Happy Anniversary to My Better Half
I figured this short, light-hearted, personal post was extra appropriate coming back from the long holiday weekend… how was your weekend, by the way? Ours was productive and restful- the best of both worlds. Anyway, today is our anniversary and I wanted to surprise my better half (that’s Emmett, obviously!) with this special post and give you guys a more personal peek into our past. Click through for some pretty good old photos (circa 2003 and beyond) and 10 things you might not know about us, as a couple… cue the PDA (which is usually not our thing, BTW).
I get a LOT of messages along the lines of, “You are so lucky to have a husband who is handy!” While Emmett is amazing and awesome at projects, construction, and all things renovating- I’m most thankful to have a supportive, loving partner who shares common interests and dreams with me (which happens to include home stuff). Teamwork, love, support, and adventure has always been our mindset and priorities. We quickly learned we’re much better together than we are trying to achieve something alone, and have more fun along the way. We’re opposite in many ways, but similar in others. I think we have a nice balance going that works well for us. All of that to say- I do feel extremely lucky… Emmett being handy is just a bonus!
We were just kids when we started dating. It’s not the norm, but somehow it worked out for us and we’ve been together since age 15. We went to the same junior high (Emmett moved to my school in the six grade), high school, and college. We grew up together, we went to school together, we competed against each other (high school 4-H photo below), we’ve experienced many “firsts” together (driving, prom, loss, graduations, jobs, travel, home ownership, etc), and we’ve always had / have a lot of fun together.
That’s really what we’re still doing- learning, growing, and dreaming. That’s actually one of the things I love most about our relationship- we push each other to dream big and think outside the box. We love imagining and re-imagining our future, which seems to be ever changing. We both agree we never would’ve guessed how things have played out so far, which feels fun and exciting.
10 Things You Might Not Know About Us
- Our first home projects together began in high school- tackling demo and hanging drywall for Emmett’s parents during their DIY remodel.
- My engagement / wedding ring is vintage (I just have one ring). Emmett knew me well- even back then… I prefer unique, vintage, and beautiful!
- Our wedding photographer ghosted us (after we had already paid). We even took photos after our honeymoon with her on the family farm riding our horses… we never got any of them.
- Someday (longterm dream), we want to BUILD our “forever home”. You know… build from scratch, not renovate an existing place.
- Our worst argument was over a home project (it isn’t always easy to renovate with your spouse!)… in our first home- wallpapering the hallway.
- We’re a very outdoorsy couple (if you haven’t already noticed)– we have the most fun getting outside together- skiing, kayaking, off roading, hiking, fishing, camping, horseback riding, etc.
- We got married on a ranch and our entire wedding was DIY because we were on a mega budget.
- Our favorite cuisine, as a couple, is Italian… we do homemade pizza & pasta nights often. We’ve celebrated many occasions and have lots of memories in Italian restaurants.
- We’re that couple who always matches. Plus- Emmett likes to buy us the same exact gear & clothing (eye roll- this drives me nuts). We show up in the same hiking boots, rain coat, hat, and pants- mine is just the women’s version (same color and everything). Haha!
- Our music preference is bluegrass, country, or folk… though we like most types of music- that’s just what we listen to together most of the time.
While lots of things have changed, we still love doing many activities we used to do back in the day- skiing, traveling, doing things outside, etc. We really do have the best time together. The above “then” image was around 2006 (Emmett had braces for almost 7 years to get those nice teeth), and the below “then” image is circa 2008. My hair color changed often back then.
This year we had a couple big adventures and trips planned, but like everyone else- all of our travel was canceled. We’re hoping we can get back to adventuring in new places again soon. That’s something we’ve always loved and it’s a fun way we celebrate our anniversary. In the below “then” image, we took a three week cross country camping trip and hit most of the national parks. That was our first time in the Redwood Forest.
I took all of our engagement photos with a tripod and my camera on a timer, in the pasture on the farm. We were on a college student budget and I was in art school, so of course I thought it was an awesome, creative idea to DIY engagement photos. The below image (and the intro image) are results from that shoot- a decade ago! It’s fun to look back at some of those now.
Over the course of 15+ years, we’ve gained some weight, found a few gray hairs, made lots of memories, and have had our share of ups & downs, but I wouldn’t want to do life with anyone else. Happy anniversary, Emmett! Our plan is to get out and adventure today- perhaps a picnic in the mountains after work. I hope you’re all having a good Tuesday and enjoyed this tiny peek into our past! Don’t worry- I’ve got a regular home post lined up for tomorrow. In the meantime- do you have any questions for us? Like why I wore so much makeup in high school and college (my mom tried to warn me it wasn’t a good look)? What it was like growing up on farms (spoiler- we had a lot of horseback riding & 4-wheeler dates)? The story of our wedding photographer? Maybe I’ll save that one for another day. We’re happy to answer questions in the comment section below! Ok, ok… end of sappy post.