Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Happy

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Today is our wedding anniversary.
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We don't have any big plans. We don't have babysitting. We didn't buy each other any expensive gifts.

Instead, we woke up together, hugged sleepily in the kitchen, and got ready for work. We dressed our boys. We fed them Cheerios. In the afternoon, we will take the boys to swimming class, then to McDonald's, and come home to watch a little "Snow White." Then we will put them to bed. We will open a bottle (or three) of red wine. We will huddle in our love nest of a room. We will exchange traditional anniversary gifts (bronze or pottery for the 8th year), and we will just be.

Usually, I like a lot of pomp and circumstance. I like big. I like loud. I like a fuss.

This year, a fuss was not possible or practical. And I was okay with that. Because when we embraced this morning, Hubby mumbled a sleepy "I love you," followed with "I'm happy."

"I'm happy."
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So simple. So major. And I realized, at that moment, that I am, too.
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Blissfully happy.
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Content.
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Our lives are hectic and busy and exhausting and stressful. We do not run away to New York or Paris like we used to. We do not have money to blow every weekend at expensive restaurants. We do not go to Happy Hour on a weeknight and get a couple of hours of sleep before going in to work the next day. Sometimes, we don't even have the energy to speak to each other at the end of the day.

But we are Happy.
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We've made these little boys...these two little rascals who drive us nuts almost every day.
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We've made a family.
.

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And even on the worst days, on the days when we wonder why we even wanted any of the grown up stuff, why we didn't just keep traveling the world and living our carefree lives, we're in it together. We're a team, the 2 of us.
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Solid. Lucky. Grateful. In love.
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Happy.
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Photography by www.gilcelia.com

23 comments:

  1. Gorgeous photos Liz....beautiful family.

    Happiness is everything....as is being a team....I love that you have that. And that you know it and really appreciate it.

    Happy Anniversary honey!!

    PS The pink ruffle-y dress you asked me about....I have no idea where it is from, will try to find out :)

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  2. And your happiness spreads out across us all. These photos are so beautiful and exude SO much happiness. I love it. All of it. That you are content, even amidst the chaos. That you are happy, even if you allow yourself to be unsure or grumpy at times.

    This is the stuff of life. And the life you are living is more than just admirable. It is something many aspire to...

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  3. awww, reading this post made me teary-eyed. i sense the happiness here. were you smiling when you wrote this? your soul is smiling. i can sense it from here, the other side of the globe. at the end of the day, that's all that matters...happiness :)

    shuttling in from SITS :)

    oh, and happy anniversary :)

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  4. Happy, happy anniversary!! All you had to do was post those pictures - because they tell the story of how happy you are!

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  5. This is so lovely. Happy. Gorgeous. And fun, too. Fun is the good stuff that often gets overlooked, like happy. Happy Anniversary to you both!

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  6. Just a few words: Good for you!

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  7. Ok - a few more words...your kids are beautiful :-) Happy Anniversary.

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  8. Oh, these pictures are wonderful! And with your words? What a testament to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, the everyday moments. Happy Anniversary to you and your guy!

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  9. Happy Anniversary! Believe me, there will be time for nights out and trips abroad when the boys grow up. But it's wonderful that you recognise your 'quiet' happiness now.

    Helena xx

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  10. Happy anniversary! Your happiness is contagious.

    Also? We DVRed Snow White the other day. I did not remember how dark and scary that movie is!

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  11. Beautiful pictures, wonderful post. It is funny how things change over the course of time in a relationship, and the quiet moments become more fulfilling than the grand show. It is those small gestures that you wrote about that always make me melt...

    Happy anniversary to you both!

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  12. Great photos - congratulations on making such a beautiful family

    I hope you have a lovely evening in together (we do much the same on our anniversary)

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  13. Happy anniversary, gorgeous!

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  14. Happy Anniversary and a beautiful, beautiful post. Thanks for reminding me of all the good things that come with a marriage. :)

    Stopped by from SITS.

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  15. Beautiful photographs, beautiful post, beautiful everything. Happy Anniversary. Here's wishing you many more years just like your last 8!

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  16. Well I feel damn happy just reading this post - happy anniversary to you both x

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  17. Happy anniversary to you both! Such beautiful pictures. :) Isn't it great when happiness just sneaks up on you?

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  18. Good GOD you people are gorgeous! And happy. Happy, happy anniversary sweet girl.

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  19. Happy anniversary. Was my parents anniversary too today, must be a good day for a love. May you have many more happy years to come. :)

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  20. Happy late anniversary! Beautiful family, beautiful words, beautiful life!

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  21. happy anniversary to one of the happiest couples i know. And even if you don't feel you have the money to spend on all That Stuff... your life is RICH from the beauty you've created together. Really. I wish you many many more years of bliss.

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  22. I LOVE your beautiful pics and your beautiful post. Happy Anniversary to both of you, Liz!

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  23. This is, quite possibly, my favorite post ever celebrating a wedding anniversary. Simple. In love. Spending time with the entire fam.

    Love. This. (and your blog, too!)

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