I am a few weeks late here but five years ago I married my childhood crush and, while late, I want to give our matrimonial bliss a shout out. And, really, we rarely do anything on time or in time these days so my belated words are pretty appropriate.
Our wedding was the best. One of my top four days. The other three: Margot’s birth day, Ruby’s birth day and the day Ruby came home from the hospital. We had been together for eight years so jitters had dissolved with our early twenties. And all that was left was concentrated joy.
I recently wrote a short piece for mamalode’s print mag on the theme of connection:
I don’t want to tread matrimonial water. We hold hands and jump, naked and vibrant, off a rock to swim a strong and steady crawl in moonlight. My palms cut the cool water cleanly and precisely, creating ripples that intersect his and the chaotic pattern is beautiful.
My husband and I ride different currents, taking turns in the lead. We hit rocks, barely avoid a snag and then lock eyes and dance in a deep pool, a host of unknowns below our bicycling feet.
He drops out of sight and I feel lonely and lost. But with the surge of a class five hug I discover my own wit and power and I clumsily sidestroke to a slower-moving rapid. And then thick hair atop a smile bobs into view and I am so thankful for my companion. Soon we’ll be in the sea and I can’t wait to explore the wild, whirling tide with him.
In the spirit of love, companionship and sharing, I’d like to do a wee giveaway! Leave a comment (perhaps giving a shout out to your own love) and I’ll randomly choose someone to win a piece of Montana summer:
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| peach butter and apricot lavender jam |
Comments will close on the morning of October 4. Enjoy your weekend!
178 Comments
i completely forgot about our anniversary this year. talked to the man several times before remembering to say something.
i think that’s what happens with kids. you know you always have that someone there (which in our life is a loose term … hello wife of a pilot!) but … life takes precedence.
and yum. i dream of your peach butter.
there just aren’t any wonderful peaches in minneapolis that i’ve found.
It has taken 25 years, and a string of heartaches and men who couldn’t be what a girl like me needs, but I feel, for the first time in seven years, that I am in love. We laugh, and it is real and unhindered and deep and wonderful. We glance, intertwine fingers, grin, blush, and glance again. I feel like a goddess. It is amazing, falling in love with the beginning of fall. Everything around us is dying, leaves and fruit turning to fire as they expend the last of their summer sugars. But as it all dies, we grow, this tiny sprig of life eking its way out of the dark, and I will protect it all winter.
I was super excited to come across your blog via kellehampton.com. I love how you embrace life so free and organically. We live in the Canadian FAR east, and trying to create and eat from scratch. So, your blog gives me motivation!
Congrats on the anniversary! With kids, i often find it hard to give my hubbie the attention he deserves, so anniversaries are such a nice excuse to spoil ourselves!!!
stumbled upon your blog while reading Kelle’s and I’m hooked… i find myself dreaming of living around mountains and picturesque views now. I’m no country girl, as much as I wish I could be… but I love that your blog lets me escape and believe (if only for a few minutes) that I could grow my own veggies and make yummy things like peach butter. we all can dream, can’t we?!
five years. seems like less i think. or maybe more. i loved your wedding too. it was so local before local was in and commodified. i remember always thinking of your and andy’s as this idealized union. i like knowing that everyone hits rocks and snags. it’s important to remember it’s not always perfect, i think. it’s important to balance those lows with the highs. because the highs are worth it. love. yay. also hey! i miss you!
My love and I are nearing our 7th wedding anniversary. In March we’ll celebrate 10 year together and the man still gives me butterflies in my stomach. I am beyond thankful for the passion in our relationship and the love that has grown with each day and spilled over onto our two boys. Congratulations to you and Andy!
What a touching post! Congratulations on all the love in your life. May it multiply exponentially every day!
My family and I moved to Fresno, CA this past summer after living in Dillon, MT for 4 years. When I read your blog and see the pictures of the mountains and everything else that is “Montana” I am instantly back in my little town. I like our new city, but part of my heart will always belong to Montana. Oh, and it belongs to my sweet husband too!
EEEEE…. our third anniversary is coming next week. My wedding day was one of my favorite days of all time… I could not have been more excited, there was no fear or nervousness… just pure excitement. While I don’t think weddings are necessarily money well spent, I do think that having everyone you love the most in the entire world there for you is priceless. So it all evens out.
Congratulations on your anniversary. Once your in it, a relationship, with the right person it seems hard to imagine life any other way. I’ve been with my husband 13 years this Halloween. Time flies.
I found you from Kelle’s blog as well but I’m in Wyoming so I was thrilled to find you. Love your blog, love your photography. My Ivy is the same age as your Ruby.
We have known each other since third grade. Apparently, I was the advanced math student in our math group. He fell in love then, I waited a few more years. We went our separate ways and met up again in our twenties. We have been married three years this past June. And now have a beautiful son, Ryko, who is the light of our lives.
16 years. 3 children. 3 dogs. 2 cats.
Multiple life changes and we are still riding the waves of marriage. And they are waves. Sometimes gentle ripples. Sometimes fierce white water waves that scare the hell out of me.
But whether it’s a river or a calm lake, I love being in the boat:)
Your summer treats look yummy:)
Jen
My hubby and I have been together five and a half years now, and just celebrated our fourth anniversary a couple of weeks ago. It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you’re madly in love and enjoying the business of life. We never would have imagined the journey that lay before us on our wedding day – infertility struggles (which I don’t blog about), farming and raising Scottish Highland cattle (which I do blog about), and loving eachother more every day. Thank you for the wonderful post!
I just recently started reading your blog and I really love it! My husband and I just celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary, but we’ve known each other for 20 years. Sounds like we have a similar story… I always had a crush on him and he always had a crush on me, but he was shy and I was impatient and nothing ever developed. My family moved out of state and we lost touch. 15 years later, after always wondering what ever happened to him, I found him on the internet and sent him a fateful email… the rest, as they say, is history. Turns out we had a lot in common. Two crazy puppies and one beautiful little girl later, we are happy as can be. Who knew 20 years ago that this would be our future?? I totally agree with what you said about marriage. It’s just so great!
Happy anniversary! Thanks for letting us peak into your lives!!
Everyday is a celebration!! My husband and I have celebrated 16 years so far—love that man!! Love your blog too!
