Happy Anniversary to us!

Mark and I are celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary on Saturday, August 11th. I cannot believe that we have been married for that long - sometimes it feels like forever while other times it feels like the time has just flown by! I could not have asked to spend my life with a better man. Mark is a terrific husband and father - so much better than I could have ever imagined or hoped. I think back at how young we were when we met, and I am amazed at how far we've come- I was only 18 and Mark was 21. We were SO young when we dated and when we got married. I had JUST turned 20 when we got married and Mark was only 22 1/2. A lot of my friends from high school (and their parents) didn't think that we would last since we were "too young" (according to them) to get married. Not only did we make it, but we are still making it! Marriage is not easy, and we have definately had times when we didn't really like each other very much! But, we have had a wonderful ride so far, and I can't wait for the next 12 years and even more. I don't really know what my ideal was for marriage, and I know that there is no such thing as a perfect marriage, but I feel very lucky to be able to share my life with Mark. I feel like we are quite a team, and I have enjoyed being married to him, having children with him, and sharing happiness, saddness, illness, loss, etc. with him. I wouldn't have wanted to share it with anyone else!

Here is a picture of us when we were dating - we were in Colorado for Thanksgiving so that Mark could meet my family. We look so young - especially Mark.

Here is a picture of us now - we are much older, fatter, we both have glasses and less hair! I guess a few years will do that to you!

Here are a few of our wedding pictures. Our photographer lost the roll of bridal pictures he took, so this is one of the two bridal shots I have. I can't believe how long my hair is. I haven't had it that long since then.

Here is a snapshot someone took of Mark while he was waiting for me. He sure looks anxious!! He does look really handsome in his tuxedo too!

Here is a picture of us right after our ceremony - Mr. and Mrs. Mark Taylor!

This is one of my favorite wedding pictures because you can see all the flowers and the candles. It was all so lovely...one of the best days of my life!

On Saturday, we are going to our friend Craig's parents 50th anniversary party. We happen to share the same anniversary date with them - they just have a few years on us! They have been a wonderful example of how to make it to 50 years! I hope that we are as happy as them when we make it to 50 years. I know it will be a tough journey, but it is one that I am happy to take with the love of my life!