9 months

[Caution: Long & personal, but more for my records, so feel free to read, but you can't say I didn't warn you!]

Yesterday we celebrated our 9 month anniversary.

We went on a triple date.

My cousin, Kristin & her husband Joel & their little bun in the oven.

Weston's BYU-I roomate, Tyler & his fiance, Bri.

We went putt-putt golfing with the credit at the put-put place on 800n in Orem that my family always goes to when we're here.  It has a sweet spot in my heart!  When my family was here in April we all went putt-putting & it rained, so we got a raincheck receipt, my dad gave it to us :)

So we went Putt-Putting, then to Harmons grocery story & then on to home where we all made our individual pizzas & played catch phrase while they cooked. 

It was SUCH a wonderful date.  The weather was perfect. Life is good.  We love our friends.

Also, fun fact, Tyler proposed to Bri Memorial Day weekend & they chose their wedding date...drum roll..... none other than the fabulous September 3rd!  Yay!

It's the BEST wedding day :) Talk about always having a 3-day anniversary weekend!

So, these past 9 months of marriage have been incredible.  My love for Wes multiplied by a thousand.  My awe for his hard work & drive has increased as well.  Its an incredible feeling when I'm in his arms.  It feels like I have never not been in them & it's where I want to be forever.   Thankfully, through the blessings of the temple, that dream is true.  We were sealed for time and ALL eternity on September 3rd, 2010 at 9am in the Salt Lake City Temple.  It was a beautiful ceremony conducted by Elder Neil L. Anderson.

We got started off to a great foot.  It has been some of the most challenging 9 months with all the finance hurdles we've had to leap over.  However, I can't think about that financial trial without thinking of how blessed we are by the Lord.  He watched over and helped us every step of the way.  Seriously, he inspired us to create a financial plan that worked for us & helped us improve our situation.  However, it felt like burden after burden came.  Weston was able to fight for his paycheck & the forest service cut it yesterday.  Huge blessing, our account is about running dry, but we have never been short of what we needed.  Whether it be my parents giving us the groceries not used while they visited (I think they bought too much on purpose).  Weston's Dad stopping in after a Navy Drill weekend on his way home from Salt Lake with a cop car full of groceries. A car from my parents. An unexpected wedding gift check from an uncle & aunt.  Or the encouraging e-mail from Grandmother to keep pushing through the hard times.  We survived. & we are almost out of the ruff. It has been an extremely rewarding experience. We have learned how to budget how to compromise with eachother over what we each see as a priority for money to be spent on.

Weston got a little down about it & somehow on his down days I was able to be cheery & help point out the gifts we have been given & miraculously he was always my beam of sunshine on stressful days.  We have learned how to help & build eachother & how to work as a team.  Our hobbies don't always cross paths, but he always acts so enthusiastic over my most recent craft & I love rooting him on while he's doing pull-ups.  It's a give & a get, a push & a pull, & the best kind of 9 months.  I wouldn't trade anything for the time Wes & I had together in our buggy, old dusty first apartment.  It built character.  It is fun as we work together in our new job as RAs together.  It's funny because we've realized we work very differently.  Wes is the "enjoy the road" goof of while working, yet still gets the work done, just takes a little longer, kind of worker.  Then I am a serious, let's get down to business, knock this out, & then enjoy our time relaxing after work, type of girl.  Those types of work clashed a little on our transfers in April, but we've both learned to be a little more like the other so that we can work well together. I still struggle on that, but he's helping me learn & to be patient :)

I love marriage & though sometimes there is a hiccup here & there, it's all worth it!

Happy 9 month anniversary yesterday, sweetie!

xoxohappywife