Today is my son’s 1st birthday. I could not have previously imagined the love that has bloomed in my life in the past year. The love I feel for my family–both my husband and my son–carries my through everyday.
Nici,
I’m a regular reader, first time poster. Love the ode to Andy, very accurate description of a good strong relationship!
I met & fell in love with my husband when I was 16, but we didn’t get married until I was 25. Almost 6 years later I love him more than I ever have, bumps & all!
I aspire to can my garden like you do, thanks for the inspiration.
Congratulations on your anniversary!!! I loved seeing pics of you and Kelle together!
My own parents divorced after 8 years of marriage and I’ve often heard married people talk about that “7 year itch” (implying that at or around that amount of time of marriage, things change in some way). I never bought into it and swore I’d never divorce (not out of stubbornness, but because I would marry the person I couldn’t live without). The first time I laid eyes on my husband, before we even met, I just KNEW. It can’t be explained. We celebrated our 6 year anniversary Sept 4th and my heart still goes pitter-patter when he walks in the door, we are each other’s biggest cheerleaders in life, and that silly 7 year itch is nowhere in sight going into our 7th year. My top days: graduating high school (ugh, I hated those 4 years), my wedding day, and my daughter’s birth day….plus every single day we wake up together as a family.
I love how you love of my favorite son-in-law….he is the best!
Marriage is a work in progress, I KNOW! As you know I too married my childhood sweetheart and after 43 years together, 38 of those being married,I am proud to say knowing that the percentage of baby boomers that have divorced being over 50% that your dad & I are not part of that statistic! I can honestly say the ups & downs are well worth the ride! I’ll dance at your 25th anniversary if you’ll dance at my 50th!
xoxo, Mom
My fifth anniversary was in August. On one hand, it doesn’t seem possible that it was five years ago; on the other, how has it ONLY been five years?! lol
LOVE the pic you posted of you two kissing at the top. So passionate and sweet 🙂
Found your blog after following Kelle’s… love it, love your place, love your kids, love your canning, love fisha, love your garden, and you’re a pretty darm good writer too 😉
I read your blog in amazement at all you do! I actually married a man with a green thumb who grows our garden and is teaching me how to can. I can’t wait till we have our own place and can go nuts! Until then, your blog inspires me:) Happy belated anniversary!
Ahhhh Love….I LOVE love! Been married to my honey for 7 1/2 years now and we’ve been together 9 1/2. Time flies. For the most part it’s been smooth sailing but we’ve weathered a few storms. The storms are part of it and worth it. I’m hard to live with I’m sure and I love that he loves me just as much as I love him. We were introduced on a blind date and neither of us have looked back. I’m so thankful for that first date. It changed my life for the better! Congrats on your anny!
I have been reading your blog for some time now and love to see how the garden grows. I love that every nook and cranny of your yard is growing room for something wonderfull.
My husband loved me since I was 13 (he being 12). I thought there was now way. But through the years he showed a constant care for me no matter how far I travelled or who I dated. In the end I realised that he was a true man, noble, and honest, caring and loving. I saw that he was my best friend and that I only wanted to be with him. We now share this lovely life with our almost two year old and the second on the way.
Thanks for an honest, open blog of love and growth.
I do not have a love (yet) but when I find one I would most certainly like to swim into the ocean instead of treading matrimonial water. 🙂 Thanks for being such a fantastic example of what a marriage can be. Also, your peach butter and jam look delicious. I must have some.
*sigh* I’m jealous! Congrats!!!
Congrats, Nici!
Hubs and I have been together for 5 1/2 years. Feel very lucky to have such a good man by my side – especially now that we have a daughter. Those two make life grand. 🙂
Happy Anniversary to you! We celebrate our tenth next week.
Kelle’s blog led me to yours and I’m so thankful for that. I spent way too much time over the last week (when I should’ve been working) reading back from the beginning but I’ve enjoyed all of it.
So glad Kelle’s blog led me to yours. I’m trying to convince the love of my life to move us to Montana because you make it sounds so beautiful.
I love your blog. The boyfriend and I have been together for 2 1/2ish years, and are looking forward to many more together. You really inspire me and I hope to be as kind, compassionate, and fun loving a mom as you one day. You know in the very distant future 🙂 Plus you so make me want to get some chickens!!!
Hayley
5 years ago I married the man of my dreams. He is everything to me. And I am everything to him. Together we created the world. And in our world we love, we laugh and we cry. And we soak up every single breath that each other take.
I love reading this and think that belated tributes to best friends/loves are wonderful. My husband Adam and I spent our first two years of marriage in Missoula and now live in DC. Definitely feel more in love as each year passes!! Blessings to you both.
First off, I love your mom’s comments. Sweet icing to your lovely post. Congratulations to you and Andy. Ben and I recently celebrated 18 years of marriage (20 together). We joke that I got married as a fetus, but when most find that we got married when I was 21…well, I get the “Oh!” response like they experienced something horribly graphic.
However, I have never feared nor regretted the experience. I loved learning to grow into my own skin in my 20’s and having Ben along for the adventure. He is my keel, my balance. The one who makes me crack up laughing and who taught me that it’s ok to let things slide to tomorrow. I cannot imagine my life without my man.
Have a fantastic weekend!
Jennifer from Annapolis
We will celebrate our 25th Wedding anv. this May. I just want to say that when I hear his truck pull up the drive at the end of the day, My heart still beats a little faster.
Happy Anniversay to you and Andy. I found the love of my life in Vegas (I’m glad some things that happen in Vegas don’t stay in Vegas). We will celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary and 14 years together at the end of the month. My guy is everything to me and he has given me two beautiful little girls.
Thanks for this little nugget of marriage encouragement today! It’s easy to lose sight of that primary relationships while chasing babies, making a home, etc. Love your blog!
What a beautiful photo and such sweet words! I have to say that my wedding is in the top 3 best days of my life! Just celebrated our 9th a few weeks ago!
Congrats!
I have big love for Montana. Feel lucky to live here. I share the love of growing food and preserving with you. Sounds like you and your husband have a great relationship. Cheers!
Happy Anniversary to the two of you! Love is grand, my husband and I have been married for 22 years but it sure has flown by!
