8 Years Down

Today is me and Joe's 8 Year Anniversary. In commemoration I would like to share a photo, this photo was taken on July 28th 2002, the day we got engaged. We were living in Escalate at the time and had gone out to Alvey Wash to rappel down to some cool looking granaries. Joe started out the excursion acting nervous, so I knew what was coming, which caused me to start out the excursion slightly annoyed because now I had to act surprised.

Apparently his plan was to say he found something really cool in the granary and when he rappelled down to show me it would be a ring (albeit a $5 wal-mart ring) ladlalda, will you marry me, music starts, stars come out, I cry out of sheer joy... but that's not how it happened. While Joe was at the granary I decided I wanted to take a picture so I told him to hold still for a photo, there wasn't really anywhere to pose for a photo while dangling from the end of the rope, nor did he have modeling on his brain, so he started slipping and ended up coming down, the plan foiled, me with my stupid picture. We explored around a bit more then headed back to the car. While we were walking Joe said "I didn't just bring you here to see Indian ruins"..."I wanted to ask you if you would marry me". Apparently my response was something like "I guess". Hahaha, I wish I would have written down what was said in those "..." moments, but those quotes are exactly as I recorded them in my journal that day. I'm a moron. But really it ended up being a very fitting event. Alvey Wash, Indian ruins, Joe being his usual smooth self; bad at surprises. Me and my photo obsession; my annoying aversion to what I perceive as potentially cheesy situations. It was real. It was us. And of course I have a picture of us sitting in Alvey Wash moments after the big event.

Happy anniversary to a loving and wonderful husband and father, the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the sparkle in my cider... See, did anyone else feel kind-of awkward reading that last sentence? While the words may be true, the approach just doesn't work; so allow me to end this way. What a great 8 years. I'm lucky.