Seventh Heaven

Happy Anniversary!!

Dan and I have been driving each other crazy for 7 years now- Hard to believe it's been that long!!

The longer we're married, the more grateful I am for my choice. Dan is a wonderful companion and my best friend. We've grown and struggled together and I honestly can't imagine a life without him now. I love this man and I'm so glad he agreed to put up with me for eternity...

Choosing a life partner is such a crap shoot- I mean- How well do you really know the person you're marrying? I knew that I loved Danny and wanted to be with him 7 years ago but I didn't know the full extent of his character, his work ethic or his capacity to love and be a Father. I didn't know if he was a hard worker or a closet gambler, if his convictions of the Gospel were as strong as mine or if he valued family and home life as much as I did. We were together for almost a year before we got married- and I thought I knew what we were getting into- but does anyone ever really know? You can talk and share and confide in each other- but until your lives are joined and you're faced with working together for everything- You just don't know! When you think about it- It's kind of a miracle that anyone finds their mate or stays together. The factors that brought us together almost 8 years ago were strong enough to make us want to marry- but I didn't know or love Dan half as much as I do now. Our day to day life and shared dreams have brought us closer every day. I am so grateful for the man he was then and the Father and Husband he has become now. After all my mistakes and poor life choices- I think I really lucked out with this guy! No one else could suit me better and I really don't think there is anyone else out there who could put up with me as well as Danny does.

I never had a crystallizing moment when I knew was supposed to marry Danny- No chorus of angels or sudden ping of inspiration. I was just always calm and happy with Dan. He claims he knew from the first time we met that we were going to be together- but I took a bit longer to agree. He was just always comfortable to be around and we just fit. We enjoyed the same things and I never felt like I needed to be anything better than what I was for him. Not to say that I didn't need to improve- ( boy do I need to improve) but that Dan loved me just the way I was- temper tantrums, anxiety, depression and all. After years of miserable boyfriends and poor choices, fights and family drama- Danny was refreshing and easy. There were no problems, no drama or conflicts. I think that's how I knew this was going to work- He was the first guy I'd ever brought home that got along with my family... He fit right in from the beginning and I'm pretty sure my Dad would trade me straight across for Danny if given the choice!

One of my best memories of our Wedding Day was when we met at the Salt Lake Temple that morning. I didn't feel nervous or concerned- even though I hadn't gotten my "Answer" yet. I had prayed the entire time we were dating, just like everyone tells you to, to find out if Dan was "The One". I guess Heavenly Father just knew I needed to make this decision myself and trust in my own instincts. As we walked into the temple, I just remember thinking and praying- "Okay- I'm going through with this unless you tell me different- Here I go"...
and here I am. Looking at Danny- I just knew everything was going to be fine and there was no reason to doubt.

It's not a very romantic story- but kind of fits us. There wasn't anything dramatic about it- just a feeling of calm. Dan always jokes that if he knew then what he knows now, he would have run screaming in the other direction but he also says that he just felt calm and happy on that fateful day.

In the 7 years that we've been together, we've accomplished some great things, made LOTS of mistakes, created 3 beautiful children, learned important life lessons and grown up together in great strides.

Here's to the next 7 years!!