We just had some homemade peach-raspberry butter on my toast this AM (used your recipe :o) and added a bowl of raspberries.)
We’ve been together for almost nine years, married for two. Neither of us thought it would matter, being married, but when the law changed in California and we had a trip planned to see the Frida exhibit at SFMOMA, we though “What the hell?!” and we did it. Deepening a bond we didn’t think could get deeper was an amazing experience, and one we cherish each day. Thanks for sharing, in such a beautifully poetic way, your healthy relationship. And thank you for sharing your home, your girls, your family with us. You’ve made my day! And my babe loves nothing better than fruity butters, so I’m in!
My love and i met 3 years ago- through an internet dating site of all places. I can not imagine my life today with out him. We recently bought a beautiful house, and even after a year and half I can be walking through it or be out in my yard, and think I can’t believe I really get to live here, and live here with him 🙂
Happy Anniversary!!
5 Years ago I married my very best friend…and it didn’t hurt that he had the same last name as me (so I didn’t have to do all that pesky name changin’ business. Probably should mention that we aren’t related either, ha). I loved reading this post today, thank you 🙂
True love is the greatest blessing. I am thankful for mine everyday.
True love is the greatest blessing. I am thankful for mine everyday.
Still looking for my true love….your blog gives me hope!!
PS—I love Montana too!!
I love your blog & follow it regularly. Your words are inspiring. As a Missoula mama, I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place surrounded by mountains and a loving community. I can’t imagine any other place I would want to raise my little one. I feel so lucky and count my blessing daily.
My fiance and I are looking forward to our Montana wedding next summer. And are coming up on our 7 year anniversary next Friday. He is my best friend, my rock! I can’t imagine life without him in it.
I feel so blessed to have found my soul mate and look forward to many more anniversaries!
This October will be our first aniversery. My husband and I married last year on October 24th and I can’t believe it will already be a year this month!
Peachy! I met my hubby during my senior year of high school while at a party at his house that he rented with 2 other roommates in high school, yes high school. The house (which we still stop and gaze at when we visit good ol’Mizzo) sits on Madison street, just a stone’s throw from Greenough Park…oh Greenough. We met 19 years ago at this house and have been together ever since. We both went to Big Sky high in good ol’ Mizzo. We donned our caps and gowns and walked from the Madison house to the U of M fieldhouse for our high school graduation ceremonies. So many memories. We were married in August of 2001 and now have a 3 year old daughter. What I LOVE about my husband is that he’s “easy”. Meaning….we just get along. We NEVER fight. We compromise. He’s my biker dude. The daddy. My high school sweetheart.
Now, isn’t that just peachy?
What a lovely post! I married the love of my life just 3 weeks ago and it was such a beautiful and amazing day! I am so excited to start this new phase in our lives! have a great weekend!
I am so thankful for my husband! I don’t usually forget our anniversary, it just gets harder to do things, having the 4 kiddos! Bev [email protected]
how sweet!
I just got engaged and I’m looking forward to being married. Happy Anniversary!
My husband and I have been married for 6 years (I’ve known him for 10 years) and I still get excited when I see his car pull into the driveway at the end of the day! And your Montana goodness looks delicious!
Monica
My husband and I will celebrate our 9 year wedding anniversary next March. And I will be turning 30 the following month. I was a young bride! We have had an amazing 8.5 years of marriage. We have done SO much in that time…endured a military deployment, both earned our college degrees, bought and sold and bought a house, visited Maui 3 times among many other adventures to other states, had our two girls…
We are best friends. I feel so beyond lucky to get to go through life with him by my side.
Happy anniversary to you!
So beautiful, and- you chose a really lovely photo.
xoxo
Melina
Happy Anniversary Nici! My love and I just celebrated our 15th year on Sept. 23rd. It’s a wonderful ride, isn’t it?
We celebrated 10 years this summer. I still ogle him when he gets out of the shower. And then I think to myself, “we must be doing something right”.
Happy Belated Anniversary. 🙂
My man and I celebrated ten years this past July. We have yet to do something really special on an anniversary but that is OK. I truly married my best friend and would not trade him for the anything.
Happy Anniversary to you both!
With two little girls its easy to forget each other in the chaos of every day life. What I never forget, though, is how my husband smells – his breath, his skin, his hair, and how it makes me high on love and life and him. The only other people that do that to me with their scent are my Lucy and Alice. I breathe in my family every day. -Amy Pence-Brown
,,,first i had to swallow the gigantic lump in my throat before placing my fingers on the keyboard,,,my parents celebrated (in august) 51 years of marriage, they wear the institution of marriage very well, they met in the great city of SF when both had began their medical careers,,,i on the other hand 48 years young have not had the courage to get my feet soaked with the idea of marriage,,,i’m over the moon and stay consistenly enamored with my BFF of 10 years “he” is everything i imagine a good husband, life partner and companion to be,,,he is 52 years young and also has never been married,,,as the days, months and years go by i keep thinking i might like to try marriage on for size, i’m thinking he might feel the same way,,,i make 100 layer cake a daily read just in case (smile)
what a great story nici thanks for sharing,,,
Congrats! My love and I celebrated 10 years in May and honestly I just can’t wait to see where the next 10 leads us. It’s a wonderful thing how time can improve and increase love.
Happy anniversary! Beautiful wedding picture and amazing and descriptive piece you wrote from mamalode.
I’ll have to give a shout out to my wonderful husband when I have more time but am wondering if I can purchase some peach butter and apricot lavender jam? Seriously. If not, ever thought about selling? I imagine shipping will be pricey, but I know it will be worth it! I am planning on buying a skirt for my daughter so just let me know in the event these could be all shipped together!
Jill B (Overland Park, KS)
Happy anniversary! Yum – the peach butter and apricot lavender jam look delicious!!
