one year down, an eternity to go

august 4th was our first anniversary and i can't believe it...quite the milestone! the year has gone so fast and being married has been more fun i could imagine! since our actual anniversary fell on a monday, we celebrated the whole weekend before. on friday i came home and told dave to pack a bag because we were going to stay some place for the weekend. we went downtown and stayed in a funky, contemporary hotel called the curtis (thanks to a great deal the travel agent at work got for me). each floor of the hotel had a really fun pop-culture theme and was decorated appropriately. some of the floor themes were "one hit wonder," "sci-fi," "tv mania," "chick flick," and the "dance floor." plus when the elevator stopped at each floor a voice that goes with the theme announced the floor (ie elvis, austen powers etc). i wanted to see each floor and hear the elevator greeting and dave was a good sport and stopped on each one with me (all 13 floors...yes, he was a very good sport).

we stayed on the "big hair" floor

this was the alarm clock in our room. it even had an iPod jack in it

we had a great time celebrating. we went and had mongolian bbq and walked around downtown. we slept in and ate breakfast at a great diner and then went and saw the matinee of "the dark knight." on monday, our actual anniversary, when i got home from work dave surprised me with dinner and flowers and left me a little treat on my plate

the little treat on my plate was "breaking dawn" and i was so excited!! after dinner he hid it for the rest of the week and gave it to me when i was leaving for my big trip. he knows me well and knew that if he left it with me i would read it before i ever left on my trip (and i would ignore him in the meantime). by the way, i *loved* the book! it was perfect and when i was finished i was actually sad, not because i didn't like the ending but because i was sad i had finished and it was over. i guess i just have to wait until november for the movie.

on tuesday i sent dave on a scavenger hunt celebrating some of our "firsts" since it was our *first* anniversary. i sent him to where we first saw each other, where he first asked me out, where he first gave me flowers, where we first kissed, where he first said he loved me, where we first got engaged...anyway, you get the idea. he ended up at home (our first place together) and i had his favorite ice cream waiting for him and we watched a movie. in hindsight i realize it was pretty anti-climatic to have him end up at home. oh well, next time will be better.

as a missionary many years ago i began to understand the value of having a companion…someone you worked with, sacrificed with, laughed with, cried with, relied on, trusted in and were unified with a common goal. i must say that over the past year i have come to understand and appreciate the value of companionship even more. i couldn’t have asked for a better *eternal* companion than dave. he is my best friend and has made me happier than i could have hoped for. he is thoughtful, unselfish, loving, supportive and man can he make me laugh. it makes me excited for all that is to come! love you D! here’s to eternity!