Happy 1st Anniversary!

Last Friday was our first anniversary. It was fun to think about last summer when we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. While I was sitting in the rocking chair holding Joseph my computer went to screen saver and all of the wedding pictures came up. It was so fun to sit and watch all of our wedding pictures flash by. Everything about it is such a good memory: our open house in Boise with yummy cheesecake, seeing all of family together in the sealing room, the words the sealer said to us (by far the most special part of the whole day) the meal at Fraziers and then our beautiful reception at Moyle Park with Willi playing his violin, everybody in yellow dresses, and all the ice cream and fruit we could eat. (Remember Mom's purple syrup that made the fridge quit?)

I am really grateful to everbody who helped out so much and helped us plan our wedding. It was fun to think back over the past year of everything that happened. Our drive across the country in our Toyota Corolla with the car-top carrier on top, meeting Mandy and David in Nauvoo, finding our new apartment in New Haven, furnishing our apartment off of Craig's list (mostly), Seth starting graduate school, and all the other things. When we were talking about this past year, I asked Seth what his favorite part was. He paused and then just said, "Having Joseph was pretty special." We both just sat there for a minute and thought about it. There really wasn't anything else to say. Of all of the things that happened this year, having Joseph tops them all.

For our anniversary Seth took me to a Brazilian Churrascaria. It was so fun. Everyone was speaking Portuguese and the food was really authentic. It was such a fun night. Earlier that day we had the great idea of going to Goodwill and buying each other presents. (I said we should make that a tradition . . . we'll see). Seth bought me a spice rack, I bought him a 3-hole punch, and we even got Joseph a toy. (We both loved this toy when we were little). My student teaching superviser and his wife love Joseph and agreed to watch him for a couple hours while we went to eat. It turned out to be a lovely day, but the best part is that we have fun days together like that all the time.

On Sunday Seth taught the lesson in gospel principles about "Family Responsibilities." I kept thinking about all the things that needed to be done in Young Women's and the copies I needed to make. Then the spirit just told me to stop worrying and "listen to this lesson." So I stopped worrying if Joseph was going to get hungry, or how I was going to get all of these things done and just listened to what Seth was teaching about families. At the end he bore his testimony and just said that it's been a big year for us, moving out here, starting graduate school, etc, but that nothing has been as neat as having a family and that none of it matters as much to him as his family does. I really felt the spirit. We have been truly blessed and I'm glad everyday that we decided to get married last summer and move out here together. It's been an adventure, but we love it.