My husband and I met in 2008 at my sister’s wedding. We’ve been together since!! Dated for two years and have been married for two. Best 4 years of my life!! It was DEFINITELY love at first sight. We stayed up talking all night after the wedding and were inseparable in the following weeks…. and we’re still inseparable years after. 🙂
We grew up in the same town. He graduated 3 years before me. Our 11 year anniversary of our first kiss will be October 5. We were married 8 years in June. We had our first child, Tanner Michael, December 17, 2009. 🙂
Hubby is now in the Air Force and we are stationed up at Eielson AFB, near Fairbanks, Alaska. He is currently in Guam then going to Korea for a total of 8 weeks. I’m in Superior, MT with family. 🙂
Beautiful!!! Happy Anniversary! I married (almost 7 years ago) my high school sweetheart- he and I are complete opposites. What he has, I lack and what I have, he lacks and what we have together is truly something amazing. I can’t imagine my life without him.
Congratulations! I recently found your blog, and am enjoying reading backwards during the many hours that my almost one year old keeps me up nursing at night 🙂 I met my husband in 6th grade, dated and broke up with 3 times (or 5, if you ask him) in college, and married him five and a half years ago. Also, I love that you post recipes… I am always looking for new ideas, and am trying your parsnip curry one tonight!
I recently was introduced to your blog through the site of Kelle Hampton. 🙂
I hail from South Florida too but currently reside in Studio City, CA.
Today, your words hit a my heart and bring tears to my eyes, for I’d give anything to have such love in my life again. While I feel a strong sense of envy of your love relationship, it softens me by being reminded that love does still exist. That men and woman can and do genuinely love each other and that the beauty of such love can (and does) live on.
May God Bless you all. You’re family is lovely. 🙂
Congrats on your anniversary!
You are such an amazing writer! I am really glad I found your blog (through Kelle Hampton!) and started following along. And I sure would love that peach butter. 🙂
I love reading your blog!
When it says to give a shoutout to my love, I have to mention my wonderful and patient husband Phil as well as my amazing and funny daughter Mirabelle. We all love to eat 🙂
I’ve been married for a total of oh…6 weeks now? and it is awesome, and hard, but mostly full of lots of “we’re figuring this out together.” and i’ll take that any day.
We are coming up on five years in just two more weeks. I have to say that we’ve endured the hardest of hardships together in this (relatively) short time–loss of family, jobs, houses, our own baby, moving long-distance, business school (seemingly minor in comparison, but so huge). We’ve also experienced the greatest joys together–namely the births of three healthy children. It has been way harder, but way better than I ever could have imagined.
We’ve been married 41 years, have 3 awesome kids and 3 awesome kids-in-laws, and 5 (almost 6) wonderful grand kiddies!! We are truely blessed!!
Happy Anniversary to you!
happy anniversary!!
that butter & jam look heavenly!
7 years into marriage and the only itch I get is for him…….
Happy Anniversary! :o)
My husband Joe and I just celebrated 16 years in August. We have a beautiful 12 year old daughter. He calls me his better half! He is an amazing man and I love growing old with him.
My husband came into my place of work almost every day, but it took the internet to unite us. We’ve been together over 5 years, married 2, and now have added 2 kids, 4 cats, and a dog. I think we’re stuck together and nothing makes me more happy than that. I wish you all the best as you celebrate another year of wedded bliss.
I love my husband, he is the better part of me.
[email protected]
I won a gaveaway this week so winning another one is unlikely. But I have a little cabin in Lakeside Montana, we try to get there 2-3 times a year, but it’s so expensive and far. So I think I should have a little of Montana! Don’t you? Anyway, good luck to all.
Happy weekend!
KarenSue
Don’t you just love blogville? How reading one blog leads to another which leads to another…
Nici~you got me with apricot lavender jam. Good God, that sounds heavenly!!
Best wishes to you & your beautiful family.
Maria
My babycakes, Jayson… what can I say? He makes me smile. We’ve been together four years next month. We share the same birthday (same day, different years). I just truly feel blessed to have found him after some broken roads. And as someone said before, I still do get excited when I hear his truck coming home…he’s the cutest and the sweetest… he’s honest and hardworking and respectful and he’s the best…Our life is full of ups and downs, sometimes stress, and not always fun stuff…I’m still striving to be where I want to be…and that has been hard… and get tired of trying to climb the same mountain that seems to never end… but him and I are a safeplace, a good place, a trusted place full of peace and love…He’s stayed with me when I would have left myself (hard health issues)… and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to truly thank him for that… but I will try every day I am blessed to share life with him. xoxo the relationship is peace in chaos sometimes… and I had to kiss several toads to get my prince… but the best part is he is just a man… we’re human… and we both get that… but, man, does he make me blush just thinking of him…;0)
p.s. peach butter looks amazing…
my man and i just started playing uno before bed again. it was a ritual we had started early in our marriage and then after 2 boys were added to our family, long ago went by the wayside. i pulled the deck out of the closet and his face lit up! i had forgotten about the sweet conversations that can be induced over a bedtime card game!
I married my best friend because I couldn’t imaging growing old without him by my side. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs and yet we still remember to laugh. I love the beautiful daughter we created together. A perfect combination of the both of us.
Loving your blog! It makes me happy 🙂 My husband and I are also high school sweethearts and have been married 23 years. We have 4 kids from 5-21 and life can get pretty crazy, but I’m grateful every day to be married to my best friend.
Jill
Three years ago, last month, I grabbed ahold of my adulthood and decided to make the most independent decision I’ve ever made in my life: move across the country for a precious love. It was hard, but it wasn’t really, because he makes it easy. It’s been an interesting journey, with our ups and downs, difficulties with transitions, and then there are moments where I feel like I’ve been doing this all along.
Life is about decisions like that. You have to just leap and take a chance, whether it’s with a job, a life ambition, a move, or a love.
And today, we are officially one year and one week away from our Fall wedding in Seattle. So, I think it turned out alright, eh?
Goodness you all overwhelm me with your honest and beautiful accounts of love! How uplifting.
Let me also say that those who aren’t in the partnership they seek, notice I said give a shout out to your own love. That’s a very open-ended suggestion!
In a couple of weeks we will celebrate our 13th anniversary! I couldn’t have dreamed of a better husband…
My Mr. and I have only been married for four years, but two children and lots of love and memories later I can say that I relate to your piece! I really enjoy following your blog and reading your writing, blessings to you and your beautiful family.
A fellow gardener in Texas,
Brittany
Here is my shout out to my partner: After 10 years of marriage, 14 years of partnership, Big life changes and big expectations, it is sometimes a far cry for two very different people to still find the romance and passion. But, when I see the way he looks at Annica, or she does/ says something silly and we catch each others laughing joyous eyes…. I know. I know he is my love, my life partner, my soulmate.
