10 years

Chad and I celebrated our 10th Anniversary tonight...First Date Anniversary. Yes, 10 years ago tonight, we formally met face - to - face and had dinner at Applebee's on Redwood Rd. in Taylorsville, UT.

We don't live in UT, but there has always been an Applebee's in each place we've lived and we've returned on the 15th every year. (We've gone a day before or after when it's been on Sunday or if we've gone numb in the brain and forgotten.)

We didn't forget tonight. We ate out and made everyone around us wish that we'd eaten in. Each year we seem to have more and more excitement at the table...as well as more kids. We think fondly back to that magical time when we were dating and oblivious to the torture we had in store for ourselves. Last year, Joseph was one month and two days old, so he slept in his car seat, loving tucked under the table. This year he is one year, one month and two days old, so he was in a high chair and letting all of us know he was hungry. Everyone else had something else to contribute to the meal, as well, and I'm sure many Applebee's patrons were relieved to see us go. I know I was.

On the slippery, wintery ride home, I was wondering why we don't get a babysitter and enjoy the meal by ourselves. We rarely get a babysitter. It's too much work and then we watch the clock the whole time wondering how much it's going to cost us by the time we get back. Besides, there's some kind of crazy humor to see how much our situation changes as each year passes. The kids are capable of acting out and embarrassing us, but it's part of the charm of being a family and the memories. At least I hope it is. Before we got the kids to bed tonight, every single one of them had shed tears at some point in the evening. Ah, memories.