Monday, August 4, 2008

A decade together

Ten years ago Todd and I got hitched. Ten YEARS! Wow, time has really flown by because it certainly hasn't felt like a decade to me.



This is one of our first pictures together as newlyweds. Sorry for the poor quality, I had to scan it.









Connor and I lived in a little two bedroom apartment in Salt Lake when we met Todd. I'm not exaggerating when I say he swept me off my feet. I was enamored by his passion for life. He loved boating and flying and was mostly raising three children by himself. And they adored him! That spoke volumes to me. Connor and I fell in love with him and his kids (Darren, Elora, and Larissa).

Interestingly, Connor and I were alone for 5 years and all we knew was each other. When I married Todd we went from a quiet family of two to a bustling family of six!


This is one of our first family pictures.

We are nothing if not goofy.






We had some interesting times the first few years. Like the time I opened the freezer and found a dead snake. Darren found roadkill and wanted to skin it. Yeah, that was fun. NOT!

And living with little girls was a new concept for me. One night I tucked Larissa into bed (she was 4 at the time) and she said she wanted to talk. I asked her what she wanted to talk about. "I want to talk about butterflies and sparklies and glitter and rainbows." I'm sure I had a 'deer in the headlights' look. Connor usually just wanted to be tickled. I didn't know how to talk about glitter!

There were hard times too. Todd's business went under and he found a job that worked him graveyard shifts. I worked days. With four young kids at home and Todd and I never seeing each other - it was rough at first. One night Todd was at work and the kids and I were home alone. It was raining and lightning outside. I couldn't sleep but thought the kids were sleeping fine. I heard knocks at my bedroom door and found eight scared eyes looking up at me. We went into the living room and said a prayer. Then we sang songs together. This was a very special night for me and went a long way toward us all bonding together. I'll never forget it.

Life has gone on for us through the good times and the bad. I love my family so very much and I'm so thankful that Todd and I found each other.


Another goofy picture of the fam. We are with Todd's parents in this picture.









We celebrated our anniversary with the girls. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Tepanyaki's. Mmm!

My dear husband gave me pearls. He said that he has been wanting to give me pearls since I had my thyroid removed last December. He said that he hopes the pearls will detract from my scar and I won't feel as self-conscious. Sweet!



















Todd is a wonderful husband to me.
He is never unkind. Always caring, loyal and hardworking.
He is logical when I'm emotional. Serious when I'm goofy. Steadfast when I'm impatient. Motivating when I'm discouraged. He is my rock and makes me so happy!


He even loves Bryce Canyon. What more could I ask for?! I am the luckiest gal, indeed.

22 comments:

kitchenditcher said...

Congats! What would we do without the men in our lives? I have put mine through the wringer and he still keeps coming back for more. Sounds like we definitely both have keepers"! Happy Anniversary!!

Jan said...

Love this Jodi. You are a pearl of a girl now. I know that good men are worth everything.. Everything. We are more with them than without.

Such a great tribute to a great guy. He just seems so grounded and fun. You are a very lucky girl indeed. Have fun you cute 2.

julie said...

Sounds like a perfect match! So happy you have him and the kids! I love the pearls and I love his reasoning. It brought tears to my eyes.

"Q" Tips, "K"razy fun and daily "L"ife said...

You guys are the best. Happy Anniversary (sorry if it is a bit late)!

Michelle Alley said...

What a wonderful story of how you met - I love the story of how Larissa wanted to stalk about glitter and butterflies, what a sweet moment. You sound like a fun mom! Thanks for sharing your story!

S and L said...

Happy Anniversary! Scott and I just celebrated our 25th year together in March. Time sure does go by FAST when you are with the love of your life doesn't it! It only gets better as time goes by! I can't wait to get old with my honey! He is my rock and my strength, truly don't know what I would do without him in my life. Love your picture of the two of you as newlyweds! Enjoy every minute and soon you'll be celebratin your 25th too! :) Sure do miss ya! Hugs to you!

tiki_lady said...

Happy Anniversary. What a sweet man you are married to. I love the beautiful pearls he gave to you. I just love the fun family pictures you have. It says you all know how to enjoy life.

tammy said...

Happy Anniversary!!!!! Congrats on making it to the double digits!!! i know we are hitting our 16th this October...where does the time go!?!?!

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary and stuff. It has been a lot of fun to see all these great things happening to your family. (By great things of course I am referring to Baby Bear)

Bean

Pancake said...

Happy anniversary! What a great man you found! I loved the walk down memory lane! How you all bonded, how it is today! Congrats to you ALL!!!

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary. What a cute, fun family. I'm so happy you all found each other!

The Despain Gang said...

Happy Anniversary; what a great post about your relationship and growth as a family. So great!
-Melissa

Scrappy Girl said...

What a sweet gift from a very thoughtful hubby. Happy Anniversary!

Anonymous said...

Ummm, Yah.....(said with a valley girl accent) go to my profile and email me your address and I'll send you a card!

Anonymous said...

Jodi,

From then until now, you have been the BEST! I have enjoyed all our moments together. A husband couldn’t be more fortunate to have and proud of a wife like you. Every minute has been filled with your kind, sharing, and unselfish heart. You have put yourself last to make other's first. You care without expectation. You forgive and gain understanding. You are pure and honest. You have been my candle in the storm. Your love has pulled me through and braced me up in adverse situations. It feels so good to be able to have so much trust in a person. You have NEVER compromised that trust. I have never had so much support and I Love You for everything. I have to say that you have been the better companion in our marriage. I always thought it was 50/50 but you have taken on the harder burden and carried the heavier load. You have proven that "it" can be done and you have held such a positive and good attitude through it all. All I can say is a real heart-felt "Thank-You"!

I will always Love You!

Todd

Redhoodoos said...

Lies Lies!

Actually I paid Todd to say all that. ;)

Janell said...

Ahhh - love this post!! Very very sweet. It must have been a rocky road blending two families together, so happy for you to have made it to 10 years!!! Congrats and here's to 50 more!!

Janell said...

Ahh - just saw the Todd's post - how sweet is that!!!

Carrie said...

Hi Jodi!

I'm totally blog stalking, but I'm really glad I came across your blog. We really you miss as our neighbors across the street and I can't believe that its been over two years since we left Suncrest. We think of your family often. Glad to see that things are going great.

Sincerely,
Carrie Athay

Anonymous said...

aaawwww....that is sooo sweet & romantic!!! happy anniversary!!!

Michelle said...

Congrats on 10 years together! What an accomplishment. You guys are a perfect match for each other. Each of your weirdnesses blend just right.. ;) Tell Todd I miss his random rambling emails though. Ha!

Da Bergs said...

Jodi, you are darling! Thank you for sharing! What a good man you found!!! I am toasting to many many (guess I should say, an ETERNITY) of years ahead!!! Congrats!!!