A chance to win some homemade goodnesss… divine. I can already taste those montana peaches slow cooked to perfection.
xo
Sage
I got swept into your blog through Kelle’s as well – often a silent reader of both! Bravo to you for your efforts to prepare your own food – I attempt to do the same, just on a smaller scale and the last couple of years have been canning more and more. By my side – my “hubby” of 7 years. Feels like forever.. in a you must be made for me and feels like you’ve always been a part of my life kind of way. Happy anniversary!
A very happy anniversary to you! I waited a long time to find my guy… I had nearly given up on love & resigned myself to a happy spinster-hood. As luck would have it, I was at a flea market with a friend when I first saw my husband… my heart literally skipped a beat… my friend thought I was having some sort of attack. It was like a physical sensation of seeing someone I had not seen in a very long time… he was just so familiar. I worked up the courage to go talk with him (ok, truth is my friend actually pushed me over to his booth!) & we ended up falling madly in love. That was 10 years ago.
When our first son was born & we learned of his DS it totally rocked our world. As we navigated this new world & figured out how to get used to our new state of “normal” we realized we could get through anything together. We got married on Quinn’s 1st birthday, almost 4 years ago.
Oh how I have dreamed of experiencing your peach butter in person! Pick me, pick me.
🙂
xo
Kate
This was a beautiful post! My husband and I will be married 8 years on the 5th of this month! It has been such a beautiful and exciting ride and I am so grateful that he is mine and I am his!
xoxo
I came to your blog via Kelle Hampton’s blog, and I just adore your views on life.
I, too, married my high school sweetie (6 years ago!) and after 2 years of trying, just had our first child in April.
Congrats to you and your hubby on 5 years of bliss. Marriage is the best, isn’t it?
My hubby and I have been married for 21 years now. We were both very young (19 and 21) when we got married and I still thank my lucky stars we’re together. People thought it wouldn’t last, or we had to get married -guess that’s the only reason people marry young… It hasn’t always been easy, but anything worthwhile hardly ever is. We’re definitely not perfect, but (maybe) we’re perfect for each other…
Hello! Frequent reader but infrequent poster! I find your canning and gardening adventures to be absolutely awe inspiring. My little 4×4 square foot garden can’t quite keep up but its what I’ve got!
My second wedding anniversary is rapidly approaching and I often find myself stopping to wonder what I would do without this man I call my husband. Who would help wrangle the wily three-year old? Who would do the dishes because I just don’t feel like it tonight? Who would hold my hand while watching TV with me? Who would twine his legs with mine while we drift off to sleep? Who would laugh at my dancing in the kitchen?
Who would love me unconditionally?
I’m so lucky and so blissful. I love him so very much.
We were 17 and he came into my life when I needed him the most.
that sounds cliche perhaps… but never have I meant anything more in my life. Now we live in a little mobile home with our 2 children, puppy and cat and my heart is filled with so much love and contentment.
Your blog is my new favorite. Thank you for inspiring the world.
I didn’t really know what love was until I saw that him and I made .. her!
This 8 month old that I am totally head over heels in love with.. because this man that I fell in love with helped me create the most beautiful gift I could ever ask for.
She loves me (us) unconditionally and I feel it every single moment of every single day.. my family is my love and oh it over flows in our house and makes me look well beyond the laundry and dishes that need to be done.
Your passage moved me and I feel, for this little family, our journey has just begun.
Simply lovely 🙂
I met my love on a blind date. I remember almost calling to cancel an hour before….I just wasn’t in the mood to hang out with someone I didn’t know. But guilt (and now I realize sometihng else) made me go and I am SOOOOO glad I did! 10 years and 3 kids later, I couldn’t be have imagined the life and love I have now.
-Jenny in Iowa
Congrats to you and Andy. It’s been so fun to watch your family grow and your love for one another deepen over time.
I love your blog. Reading your thoughts on being a mother, a wife, a friend are so inspiring. Especially for me, your thoughts on motherhood make me want to be a better mother to my 2 year old daughter.
Love is the grandest gift!
Beautiful words, friend, from a heart obviously in deep.
Can’t deny that I would *love* a taste of your little heaven (aka peach butter). Perhaps I will get to make some next year with the wonderful peaches I get through my parents in the Okanagan (I also live in BC, Canada).
I enjoy so much your photos that naturally convey the beauty of your garden and family and the words you intertwine them with. Congratulations on your belated anniversary. My hubby and I celebrated our second this year, though we’ve been together for almost five years.
Keep on diggin’ with those wonderful words that you sow.
Congrats on 5 years! We are close to 3 and they have been the best 3 of my life…I love your blog thanks for all that you share!
best giveaway ever!
Congrats on 5 years. We just made it through our first 5 (and 10 total together). I think we hit bigger boulders than it sounds like you do as we’re bobbing down the river, but I can’t imagine this life without him.
Here’s to 5 (or 50!) more…
Just checking in….OH MY! Good night my Burb :)…YKW( you know who)!
we celebrated 15 yrs this yr. time goes by so quickly, especially when raising a family. i wish we had taken more time for us over the last 15 yrs, but i treasure every moment we get together.
happy anniversary!
A piece of Montana summer sounds DELIGHTFUL!
My husband and I celebrated 7 years of marriage in August. Marriage isn’t always easy, and sometimes life gets in the way, but marrying him was the best decision I ever made.
I love my grandparents I think there my soulmates.
Your blog is super uber wonderful love the lifestyle and choices you have made. Cute kids are just the extra slice of heaven!
My love and I married in June, 10 months after the most beautiful person in the world entered our lives. We thought we only had eyes for each other. He (our 13 month old) completes us. He comes toddling into the living room, dragging a teddy bear that is the same size as him with a giant smile on his face. We ask each other if other parents love their child as much as we do..Never knew love could be this way.
came across your blog while reading enjoying the small things and now I’m hooked. Thanks for the inspiring words.
