Last Tuesday, amid the hussle and bussle of a fun day at Disneyland I leaned over to Dustin and said, “Oh! Hey! Happy Anniversary!” and planted a kiss on his lips. Our kids sat eating Tigger Tails and candied apples as we waiting in line to see Winne the Pooh. There is no other way I would have wanted to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. We were at the happiest place with the people who make me the happiest. It was just about perfect.
Ten years ago Dustin and I were two crazy kids – getting married only a few months after meeting each other because FINALLY we had found our person. Ten years ago I didn’t think I’d be where I am now. Owning a business, both of us working from home, having two kids and a dog. The dog was NEVER part of my plan. But here we are. Married still. Happy still. Older, wiser, and more wrinkled. But still, without doubt, saying Yes to Dustin’s proposal was the best thing I’ve ever done. I said yes to the person who has the most faith in me. I said yes to the person who dreams bigger than I could ever hope to. I said yes to the person who surprises me again and again and can still make me giggle and get butterflies. I said yes to the person who made me a wife and then a mother. I said yes to the person who made me a reluctant dog parent. I said yes to my best friend.
I won’t lie. The past ten years hasn’t been all rainbows and unicorns. There have been hard times. We have dealt with the sickness and death of parents and siblings, becoming parents to some wonderful and challenging children, we built our business together, moved MUCH more than I would have cared to, and had to look at each other and say, “You know how you stay married for a long time? You don’t get divorced.” Because there are totally moments in a long marriage where you think, I may kill them today. But you don’t. And a few days, a few hours or even a few moments later you are in love again and they are your whole world. I wouldn’t have it any other way. At the end of this decade together I can happily say that I still REALLY love my husband, but even better I LIKE my husband. I would want to hang out with him even if we weren’t bound together for life. He’s a pretty cool guy. I STILL never know what he will say next and I’m usually pretty interested to hear what it might be.
I wonder what the next ten years will hold. When we celebrate our 20th we will have a kid in college and a kid in high school. We will probably have moved again. Chances are we will still be photographers, because that’s what we’re good at. But more than anything I hope we still like each other just as much as we love each other. Thanks for being my best friend Dustin. Thank you for a decade of loads of love, a beautiful family and so much hope for tomorrow. You are my favorite and my best.
Special thanks to Robyn Kessler, Maria Mrask, Beth Baugher, Lisa Bardot and Chandra Edlow for taking these pictures of us. You are all treasures!!