3 years down... eternity to go

2:00 AM on aug 14, 2004, three years ago today, i sat in my great-aunt's bathroom with my girlfriends, trying to figure out what in the world to do with my hair the next morning. we found something that worked, and called it a night. i climbed in to bed with my best friend, jessica, and we chatted until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore. 16 years of sleepovers, sharing bunkbeds in college, sleeping head-to-toe even in to our 20s... i couldn't have asked for anything more perfect than to have her with me the night before my wedding.

i was up by 5:30, getting showered, doing my make-up, having my hair done, trying really hard to just enjoy the day and not get stressed. trying really hard not to look anyone in the eyes too long and start to get misty eyed and smudge my mascara. a couple hours of preparation, speeding to the temple, going through the step-by-step process of signing documents, showing recommends, putting on the wedding attire, all leading up to the moment we saw each other for the first time right before the ceremony. my heart fluttered.

walking through the doors and seeing everyone we loved in one room was breathtaking. i tried so hard not to cry. our ceremony was perfect. it felt like the man who performed our temple ceremony had been hand-picked by the Lord himself. and i often reflect on his words of advice and counsel.

it's amazing to look back on that day and realize what a leap of faith we were making. we were in love. we were excited to be married. we were best friends and had been developing that friendship for years. we had little understanding of what we were about to embark on, but we held hands and took the plunge together.

everyday since then has been better than the last. not to say that everyday is toasts and wedding cake, but everyday we learn and we grow and we stretch each other a little more. we move a little closer to being "one" the way we know the Lord wants us to be. we make mistakes. we ask forgiveness. we offer forgiveness. we laugh. we have gotten more and more silly and bizarre with each day that passes. we have travelled together, gotten lost in foreign countries together, cried over negative pregnancy tests together. we have fought over the covers, argued over lyrics, disagreed about how to approach certain issues. we have compromised. we have sacrificed. we have been selfish and selfless. we have wrestled and hugged. yelled and spoken kindly. been independent and worked together. been lazy and worked hard. we are still in love. we are still excited to be married. and we are even better friends. we have so many more adventures to look forward to. what an awesome journey we're on together.

i love you monkey. happy anniversary.