My husband and I celebrated 2 years of marriage on September 5th. Our first baby (boy) is due on the 18th of this month. Who would have thought meeting him online, flying down to meet him (without telling my parents), would have worked out so well?! What I also love about him is that he’s so great with my brother who has Down syndrome… that’s very important 🙂 xx
this is so sweet:). the best day of my life was when i married my hubby, over two years ago now. i’ll never forget how cute (and nervous:):)) he looked as i was walking down the isle.
We’re expecting our first little one any week now, so i’m sure that our next ‘best day’ will be the day we meet our little man:). we can’t wait to be parents and show our little guy all of the amazing things that life has to offer…. and we will do it together:).
love your blog!
xoxo,
Blair
Happy Anniversary! I love your relaxed and carefree love for each other! It’s a beautiful thing!
Happy anniversary! Our anniversary wasnt awesome this year…for one reason or another, all from outside causes. We are thinking we might have a do-over and go back to the town where he proposed and just…chill. Which is what we do best
Happy Anniversary! The craziness life brings is all so sweet. My husband and I celebrated 2 years this June, and by our next anniversary we will be parents! Our first little love is due April 21, 2011, and I am already loving the journey towards becoming parents together. Thank you for your blog, and your approach to living life! We hail from the Midwest (Ann Arbor) and love the idea of living simply 🙂
Love the part where you said that you ride different currents…for us, that’s what marriage is about–the ability to ride different currents and yet be a part of the same river. It works for us. 🙂
I love how you worded your post – that you ride different currents. I’m learning that I don’t have to grow at the same pace as my husband. We are still in this crazy journey together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Love your blog!
I married my love 6 years ago last weekend. He’s my favourite person, the one who drives me the most batty and who inspires me to be better even when I’m at my worst! Happy (belated) anniversary!
Oh man… Love and anniversaries…
Hubby and I will have our 22nd on the 8th of November, his 50th birthday. 50! He was a gangly 21 year old when we met at a Hare Krishna festival in Berkeley, right after I moved to SF to live with my mom. We threw wet carnations at each other, and flirted mercilessly, but didn’t speak to one another until it turned out that my younger sister knew him from the Hare Krishna farm in West Virginia. We adored each other, but I was committed to having some fun.
He became my very bestest friend, we married on Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park 6 years later, dealt with the legalities of the paperwork sometime the year after, once we learned we were expecting our first baby. But that wedding in the park… that is when we got married, when we stood up and vowed to a life shared.
All these years later, man we have navigated some rapids, crashed into some nasty-ass boulders and sharp branches, but have now seemingly come into a bit of calm water with the newest love of my life, who entered 4 and a half years ago. My wild, wooly, sweet, ornery, ragamuffiny grandson. I couldn’t love little mongrel more if I had pushed him out myself. Which Yay! I didn’t this time…
Life is sooooo amazing, and so full of surprises. You really never know what’s around the next bend. Could be stormy, could be calm, could be a raging whirlpool determined to suck you down. But the journey… the journey is rarely dull, and there is always beauty.
I’m so grateful that I have the husband I do, that we have remained committed to our vows, through thick and thin, up and down, awesome and totally sucky. 22 and counting…
love your love story. My husband and I met in church and our first date was to a college football game where we drank some bourbon so i thought the elements in him were well mixed, and now I am so happy we are on the same team raising our family together!
also, have to tell you I’m an idiot and read your link and commented on what I was doing 13 years ago! 🙂
Wonderful post! My husband and I have been married for 18 years (known one another for 22!). He is the love of my life and I know he was chosen to mine!
Apricot Lavender jam? Sounds sooo yummy!
Oooh, for a chance at your peach butter!
Congratulations on your anniversary!
My sweetie and I have celebrated our third anniversary this June (have been together seven) and it’s been quite the ride. Currently I’m loving how he loves our little boy – it is so incredibly sweet to see those two together.
Happy Anniversary! We’re coming up on our ten year very soon. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?!
I love your description of marriage along the wild and unpredictable currents of life’s waterway, and I am getting to know it so well. My husband and I got married four years ago last month, three years after falling dizzyingly in love. My first suspicion I might love this man was sitting in a class on hot day so we held it outside, and as I shifted my position on the ground our bare feet touched. Neither of us made the usual hurried movement to immediately end any unexpected physical contact. And my heart doubled in size.
The day of our wedding we gathered family and friends on the riverbank near our home, stood ankle deep in water as we declared our love and devotion, kissed, then dove into the river head first, inviting all to join us as we “took the plunge.” Each day, as I feel the swirling eddies tugging gently or forcefully in so many directions, I am even more deeply grateful for the dear companion at my side.
Thank you for your post and the inspiration to take a minute to reflect on this most important love. Happy Anniversary to you!
we got married on july 4th so we’d always remember it and always have it off work. he’s my best friend and 6 years and 3 (soon to be 4) kids later i love him more everyday! we would love love love some montana summer here in western kentucky!
I only agreed to meet my love after I found out he was quiting his job as a transactional lawyer to move into a van and pursue his passion for climbing and surfing…6 months later we took that van and drove to Panama and back! A year and a half after completing our journey we miss it terribly.
PS- thank you for your blog, it is such a joy to read.
Ahh, marriage! We enter into it with magical thoughts and expectations of a seamless merging. We dream of tranquility born of two individuals loving, living, and being “one”. The reality is more akin to the challenges of long distance endurance runners. The jostling to stay on the same path together,to overcome the shin splints, the exhaustion, and the difficulty in maintaining symmetry. The beauty is found not so much in the romantic nights, but rather in the realization that we share a synchronized breathing, we strive for the same goals, hearing as one the simultaneous pounding of our footfalls as we travel the road together. There is beauty and a sense of satisfaction in looking back at those footprints left on the path of marriage; seeing them side by side, or one set ahead of the other, individual and distinct, untrampled, but always, always, close to one another. Forty two years and counting ….
Dig, what a sweet little blog post! My husband and I have been married for 4 years now and I just LOVE him to bits and pieces and still get goosebumps when I look through our wedding album! This was also a fitting post to read because today my sweet parents who are my heroes in life are celebrating 34 years together. They have been a shining example of love and friendship and respect and so on and so on. Wishing you and yours MANY more years of joy and happiness!
