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5 years (Minnesota Vacation Post #1)

Somehow, 5 years have managed to fly by since I married Ryan. They say time flies when you're having fun - and that statement is very true! It almost scares me when I reflect on how fast these 5 years have gone. As cliché as this sounds, I just don't know where the time went! I seriously feel like we were planning our wedding a few months ago. But I am preaching to the choir, here. So I'll move on from my moment of awe....

We spent our anniversary in the place where we got married - Battle Lake, MN. Which is the happiest place on earth, in my opinion! Being in that area always brings back such strong memories of growing up. And now having the memory of our wedding makes it even more of a special place in my heart.

Here are my favorite moments of the 1st 5 years:
  1. Our honeymoon. We stayed a the Playa del Mujeres Excellence Resort outside of Cancun - and it ranks as my favorite vacation. That place is seriously paradise.....sailing, all-inclusive indulgence, beautiful white sandy beaches, snorkeling....
  2. Shopping for our 1st house. The planning, the budgeting, deciding what was most important to us, being "out-bidded" on what we thought was our dream house, and finally -- deciding on "the one". Together.
  3. Moving into our 1st house. Yes, this may sound materialistic. But it's more than that. I cherish those long nights of cleaning up this abandoned, dusty foreclosure - and transforming it into ours. Ordering pizza, and taking a "painting break" for pizza, a cold beer, and admiring the views from our new backyard. Special moments.
  4. Going to San Antonio with Ryan for 5 months last year to be with him while he was at school. It was an experience I'll probably never re-live, and I'm so glad we did it while we could! It definitely grew us stronger as a couple.
  5. Learning to live together as a couple again after a long separation due to Ryan's schools. It's been an adjustment - and it's had good days and tough days. But, again, it's all contributed to growth.
  6. Our camping trips: A hobby I never had (or dreamt I'd partake in) until these past 5 years! We've had some amazing memories, seen some beautiful sights, and had a lot of fun camping....
 
 
Here's a little "Before and After" action:
 
Before......

 
And After....
 
 
 
Our Anniversary was quite perfect, I must say.
 
We started it off with an early morning 6 mile run along the lake. (That was my choice...Ryan wasn't too thrilled about running at 6:30 on his 1st morning of vacation. But loves makes people do crazy things.)
 
After we finished, he thanked me. :)
 
I then got my present from him. (I gave him his present early). He got a compound miter saw - which is too big to pack in luggage. "Wood" is the material for a 5 year anniversary...and this saw will cut wood!
 
I got a little bit spoiled......
 
 
It's hard to see in the photo - but he got me another band for our wedding ring. He did well :)
 
It was a gorgeous day at the lakes. We spent it swimming, visiting with family, and soaking up precious time with family. Ryan's Mom and Step Dad made it out to the lakes to see us too - so they joined my immediate family (17 total head count w/ spouses & children) for lunch at a place called Stellas in Battle Lake. It felt wonderful to be surrounded by our big, awesome family!
 
That evening, we set out for a romantic sunset paddleboat ride. It was a beautiful evening - and it was just nice to enjoying "being" with my favorite person......
 
 
I cannot wait to see what the next 5 years brings.....
 
Stay tuned for more "reviews" on our trip home. I felt it proper to dedicate a sole "Anniversary post".
 

 


Comments

I can't believe it's been 5 years since your marriage either! You guys have both achieved a lot in the last 5 years and I can't wait to see what the years to come will bring. I am glad you got to spend our anniversary in an area that you love. And it's good that you could paddle away from some alone time that evening. I'm looking forward to the rest of the posts!
Marlys said…
Awe, that was great! It is amazing how fast the years speed by, isn't it? I'm so glad you could spend your vacation back here and reconnect with family and MN! You will have to revisit Playa del Mujeres on another anniversay! Looking forward to the next posts!
Amber said…
Happy Anniversary! So special you got to spend it in the place you got married. Here's to five more amazing years :)

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