Eight years of wedded bliss

Today, Adam and I have been married for eight years. Eight years!! Okay, I guess that's really not all that long in the grand scheme of things, especially considering we plan on being married for at least a good 70 years in this life, and pretty much infinity after that. But it does amaze me that after living with someone, sharing all the intimate details of our thoughts, emotions, and aspirations, for eight years we still don't know everything about each other.

Case in point, as Adam and I were driving to Cedar City for our anniversary weekend getaway, I told him about how when I was a little girl I thought my mom was an alien. Yeah, I was convinced that I saw her pull her "human mask" off more than once as I lay in bed. So how can two people be married for so long and not share a story like that?! I guess that it is one of those amazing blessings in life that there can still be mystery in a marriage after cleaning up one another's puke or blood.

So, to prove I am not being totally unromantic about such an amazing and wonderful milestone in our lives, I am going to share with you some of the things I've learned about Adam. If you know him, you may already know these things. However, I feel it is a measure of our love for each other that although there are still a million mysteries about each other to discover, we know each other as well as we do now.

#1 Adam is funny. He has a sarcastic wit that went way over my head for years, and still does sometimes. But he truely funny in an intelligent way . . . and I love it!

#2 Adam snores. It's actually really cute snoring, even when it's loud. Okay, maybe cute isn't the right word. But I had always thought snoring was kind of gross-sounding until I heard Adam do it. I kind of like it, and I only wake him up to have him roll over when I am super, super tired. Usually I will lay awake and listen to him.

#3 Adam is steady. Rarely does anything ruffle him. He can handle pretty much anything with a level head. There could be no two more opposite people in this respect than Adam and I, and that's one reason I need him so much.

#4 Adam hates having his shoulders or back rubbed. If he gives me a back massage I can never reciprocate with the same thing.

#5 Adam is persistent. When he has a goal or an idea, he follows through. It's not enough for him just to think of something, or even to plan it. From a new cookie recipe to building Instaproofs, when he starts something, it is to finish it. It's one of the things that makes him so successful in business. (I know that as you're reading this, Adam, you are thinking "Locals for Hire." But we're not dead yet, and remember who your business partner is--Mrs. Never-Follow-Through!)

#6 Adam likes good food. He is always looking to find a new recipe or to learn a new cooking technique. It is fun for us to find good restaurants and try out different types of food, and if he could cook it better, he becomes quite the critic!

#7 Adam is inquisitive. It's not enough to be told something, he has to understand it and why it is. He is constantly learning and reading and asking questions.

#8 Adam hates floral patterns and silk flowers. I don't think this is too unusual for a man, but we have a strict "no florals" policy in decorating our house, and have since day one of our marriage. I do have permission to use flowers in a bathroom if I choose ;)

#9 Adam loves to serve. When service opportunities come up, he is always signing up, whether it's go give blood, help out at the cannery, or serve as priesthood leader/cook at Girls' Camp, he's your man! He's been called to the Elders Quorum Presidency, and I think this calling will really give him a chance to help people.

#10 Adam is my favorite person to be around. I can't remember ever thinking I wanted more space from him, from the time that we were dating (with me in Cedar City and him in St. George), and even since he started working from home and is now home all day every day. I do worry about smothering him sometimes, but when I do something, I look forward to sharing it with Adam, and when we are alone together it feels like heaven.

Adam, I love you, and I'm so grateful that we are married. I couldn't have picked a more wonderful man to be with for eternity.

This blurry picture was taken while we were hiking near Cedar City this weekend (probably the first picture of the two of us in several years!)