I married my high school sweetheart and we dated 6 years before marriage! I still amazing me that I learn new things from him each and every day! I’m so lucky to call him my man! http://www.craigmilecrew.blogspot.com
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happy anniversary to you both!
anniversaries are important to me, more than i thought they would be…
i celebrated my 7th anniversary in July, and 2 weeks later the 7th anniversary of my husband breaking his neck (which was also the day before my 20 birthday, happy birthday to me…. dont worry he was/is okay) so every year i thank God that i still have a man to love, and two little boys to snug.
your blog is inspiring the gardener in me, my yard has never had so many possibilities! (did i mention lavender was my wedding bouquet? it was….)
happy anniversary to you both!
anniversaries are important to me, more than i thought they would be…
i celebrated my 7th anniversary in July, and 2 weeks later the 7th anniversary of my husband breaking his neck (which was also the day before my 20 birthday, happy birthday to me…. dont worry he was/is okay) so every year i thank God that i still have a man to love, and two little boys to snug.
your blog is inspiring the gardener in me, my yard has never had so many possibilities! (did i mention lavender was my wedding bouquet? it was….)
happy anniversary to you both!
anniversaries are important to me, more than i thought they would be…
i celebrated my 7th anniversary in July, and 2 weeks later the 7th anniversary of my husband breaking his neck (which was also the day before my 20 birthday, happy birthday to me…. dont worry he was/is okay) so every year i thank God that i still have a man to love, and two little boys to snug.
your blog is inspiring the gardener in me, my yard has never had so many possibilities! (did i mention lavender was my wedding bouquet? it was….)
happy anniversary to you both!
anniversaries are important to me, more than i thought they would be…
i celebrated my 7th anniversary in July, and 2 weeks later the 7th anniversary of my husband breaking his neck (which was also the day before my 20 birthday, happy birthday to me…. dont worry he was/is okay) so every year i thank God that i still have a man to love, and two little boys to snug.
your blog is inspiring the gardener in me, my yard has never had so many possibilities! (did i mention lavender was my wedding bouquet? it was….)
happy anniversary to you both!
anniversaries are important to me, more than i thought they would be…
i celebrated my 7th anniversary in July, and 2 weeks later the 7th anniversary of my husband breaking his neck (which was also the day before my 20 birthday, happy birthday to me…. dont worry he was/is okay) so every year i thank God that i still have a man to love, and two little boys to snug.
your blog is inspiring the gardener in me, my yard has never had so many possibilities! (did i mention lavender was my wedding bouquet? it was….)
My husband of 7 years is such a love. He is so in love with our children, which makes me more in love with him. You have inspired me to take a sewing class! I don’t know how I’m going to do that while trying to run a skin care business and take care of 2 kids. But, I will fit it in somehow. Thank you for writing this blog, it’s such a treat!
i was told once of a native southwestern culture who used spirals to symbolize the journeys and hard times that bring people closer together. the challenging times force us to come together and face life head on, coming out stronger on the otherside. i am lucky to have such a strong man with whom i will travel through this life. and he’s cute, to boot! 😉
happy belated anniversary to you and andy and i wish you many, many more to come!
My husband and I are learning that love is freedom, how to ride the currents away and toward each other.
It sounds like you two have that one figured out. It’s beautiful. 🙂
Would love to taste your peach concoctions…
Love that my husband gave me two of the most wonderful gifts in my world….our 2 babes and him xoxo
Congratulations! I have, at this moment, been married for three weeks and three days. I look forward to looking back at five years. We are strong swimmers and are ready for the ride.
I came here via Kelle and have become instantly addicted. I was amused to learn that while I have very little in common with her, I have much more in common with you (mountains, gardens, preserving, dirt, etc).
Congratulations on a beautiful five years. I made your peach butter last year and am so sad I missed peach season this year!
To peach butter and love!
Congrats! I just celebrated 5 years with my love, too. Thanks for the giveaway. 🙂
Your peach butter sounds delish!
Congratulations!!!
My loves:
my husband and my daughter.
Eternally grateful to have them in my life.
Marriage is a work in progress ,but one so worth it.
Loved your poem. The way you described it as a river
🙂
I’ve been reading for a while but this is my first time commenting. Love your blog! I’m giving a shout out to my two other great loves – my husband of 7 years and my son of 8 months. What a wonderful road we’re all walking. Thank you!
Love this post! My story is very similar. Met my husband in the fifth grade. We had mutual friends through the years and came in contact off and on. But our story began our junior year in Mr. Gerney’s Biology class. That is where our hearts were connected forever. Got voted most unlikely couple in high school. He was the popular high school quarterback and I was the alternative chick in combat boots (not any longer I might add). But we were instantly connected and our love continues to grow more deep everyday. I am passionately in love with this man. We married at 19- nobody thought we would make it. Now 14 years later, we have six kiddos and hopefully more, and our love is strong and beautiful. When I read your story, it reminded me of ours somewhat. May God give you many,many more years together. Your girls are beautiful!! I love the way you capture them in your photography.
I married at 18 and 20 years later I love him even more!
I love to can and every year I have, except this year. We moved across the country and I’m still getting my bearings…enjoying some of Montana’s Summer would be great!
What an interesting analogy! Montana summer looks lovely and I hope I get a taste!! I so loved the picture of you carting all those peaches in the wagon and cooking with a baby on your hip. I am so in those days with 4 kids, my youngest daughter being 8 months old!
it only took us 4 months to get engaged. I guess when you meet the right one it just all falls into place. 10 years later here we are 🙂
I’m still looking for my true love…but for now I’m having a blast loving my friends and family like crazy.
150 comments… how intimidating. (!)
Yet, here’s mine. 🙂
Eight years ago this coming Monday, I “closed” on my house.
Having gotten divorced a mere 10 months previously, I was overwhelmed at my (ME! MINE!) accomplishment, and, of course, threw a housewarming party to celebrate, never mind that I owned almost no furniture and had spent, no exaggeration, my last 50 bucks on the pony keg.
I invited everyone I knew. I even invited the cute guy from Ace Hardware who’d been helping me with house project advice, and who I’d bumped into at a garden party earlier that summer. I was kinda shy about it, but, really really hoped he’d come.
He came. He brought a venison cornbread casserole. He helped me diagnose the little plumbing problem that erupted that evening, my pipes getting a workout they hadn’t in a while.
