A Toast to Five Beautiful Years!

The first time I realized that Darren was really, truly marriage material, was the evening I went to his apartment thinking that we were probably going to breaking up that night. I'm so glad that I was wrong!

I had a lengthy list of concerns, and reasons that we weren't going to make a good match. I had been chewing them over in my head for weeks, and getting myself all twisted up. Dating can be painful! Darren is fairly perceptive though, so he asked what was bothering me. So I told him. All of it. All at once. Straight. With little cushioning of what would offend most people. And then I waited for him to react. I really expected that we would be breaking up, and I was heartbroken, because I really liked him! I just didn't see marriage in our future with the concerns that I had.

But he didn't blow up, and he didn't get defensive. He didn't brush off my concerns, or tell me all of my faults.

He listened. And he acknowledged the truth in what I said, although he corrected me on a couple things. And I was stunned by the strongest impression that this was a man I could get through anything with.

Sure, he was a lot of fun to date. He had lots of experience planning fun dates! He was creative, thoughtful and adventurous. When we started dating, I thought that was going to be the extent of our relationship, a couple months of fun dates.

 But that painful conversation showed me the kind of man Darren is, and gave me an inkling of what we could be together.

We have continued to seek out adventures together, and he still plans the occasion amazing date. This anniversary celebration at Paradise at Mount Rainier is a good example!

But I am most grateful that God prepared me, and led me to Darren. To this man with whom I can share my whole heart. My hopes, my dreams, my fears and my worries.

I love seeing him as a dad. I had a pretty good idea of the kind of dad he would want to be, and that was and is one of his sexiest features!

I know that five years is really so short, and that our greatest challenges and our greatest joys are probably still ahead of us. But these years since we met have been the happiest in my life. 

Moving

When we first contemplated moving into Mom and Dad's basement, I had a few reservations. From listening to most people, living with one's parents is only slightly better than residing in a cardboard box in an alley. So we kept our options open in case a speedy return to Bellevue was necessary to save our marriage and our relationship with my parents. Turns out, living with these particular parents is fantastic! But after well over a year, Darren has a new job in Redmond, and the commute from Puyallup is brutal. In addition, my manager at PSE wanted me back full-time, which would just be too much time away from Brooke. So I quit, which means we don't really need Mom to babysit on a regular basis. With much reluctance, we decided it was time to move out on our own again. This is both wonderful and horrible. I love running my own tiny little household, but I also really, really miss the sharing. Sharing meals, sharing Brooke, sharing our news, sharing the bounty of Mom's awesome garden. That was great. We like our cute little apartment though! Darren walks to work, Brooke and I walk to the grocery store and the park, and we can even walk to church!

 Brooke keeps her priorities straight, with a PB&J as her first meal in our new home.

My cousin Ray, his wife Janet, and their wonderful kids came to help. They were such a help! Our couch and Darren's desk might still be in the parking lot without them.

We made a trip to IKEA to contemplate some new furnishings, and we very nearly brought back this little rocking horse. Brooke sure thought he belonged with her!

The Fair

So, to be precisely correct, Brooke's first introduction to the great Puyallup Fair was last year, but she wasn't able to express much of an opinion on anything. She wasn't allowed to taste an onion burger or taffy, and she thought that empty horse stalls were as interesting as the merry-go-round. But this year was a different story!

Her favorite part, and therefore our favorite part, was the petting zoo. She ran over all the 4-year-olds while chasing a certain goat and sheep around the pen. The goat in particular received lots of affection from our animal-loving little toddler.

And there were more animals! What joy!

 At a certain point, she let us know that she was ready to explore on her own two feet, and her adoring entourage just followed, snapping photos!

Sadly, she is too young to be allowed on any rides, but that just means we have them to look forward to next year! And really, she was well entertained by her favorite past time, eating!

Chocolate milk from the Dairy Barn

Taffy! Licorice flavored. She wasn't too sure at first, but had strong feeling about it being taken away.

Scones!

Onion burgers! That wonderful smell that takes me back to classrooms at Meeker, Kalles and Puyallup! It's really hard to focus on school when your nose is at the Fair.

Funnel cake, and yes, Darren did share with Brooke, I just thought he was cuter than her, at least in these pictures!

With a little determination, we even tracked down the giant pumpkins as they were being weighed. All of this year's three biggest pumpkins were record breakers!

Baby at the Beach!

Darren and I have visited Long Beach often. Darren's mom has a little house just two blocks away, and we love to visit, especially when it is stormy. There are lots of things we enjoy doing, but nothing compares to the pure delight of playing with Brooke in the sand and waves!