to eight wonderful years ...

unfortunately we didn't have a digital camera at the beginning of our life together ... and if I had a scanner you know that all my pictures would be uploaded and burned to a disk for posterity (and for my blog). Maybe someday I'll get there.
For now you're just going to have to rely on your imagination to visualize the bliss that is my life.
The story of how we met is ... what's a good word ... fascinating, interesting, charming - perhaps. I had JUST returned from my mission, Thursday February 25th, 1999. Friday night (the 26th) I went with my good friend Katie to a Young Single Adult Dance at the Seattle Stake Center (where the UW wards meet). It sounded like fun ... shoot - I wasn't a missionary anymore!! We walked in and it was LOUD by comparison to what I was used to for the last 18 months! Good thing we both knew sign language and didn't have to try and hear each other over the music. I had served a few months of my mission in the deaf program and she had taken a few classes at BCC while I was gone. From across the dance floor came this guy ... Katie recognized him from the Deaf Branch (she had attended the LDS Deaf group a few times) - Andy. He signed to us asking if we were deaf. I shook my head - no ... and he asked if I'd like to dance.
This is where I like to say 'and the rest is history' ... but there is always "the rest of the story".
After I had told that story a few hundred times, I heard him tell his side and found out that he had walked past us to go get a drink at the water fountain [and check us out] and then had come back to talk to us. Apparently we had made the grade and weren't too weird looking for him to talk to!
We didn't ACTUALLY start dating until April 10th, and even that wasn't intended to be a first date ... it just so happened that Katie wasn't able to join us at a carnival for deaf kids that Andy had invited us both to. He picked me up at about 9am and we went to the carnival, then lunch at McDonalds with his deaf sister, he had to take her home and wondered if I wanted to go along for the ride, to which I said,'Sure - where are we going?' Everett - right past my house and north for about 20 minutes. When we arrived at his house he invited me in - I met his mom and dad and sister (don't even worry that this wasn't really a date and I was already meeting my future in-laws) we decided to go to a movie [Never Been Kissed], but it didn't start for a few hours so we took his trick kite down to Mukilteo Beach to try and fly it. Remember it was April and NOT summer yet ... the grass was still REALLY muddy and sloshy and I had my famous Doc Martens sandals on ... I went out to hold the kite to help get it flying and found myself surrounded by mud! Andy came to my rescue and piggy backed me out of the swamp. We never did get his kite in the air but there was an old gentleman there flying his trick kite and let us have a go at it for a few minutes! We left there and headed to the movie at the old Everett 9 Theater [that they tore down a couple years ago]. We sat on the aisle end of a row and the movie started ... Andy got up to get a drink and candy ... I thought that was odd ... getting up in the middle of the first part of the movie ... whatever. When he came back I had an overwhelming urge to hold his hand ... but didn't - HELLO this was our first date, my first date since my mission, c'mon what's wrong with me!?!? [I found out later that was the reason HE got up and went out for food - he wanted to hold my hand and had to get away for a minute!] After the movie we must have eaten dinner ... although that part is foggy. I do remember him asking me if I'd ever had Marble Top Ice Cream, 'No, but it sounds good!' So we headed to Seattle. That evening we had ice cream, went and picked up Katie at her house in Kirkland - came back to Seattle to walk around Pioneer Square (Andy's arms around each of us) and eat a good 'NY style' hot dog. We took Katie home and he drove to my house, we sat in my parent's driveway for about an hour talking. I went inside at about midnight ... 9AM to 12AM - our first 'date' was 15 hours long - uh yeah ...
I saw him EVERYDAY after that until he proposed at Waverly Beach Park in Juanita out on the dock on June 17th. My mom asked me once if I thought I should date other people ... since he was the ONLY guy I dated after my mission and I just told her, "Nope, I don't want to date anybody else." We were married Sept 18, 1999 in the Seattle Washington Temple. It was a BEAUTIFUL day! I don't remember too much that happened - that's why we video taped it, took pictures and invited lots of our friends ... so that I didn't have to focus on anything but him - my handsome husband.


Andy is my best friend, he loves me through thick and thin - lately mostly thick but when I'm thin he'll love me more cuz I'll be a knock out! - he loves me come rain or shine, when I'm grouchy or smiling, bossy or accomodating. He loves me and I love him - always and forever.


Andy,

Thank you for your love, your patience, your strength, your laughter, your snore that is usually curbed by your CPAP, your hands that work hard to provide for us, your eyes that easily tear, your ears that listen to me, your sexy muscled arms, your legs that would walk a million miles for me, your cute perfect little feet, your ability and willingness to let me stay home and be the mom and your amazingly GIGANTIC heart. Thank you for just being you. Know that I love you with all my heart - it only beats for you!

I love us.

Happy Anniversary!

Looking forward to many, many more (an eternity) with you!!

this was waiting for me when I got home from running errands this morning!

he really is the best - and wanna know what the card says?!

"Another year of being cute together."

See - I told you!