To Give Thanks

Since November is a month where we ponder on those things for which we are thankful, I will share with you throughout the month what I am personally thankful for. To start the month off with a bang, I will tell you that I am thankful to be celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary (yesterday)!

Ryan proposed to me 2 months after he returned home from his mission to Argentina on the beach in Northern California. Yes, I waited for him those 2 years and wrote to him faithfully every single week; but I did date other guys to bide my time, only to confirm to me that Ryan really was what I wanted in a husband. Ryan and I were married November 2, 1996 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. It was a beautiful day. The weather was beautiful with the pretty autumn colors, our ceremony was beautiful, and everything went perfectly, just as we had imagined it. We were married in the morning, had a wedding lunch at Olive Garden in Layton, and then later that evening had a reception at our Stake Center here in West Haven. Our colors were pale yellow and metallic gold. To go with autumntime, we spray painted pumpkins gold and had them as part of our decorations. After the reception, we got whisked off to the airport to go to South Lake Tahoe where we stayed at Caesar's Palace for a week. After our honeymoon, we flew to Santa Rosa, California where my parents lived at the time and had an Open House there for all our Santa Rosa friends and family(Ryan's family used to live there too). After that, we drove home to Ogden, Utah, where we began our lives together living in Ryan's aunt and uncle's house who were on a mission.

I will spare you most of the mushy stuff, and just tell you that I feel really fortunate to have a husband like Ryan. Life hasn't always been a piece of cake, but with him he sure makes it seem that way. He's what keeps me going. He's my motivation and my constant support. Every time I look at him I can't help but smile, because he is always smiling and I swear it's contagious! He is always the positive one, and somehow with him things just always work out. He is very resourceful and a man of all trades. He has worked long and hard all these years to provide for our family, always putting us first. He is very dedicated to anything he's involved in. He's so patient with our kids and takes the time to tell them stories and play with them even when he's dog tired. I am particularly impressed with his dedication to his schoolwork. Ever since we made the decision for him to go back to school, he has given it his all. He will not settle for anything less than an "A" on any assignment, test, or grade on his "report card" so that is why he studies so much. He's a great example to our kids when it comes to school and college. They get to actually see him go through all this and see for themselves the importance of getting an education and working hard to reach your goals. He's just so good and makes me want to be better. I look forward to many more years together.