Our Anniversary.

Chad and I celebrated our 7 year Anniversary on Saturday. We exchanged gifts and had a dinner and movie date night. It was great. Then on Sunday night Chad called to me to come read something he had written. This is what he wrote.

A seventh wedding anniversary isn't one of the milestones traditionally celebrated with gold, silver, handcuffs, or whatever, but it does offer the opportunity to take a moment and reflect on the time that has passed.

On June 26, 2003, Lacey and I married in the Dallas, Texas Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. According to the dictates of our faith, we were sealed to one another for time and all eternity should we live our lives a certain way. (Two days later, on June 28th, we held a ring ceremony/marriage celebration for all of friends and family to attend.) At the time of our marriage, Lacey was six months out of college; I had six months to go. Lacey was working as a receptionist at an oil company. In addition to school, I worked for a friend's father in his office. We had very little money. We lived in a small one-bedroom apartment in Wichita Falls. We slept in a double-sized bed. We had one car. And we had each other. We did our laundry each week at Lacey's parents' house. I started teaching early-morning Seminary while still in school.

By the time I graduated that December, we had made up our minds that being poor and cramped could only last so long, so I planned to take the LSAT and prepare to go to law school. In the meantime, we both continued working...and working. In many ways, we were running in place for the next year. Man, it was frustrating. None of our friends had any children at that point, so we would go see them as often as we could. We went to the movies a lot - sometimes two or three times in a weekend. We didn't eat at home very much. I started to gain a lot of weight. Our one car died, so we bought a new car.

In early 2005, we started visiting law schools, waiting for that "This is the place!" moment that didn't come until we went to Waco, Texas later in the year. Lacey found a job, so we moved to Waco to what we thought was an enormous two-bedroom apartment. I sporadically substitute taught in the various elementary, middle, and high schools of Waco, finally settling on a six week gig teaching Spanish to mostly hispanic kids. We found out that a little boy would be coming to our family the following summer. We bought our very own washer and dryer.

I started law school and Jackson was born a few months after. Our lives changed. We couldn't pack up and go visit everyone as often as we once could. I struggled with school before finally finding my footing. Lacey was a natural mother - graceful and wonderful. It was an incredible time - filled with joy and heartache and everything in between. We moved to a gigantic three-bedroom apartment two days after Caroline was born. We celebrated my 30th birthday on a quick break from studying.

I graduated, passed the bar, and we moved to Longview. We have a brand new home. Lacey stays with the little ones during the day. I work for a well-respected law firm. We eat at home nearly every day. Lacey works with our ward's children; I am the bishop. I've even lost most of the extra weight. Gone are the thoughts of running in place.

Lacey is even more graceful as a mother now than she was four years ago. She's more beautiful than the day we married. Seven years later, I still find myself looking at her wondering how in the world I managed to marry so far above my station. I think she's even getting smarter. We are no longer poor and cramped. Our days are spent very differently than they were seven years ago. In many ways, we are now living the way we only dreamed about earlier, even if those dreams involve mortgages, backyards, and diaper changes. Though we now sleep farther apart in our king-sized bed than we did in the beginning, I feel closer to my Lacey than I ever have. I have no idea what the next seven years will bring, but I am certain that with her by my side, we will continue to move onward and upward.

My Chad is the greatest and I have so enjoyed the last 7 years. I look so forward to whatever the future holds because with Chad by my side I can't go wrong.