Six

I went through all of my old anniversary posts (two, three, four and five) (yes, I've had the blawg for a while) so I wouldn't repeat myself and then I asked Phillip if there were any married-to-him stories I hadn't yet shared with the internet and he looked at me like, "My God, woman, like I am going to PROVIDE you with stories about ME for your NOT ANONYMOUS WEBSITE."

Right now, numerous jobs, one apartment, one house, two kids and six years later, for the first time I'm not feeling all that sentimental and nostalgic. I don't know if it's because Five felt like the cap on the newlywed years and I'm moving on? Or because Phillip was accepted to graduate school on Friday and I'm very much focused on the future?

This is the earliest picture I can find of us. There might be others, glued into one of my college scrapbooks, but I'm too lazy to figure out how to use our scanner. Just be thankful I feel close enough to you to share my unfortunate choice of college haircut.

We're at some retreat. I'm a sophomore, he's a junior, I am desperately in love and he is... not.


Certain people should thank me for cropping them out of this picture.

And then we graduated. That was fast!

I? Am just beginning to get a taste of my future husband's love affair with small electronic gadgets. I am not impressed.

I wish I had more pictures in between the Not Dating Yet and the Graduated Already scenes. I should go through those scrapbooks, if only to show my kids one day. Of course, this does show you that it took me two YEARS to grow out the unfortunate haircut.

A year later. I was 22.


Back when you could afford to ride the ferries for fun. Dear State of Washington: You are a total bummer.

A few months after we got engaged, on Phillip's first trip to Italy:


Public Service Announcement #1: Do not bring your fiance and your two closest friends on an extended trip to Europe. Unless you think Being Stuck In The Middle is super duper fun.

The day after our wedding, setting off on our road trippy honeymoon:


Bonus glimpse of Father-In-Law.

Christmas in our first apartment:


Santa did not bring us good lighting.

A year later, hanging out in our half-empty new house. I'm a few months away from 26.


We gave this couch to my brother, and when he was cleaning it out he found a rubber bandish type thing and a BURNED SPOON. WTF?


My 27th birthday...


...in HAWAII. How you gonna top that, Phillip?

Then we had a baby.


I cannot BELIEVE that is Jack, people. CANNOT. BELIEVE.

And ANOTHER baby.


Quite possibly my favorite picture in the world, even though I have, like, 40 pounds of baby weight to lose, apparently all in my cheeks.

Okay, maybe I was a bit nostalgic after all. I haven't looked at those pictures in a long time. I look so... young. I met him almost eleven years ago. Nineteen, in a dorm room, still awake, listening to the first CD anyone ever made just for me.

Happy anniversary, Phillip. It's been a blast growing up with you.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

Aw. Congratulations!
I LOVED seeing all those pictures. You were SO young!
That is a really good idea actually - I might have to steal that for my six year anniversary blog post. If only I had a scanner...

[The Sojourner]

So, my choice was being obnoxious and commenting on a four-year-old post or being obnoxious and commenting somewhat off-topicly (I just made up a word!) on this one.

Anyway--second anniversary post? All the "someday we are going to do (insert whatever here that conjures up visions of domestic bliss)"? That's my boyfriend. He said he wanted to marry me when we had been dating for about three weeks. And it freaked me out. Not because I hadn't imagined our wedding announcement going in my local paper (silly, lovelorn me) but he said "marry" OUT LOUD. While walking back from the cafeteria along a PUBLIC SIDEWALK. (Nobody else was really around but still.)

Of course, we are insane, because right now I am a junior and he is a second-semester sophomore (he got a semester behind, long story) and only silly heedless people would get engaged halfway through college. And only silly heedless people would mentally (not OUT LOUD) answer the "What do you want to do after you graduate?" question with "GET MARRIED!" At least, that is what I tell myself, but the Plan is starting to get written in pencil because who would want to miss out on THIS?

P. S. Going from 17 to 20 with somebody has already been amazing in the amount of growing up he's done. And he was already ancient as a 17-year-old; I wouldn't have thought he had much more room to grow up and become more mature and responsible.

[The Sojourner]

P. P. S. I feel compelled to mention that we will have been dating for 15 months next week; lest any of you think that the whole "I will state my deathless love after dating three weeks" thing was recent.

[antonia]

that was so sweet! Thanks for sharing!
Happy anniversary!!

lotsa love
antonia
xxx

[Lindsay]

Maggie, I've got to say it--you age well. You just keep getting prettier and prettier, and on behalf of the female population, I'd just like to say that this is not fair.

Congratulations on six years!

[Jennifer]

This was gorgeous and I'm weepy. Granted its easy to do at certain times of the month (two times per month to be exact) but. You know. Still.

[ashley.star]

Too adorable.

I love Jack's smile in the last one. And yours!

PS: Phillip's dad looks JUST LIKE HIM. At first, I thought it was Phillip standing outside the car. :)

[Melissa]

How sweet. LOVE THIS! Happy Anniversary love birds...and congrats to Philip (for getting into grad school).

[Jenny Ryan]

Happy, Happy Anniversary!! And congrats to Phillip on grad school!

[Lindsay]

I too figured that was Phillip's bro. Happy Anniversary! What a lovely history you two have and continue each day. Also I needs to take more pictures of my own life....

[Jess]

This is so cute. You guys are adorable. Happy anniversary!

[Crystal]

Happy Anniversary!

[janey]

Happy anniversary and congratulations to Phillip for being accepted to grad school! I agree with Lindsay. So, could you fake a bad picture to make the rest of us feel better about ourselves?

[Jen]

You got married just a month-ish before we did.

Happy anniversary!

[Manda]

Happy Anniversary! You guys are the cutest EVER!!!!!!

[el-e-e]

You two? Are precious!! Happy anniversary. BTW, I love the unfortunate haircut. And have owned it, myself, many times. ;)

[Kate P]

Happy Anniversary!!! (Reading this post with the Smashing Pumpkins' "Stand Inside Your Love" in the background. . . appropriate!)

[Christiana]

Happy Anniversary!
Thanks for sharing. I should do a similar post for my next anniversary. Lots of time together for me and my husband, too. We met in high school. I've got 11 months to find that scanner, I guess. :)

[Andnotbysight]

Happy Anniversary! Love the pictures. And congratulations to Phillip on grad school!

[Carrie]

Happy anniversary- and congrats to Phillip on grad school!

[Sarah in Ottawa]

Happy Anniversary! You are both absolutely adorable.

And you've motivated me to get moving on a 5th Anniversary post for October. Though I have know Dave since grade school and we've been BFF since high school. And together (with a 2 year break) for 14 years(!!) come August. HOLY CRAP! I'd better get digging for the (totally unflattering) photos.

[Tara]

Love the pictures. In case you were wondering which one is my favorite-- the engaged Italy one is super cute!

Happy Anniversary!

[Formerly Gracie]

Totally adorable! Happy Anniversary!

[Charlotte]

Happy Anniversary! I was [this] close to writing Happy Birthday. Complete sidenote: I think your college haircut is totally cute, I was more wondering how you found occasion to ride a merry-go-round.

[Angela Noelle]

Aw, happy anniversary! Love the photo essay posts :)

[Shelby]

Happy anniversary, you two! Six years is wonderful!

[Elsha]

Cute pictures! And I know I'm late here (I've not been online much lately) but happy anniversary! I hope it was great!