I jumped at him and kissed him that night, in the basement, mere feet from the narrowly averted plumbing disaster. I was a bit surprised when the result of all that enthusiasm was that… he invited me canoeing.
It happened to be a spectacular fall. A golden, miraculous fall, and we canoed well into November. By then, I was hopelessly, helplessly, head-over-heels.
Today, we took our son on his first moving-water canoe trip, on the Clearwater Canoe Trail, a two-hour flat, smooth, gorgeous, golden river that winds its way to the north shore of Seeley Lake.
I watched my husband easily, skillfully manage our boat as I positioned an umbrella to shade the wide-eyed toddler feeling flow, and sandbar scrapes, under the canoe’s floor for the first time.
I was overwhelmed by flow. By home. By firsts. By me and mine flowing into us and ours, and by witnessing it become also, his.
Our anniversary is July 16. But eight years ago Monday was the beginning.
Grace Decker
SHOUT OUT TO MY LOVE!
He’s the best. He’s crafty and witty and laughs with me. Thanks dcb!
I started calling my husband Mr M shortly after we married 11 years ago. Then it became The Lovely Mr M. Now even my mother sends hims cards addressed to The Lovely Mr M. We’ve been together for 20 years this Christmas. What can I say? Time flies when you are having fun.
Happy Anniversary Dig xx
Ok so I found you through Kelle’s blog and I am glad I did. I LOVE your daughters names, btw. My hubby and I have been married for 10 years this year! It is crazy, it feels like yesterday that we got married. We have 5 daughters and are expecting baby #6, so far a surprise, on January 30. I love him now as much as I did the day we got married, ok maybe a little more than I did then. I wouldn’t choose anyone else to be on this journey, called life, with!
What a SUPER giveaway! I’ve never even had Peach Butter!!! I gotta try me some! Our anniversary is in August and with each year that goes by, the less time I have to give him a shout-out on my blog. It’s pathetic anyway but thank goodness for FB-I can give a shout-out there albeit a short one. 😉
Beautiful. I just married my high school sweetheart on the first. It was such a perfect and wonderful day.
I wasn’t even looking for love, when I met my amazing husband 15 years ago. The minute we introduced ourselves on that September night at Jays Upstairs in Missoula, I knew we would be married. He is my puzzle piece–we compliment each other so well. The past 15 years have brought heartache, laughter and the deepest connection I will ever feel with another person. I am fortunate to have such a man be the primary caregiver to our two children and my very best friend in this world. Thank you for teaching me so much about life.
Love your blog! Our 7th anniversary is Monday and it just seems to get better each year:) I think that our three kids have made it so much better also.
We were so young……but we have made it 12 years (barely). We have survived 3 kids in rapid succession. One with special needs. Completely different communication styles, hobbies, political views. Paying for gas in change, to buying a dream house, to scouring for change again. Crazy families, an early mid life crisis (mine) and bi-polar,deaf dog…but we’ve made it. When we are at the top of the mountain it feels like we are kids making out in the back of his truck again but when we are low, I have to remind myself of these few things.. I like the way he smells laying next to me in bed, I like that he thinks squeezing my boob is the equivalent to saying sorry and most of all I like that I still get that twinge of excitement when I hear him walk through the door at the end of the day. Love is not easy but it’s worth it!
Love the idea of Montana summer in a jar! Especially after seeing the effort that went into it : ) We did make it out to dinner on our anniversary this year, but we hope to get away for a night with relatives watching the kids…
My hubby, Nick, and I have been married for 6 years!! Our anniversary will never be forgotten, because our 1st, Lillian, was born on our 4yr anniversary. Unfortunately for us, we don’t really celebrate it because of that! We keep saying we should choose another day……………….Happy Birthday to my greatest love, my greatest friend, my lifelong partner……he turns 37 -10/4/2010!!
I need to learn how to can! Your blog makes me miss the Northwest…
I just celebrated my five year anniversary a few weeks ago. Marriage (and kids) is a wild, crazy ride, but SO worth it.
My man so deserves a shout out. We met during my second and his first year of college in Europe. I was working as tutor for his freshman English class. When he asked me out, I thought it was hilarious, but obliged and accompanied him to dinner anyway. We dated for most of that year, and then when I came to the States and he stayed behind, I broke his heart by breaking up with him. I’ve only learned recently how many years of anguish that caused him. Kept in touch over seven long years, and at a certain point I came to my senses and realized that if I did not get him now, he would soon be taken by some more sensible woman. We moved together to Berkeley and our son was born the following year. I feel so dang lucky that I did not lose him during the long hiatus while I figured out what in life was worth pursuing.
I gave up my Missoula ways ten years ago to run back to my study abroad love affair. Now I get my Missoula fix from your blog! While many felt perhaps my 21 year old self was just a wee bit idealistic in proclaiming my undying love for a hairy Australian, nearly five years of marriage and two beautiful children proved me right 🙂
My oh my do i need some of that jammy good sweetness smeared across my wee boy’s cheeks.
…The world is perfect. Love, however, is an opera, a history, a long walk, that includes falling and rising, falling and rising, while the heart remains as sweet as a peach, as radiant and grateful as the deep leaved hills….. A part of a Mary Oliver poem that my love recited to me last year after a hike to the top of a mountain in our hills. She is my soft landing.
Peach butter would be a delicious treat to share 🙂
…The world is perfect. Love, however, is an opera, a history, a long walk, that includes falling and rising, falling and rising, while the heart remains as sweet as a peach, as radiant and grateful as the deep leaved hills….. A part of a Mary Oliver poem that my love recited to me last year after a hike to the top of a mountain in our hills. She is my soft landing.
Peach butter would be a delicious treat to share 🙂
Almost 6 years ago I married the love of my life, it seems over the last 3 years while raising our children, we lost a bit of each other, thank goodness we recognized it and are in the process getting our togetherness back, thank you for the beautiful description of marraige, and the reminder.
Ack! I didn’t comment…how could this be? Oh, I love that I know Andy now. And that I got to be there on that special day even if a hoola-hoop fight disrupted the love a bit that night. xoxo
Am I too late?? Love this blog, love the advice I am getting about growing food and sustaining family! Love the inspiration you give! Would love some of that peach deliciousness!