge of the finances when money is tight really stressed me out. There's more peace at home now that Gabe looks after the money.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Gabe
Who mows the lawn? Ahhh the joys of renting. . .
Who cooks dinner? We both cook. Gabe is an amateur chef and cooks for company as well as on the weekends. I do more the everyday stuff. We also eat a lot of cereal.
Who drives? Gabe
Who kissed who first? I did! :)
Who asked who out first? Gabe asked me out to a fireside on our first real date.
Who wears the pants? It's equal.

I TAG: whoever wants to do it

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday, Gabe and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe that we have been married that long since we still feel like giddy newlyweds much of the time. We met nearly eight years ago on Utah State’s ballroom dance team. I had tried out for the team on a whim and was pleased to make it onto the backup team, while Gabe danced on the competitive team. One night, I went out Latin dancing with some members of Gabe’s team and Gabe and I discovered an instant attraction and connection. We talked and danced together until 4:00 a.m. and began dating immediately.

In our six years of marriage we’ve had many adventures traveling to Peru, Mexico, and Hawaii, among other places. We’ve lived in Washington, DC, New York, and various cities in Utah. We’ve struggled through law school and infertility. Through it all our relationship has remained solid and we are honestly more in love than ever. I am so very grateful to be married to such a sweet, hard-working and spiritual man. I love you sweetheart! Here’s to the next adventure!

Adoption Update!

It has been an exciting and eventful week for our family. On Monday, we got a rather mysterious call from our case worker, Kim, asking us to come down to LDS Family services to sign some paperwork. She kept stressing the importance that we both come together and Gabe and I had the suspicion that this might just be “the call.”
When we arrived at Kim’s office there was a basket full of diapers, baby wipes and lotion and Kim told us that there was a birth mother who had chosen us for her baby! The birth mother is due the first part of June and has opted for a closed adoption at this point, so we really don’t know too much about her. We know that she is a single mother in her thirties with two young girls at home. We also know that she and the birth father are Caucasian and we have been given a profile on her medical background. She hasn’t had much prenatal care during her pregnancy, so we don’t know the sex of the child. She is scheduled for an ultra-sound next week and we hope to hear that the baby is healthy. (We’re excited to find out the sex, but could care less as to whether we get a boy or a girl.)
It was really exciting to get all this information and I left the office feeling a great peace and joy. I am overwhelmed with gratitude to this loving woman who has chosen us for her child. I’m amazed that this stranger is willing to give us such a gift. I am also overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord and his love for us and this baby.
The rest of the week has been rather emotional for both Gabe and I. We vacillate between joy, excitement, fear, and panic. We are terrified that the birth mother will change her mind and choose to keep the baby. This is a distinct possibility until the paperwork gets signed after the birth of the child. There has also been very little sleep this week, (for me anyway, Gabe seems able to sleep through anything!) It is really hard to believe that in just a couple of weeks we could have an infant in our home! We have SO MUCH to do to get ready!

Road Trip Pictures

10 Things I like about Gabe

1. He's intelligent and constantly surprises me with new facts.
2. He can quote episodes of "The Office" with perfect comedic timing.
3. He's incredibly hard working and passionate about his dreams.
4. He'll speak in various foreign accents purely for my amusement.
5. He loves to learn new things.
6. When he wakes up in the morning he has the world's craziest bed head.
7. He's a loyal friend and will drop anything for a buddy.
8. He's super supportive and encourages me in all my pursuits.
9. He loves to cook and whips up fanciful creations.
10. He's the first to end an argument with "I'm sorry."